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Prelude
Venues for classical concerts, the concert repertoires, and the social etiquettes during concerts today still more or less follow the century-old models and paradigms. If we were to revolutionize concertgoers’ experience and adapt to the evolving tastes of the contemporary audience, some fundamental changes might be required. These changes range from hosting concerts at novel concert venues, redesigning more ergonomic concert hall seating arrangements, engaging audiences before and after the concerts through interactive activities, and leveraging the power of virtual realities (VR), augmented realities (AR), and extended realities (XR) to create multi-dimensional concert experience.
Strategy 1: Performing at Novel Concert Venues
What comes to your mind when the word “classical concert” is mentioned? Do you conjure up a chandelier-lit hall, the color palette of red and gold, quaint interior decorations, and an atmosphere that is reminiscent of the golden age of classical music (e.g., circa 1780–1880)? As soon as this mental model of classical music is conceived, we are subconsciously primed to behave in a specific way at the concert venue.
This may be perfect for those who revere the traditions and pine for the bygone era. However, from the vantage point of the concert sponsors, if the objective is to attract a more diverse audience who do not typically fall into the classical concertgoers’ categories, something can be done to reshape the public perception of a classical concert. These changes can be as minor as performing at unconventional concert venues. Some performers, in their educational outreach, choose to render performances in settings such as a public park, an indoor botanical garden, a library, an art museum, or a planetarium.
On May 19, Bard-trained music artists (Eszter Pókai, clarinet; Christopher Nelson, violin; Neilson Chen, piano) rendered a performance that breathed some fresh air into the classical music scene. Instead of taking place at a gilded hall decorated with floral veneers and ancient organs, the recital took place in an industrial building with a minimalist appearance that has been used by architects and craftsmen alike for warehousing and storage purposes. This atypical venue created a perfect ambiance for the concert program of the day, “Hungarian Melodies,” featuring compositions influenced by the Klezmer style of performance and that are highly improvisatory (e.g., Béla Kovács, Sholem-alekhem, rov Feidman!) and works by contemporary composers who are gifted in tonal experimentation and infusing contemporary clarinet techniques with the soundscape of folk instruments (e.g., Gergely Vajda, light-shadow trembling for solo clarinet).
Strategy 2: Engaging with the Audience through Interactive Pre- and Post-Concert Activities
How can we create unforgettable memories? Memory research has revealed the magic power of engagement. In Make It Stick, citing rigorous lab research, the authors (Peter C. Brown, Mark A. McDaniel, Henry L. Roediger III) convincingly argued that the key to memory retention is in-depth information processing and multimodal/multisensory involvement during information intake.
A multimodal interactive learning experience creates an ideal condition for in-depth information processing to take place. Concert event organizers can, therefore, strategically create engaging pre- and post-concert activities that involve the audience or position them in a more active role throughout their aesthetic experience to forge a more easily retrievable memory trail for later recall. Some activities that can be effective include, but are not limited to, pre-concert introductions/talks where questions from audience members are encouraged, guided pre-concert tours of the venue, an opportunity to chat about the concert experience with the performing artists at a cocktail reception shortly after the performance, or an instrument demo and experimentation session.
Strategy 3: Leveraging the Power of Immersive and Multimedia Technologies
Integrating Virtual Reality (VR), Extended Reality (XR), and Augmented Reality (AR) into classical concert experiences can enhance the audience's engagement. There are multiple ways these technologies can be utilized. We can create an immersive concert experience by introducing VR headsets into the concert halls. The VR headsets can provide 360-degree views of the concert venue and make the audience, especially those who sit in more distant areas of the hall, feel a greater degree of physical proximity and psychological connection with the activities at the center stage. This feature would be especially useful to concertgoers who are motivated to learn and observe.
We can also appeal to concertgoers’ novelty-seeking and learning needs by enabling concertgoers to experience visuals that synchronize with the music, e.g., digital light shows, holograms, and interactive elements that react to the live performance. Specifically, classical music concerts could feature AR that overlays information about the music or composer, displays visualizations of the music’s structure and dynamics, and introduces floating music scores that synchronize with the live performance for the audience’s reference. The success of The Orchestra app provided proof of concept for some of these ideas and harbingers the promise of integrating immersive and multimedia technologies into the contemporary classical concert hall.
Last but not least, virtual booths can be created as a part of the complementary concert experience that the audience is encouraged to explore before or after the concert. The audience can engage with AR apps on their smartphones or AR glasses to explore interactive exhibits about the music in the concert program, the history of the performance venues, bios of the performers, 3D models of the instruments featured in the concert, and the behind-the-scenes at the venue. Music educational programs can use AR and XR technologies to improve the accessibility of the concert experience for everyone, especially for concert attendees with disabilities. AR and XR can generate real-time subtitles, sign language interpretations, and translations during the concert, making the experience more inclusive.
Postlude
Reimagining and redesigning the classical concert experience is a multidisciplinary project. Shaping the audience’s perception of classical music in the 21st century takes a team of multi-talented, passionate, and dedicated artistic directors, performing artists, music educators, music technologists, entrepreneurs, and user experience (UX) designers’ collective intelligence and efforts. The projected market value of these interdisciplinary collaborations auger well for the possibility that new career paths that intersect with two or more traditional academic disciplines may emerge due to the market demand for creating compelling concert experiences for contemporary audiences.
Dual-degree holders in psychology and music may enjoy opportunities such as providing counseling services to musicians, working as music therapists, or designing augmented reality education programs to educate, engage, and empower audiences throughout their concert experience. User experience designers with a background in music performance and music technologies or who have worked in the music industry can help optimize ticketing, mobile app, and concert hall experience. Bard College is at the forefront of this movement in that Conservatory undergraduates pursuing a five-year program will attain two degrees upon graduation—the bachelor of music degree and the bachelor of arts degree outside of music. This curriculum placement highlights the importance of developing well-rounded musicians who are broadly educated in the liberal arts and sciences to maximize their potential, such as meeting the demand of contemporary music-making.
