PSO to live stream music from abroad
Classical music devotees around the world will be able to hear the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra live on social media during the ensemble’s European tour.
On Wednesday, the PSO’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique,” at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland will stream live on Facebook about 2:30 p.m. Facebook pages for the PSO, the Musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Lucerne Festival all will carry the live stream feed.
The social media broadcast is projected to reach more than 100,000 viewers worldwide. By comparison, Heinz Hall at full capacity holds only 2,676 listeners.
The PSO has used Facebook Live to broadcast pre-concert interviews and backstage footage previously, but this is the first time the orchestra will use the platform to stream a performance.
Michael Haefliger, executive and artistic director of the Lucerne Festival, said this sort of live
coverage is the next horizon for classical music.
“Our Facebook Live initiative is intended to reach out to the global social media community, especially with younger listeners around the world,” he said. “This is where the future is going. People respond strongly to the live broadcasts. They are a chance to feel like you are really part of the event even if you aren’t actually there.”
“This is an incredibly exciting opportunity,” said Mary Persin, PSO vice president of artistic planning. “There aren’t any tickets left for this concert — it sold out several weeks ago. This is a way to show the world the special partnership between our music director, Manfred Honeck, and our musicians.”
The Lucerne Festival this year has been championing an effort to broadcast its concerts via social media channels.
Music director Riccardo Chailly initiated the trend when he and the festival orchestra agreed to live stream the second half of their opening night performance Aug. 11 on Facebook in addition to broadcasting on television.
More than 39,000 social media users tuned in to the live streaming feed during the concert, and more than 50,000 social media users cumulatively have viewed the opening concert since it was posted.
The video will remain online until Sept. 10.
The Lucerne Festival has nearly 70,000 Facebook followers, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra page has close to 47,000 followers and the Musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra page has just over 22,000.
“We are really very enthusiastic about this,” said PSO cellist Michael DeBruyn. “Facebook Live provides another avenue for us to showcase the orchestra to the world, and we’re excited to play for Pittsburghers at home as well as a global audience.”
Other ensembles performing at the festival have agreed to broadcast selections from their concerts on social media, including the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra and Sonus Brass ensemble.
The Lucerne Festival Orchestra and the PSO are the two largest ensembles to broadcast this year.
The PSO currently is negotiating how long the video of its Sept. 6 performance will remain online.
One of the strengths of the live broadcast is that it allows listeners to tune in or out at their leisure, Mr. Haefliger said. Streaming the concert on Facebook also is significantly cheaper than broadcasting a concert on television.
“On television we have the highest quality, and it is important to continue to do this,” he said. “But for the Facebook stream, the quality must also be very high. This is where the future is going.”
Orchestras in the U.S. as well as around the world are continuing to experiment with digital frontiers and platforms.
Rare is the orchestra that does not maintain an active social media presence, most commonly on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
One of the difficulties in navigating this new territory is musician contracts, which often impose limitations on the length of video and audio footage of an orchestra that can be broadcast to the public without compensating the musicians.
Ms. Persin said the contract hammered out at the conclusion of last year’s labor dispute included provisions that allow for social media streaming.
“We’ve dabbled in Facebook videos a bit, though we’ve never done something on this grand of a scale,” she said. “The scope and reach of this project is incredible to behold, just incredible.”
She said musicians and orchestra staff are exploring the use of Facebook Live throughout the season. The most likely candidate for experimentation is the PSO360 series, which will seat audience members close to musicians on the Heinz Hall stage beginning Oct. 14.
The regular symphonic season begins Sept. 22, with a pre-season gala featuring international piano virtuoso Lang Lang on Sept. 16.
“We’re entering a real golden era for the PSO,” Ms. Persin said. “The European tour is a real signal of the orchestra’s strong international standing.”