CROWD PLEASERS
With so much talent, music competitions are exciting to watch. We take a look at how they are reaching out to new audiences
In ancient Greece, musical contests elevated audiences to euphoria and ecstasy, fear and frenzy. Such emotions remain among the checklist of possible responses to today’s music competitions, usually triggered by heated disputes over jury verdicts or partisan passions for participants. Yet the audience experience is more often confined to fine degrees of approval, higher for one competitor, lower for another, a sage nod here, a knowing wink there. The old model, by which audiences follow a gradual process of elimination, is shifting towards a new form of competition, one open to the reach of hi-tech communications and old-school conversation, in which people learn about the competitors, their lives and their music.
The World Federation of International Music Competitions is on a mission to change the terms of audience engagement. It encourages members to recharge their followers with the fervour and excitement of music made in the moment by young artists. Above all, it wants to make listening an active condition, connected to head and heart.
Karendra Devroop, director of the Unisa National and International Music Competitions, based at the University of South Africa (Unisa) in Pretoria, praises the positive virtues of an audience-building initiative inspired by the prominence of jazz in South African culture. It started with the decision to run a jazz piano competition in tandem with the 2016
Unisa International Piano Competition, a triennial event for classical pianists. Unisa, notes Devroop, was determined that its jazz competitors should be measured by the highest standards, a match for those expected of the classical competition’s participants: ‘I feared we wouldn’t attract jazz pianists who were at the same level as our classical competitors. But our six finalists were all accomplished classical pianists who’d switched to jazz.’
The twin competitions’ first rounds, held within three days, created a festival atmosphere. Their organisers expected the conservative tastes of Pretoria’s concertgoers to prevail. ‘Instead we found a real change of audience perception,’ recalls Devroop. ‘Our jazz venue was sold out for the first time in the city’s history for the competition’s final round. I wondered whether this was our classical fans coming out of loyalty, but we received unprecedented feedback from them praising the quality of the performers and the music. And then they came to our jazz series at Unisa, which had always drawn tiny audiences. We’ve seen this incredible crossover of classical audiences at jazz concerts; it’s something we never envisaged.’
Devroop reports a steady stream, if not a flood, of jazz fans attending Unisa’s classical concerts and competitions. ‘Our jazz attendees like the feel of jazz, but they’ve come to appreciate our classical artists too. For the first time, we’re seeing this big shift in our audience.’ The proximity of the classical and jazz competitions, he adds, propelled audiences from one camp to the other. ‘They’re much more open to different kinds of music now. That’s a big change for this city and fantastic for us.’
Introducing new audiences to the highwire thrills of competitions is a priority for competition organisers. Idith Zvi, artistic director of the Arthur Rubinstein International Music Society in Tel Aviv, observes that the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition has no difficulty attracting crowds. Their rising average age, however, is a concern. She argues that a single arts organisation can only do so much to draw a younger demographic to its work, and is adamant that responsibility for educating people about classical music rests with national government.
While the Arthur Rubinstein International Music Society works hard to reach young people through schools concerts and outreach projects, it is unable to plug holes in Israel’s music education system. ‘I’ve been screaming about this for years,’ says Zvi. While she’s waiting for an answer, she continues to spread the word about her competition via a network of personal contacts. ‘I try to be on a personal basis with so many people, to use all possible media to reach them and be available to everyone who wants to know about us.’
The direct approach, whether delivered in the flesh or via social media, has served the Rubinstein Competition well. Its two final rounds were shown last year on large outdoor screens in Israel’s north, south and central regions. These, presented in partnership with the nation’s conservatories, allowed young musicians, their friends and family to vote on the final contestants. ‘We took one of the six prizewinners to play a recital at their conservatories and brought around 40 conservatory students to the competition’s first stage.’
Cultivating community spirit stands high on the agenda for this year’s Leeds International Piano Competition. The next edition culminates in Leeds in September, following first rounds in Berlin, Singapore and New York this April. Adam Gatehouse notes that he and joint artistic director, pianist Paul Lewis, have worked hard to extend the competition’s audience. ‘We want to be more outward-facing and reach a whole swathe of people we’ve never reached before,’ he explains. Partnerships with the Hallé orchestra, Wigmore Hall, artist management Askonas Holt and local stakeholders – from Leeds City Council and Leeds University to regional business organisations – have boosted their outreach campaign.
The first Leeds Piano Festival, launched this May at Wigmore Hall and the Howard Assembly Room in Leeds, will open another audience entrypoint. In addition to recitals by such Leeds laureates as Lars Vogt and Sunwook Kim, the festival includes performances by three Lang Lang International Music Foundation Young Scholars. ‘We’re working with our partners to get the message out as far as possible,’ says Gatehouse. ‘The days where one could present something like this in splendid isolation are long gone. We’re looking to provide access for all to the instrument, to revitalise interest in the piano, with the competition as the pinnacle of a pyramid of work.’
The Leeds Competition will receive extensive coverage on television, radio and the internet, including a live broadcast of the finals on BBC Radio 3 and a televised presentation from the finals to be shown on BBC Four a week after the event. Classic FM will carry regular competition bulletins featuring interviews with competitors and judges and audience vox pops, while Medici.tv, the leading online platform for classical concerts, is set to undertake what Gatehouse describes as an
Introducing audiences to the high-wire thrills of competitions is a priority