Modes of Engagement with Classical Music: Digital Formats

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, orchestras had to swiftly engage with new formats to connect with their audiences. As a result, during the pandemic, there has been an eruption of performances delivered in digital formats. Orchestras launched their own digital platforms or employed social media channels and online platforms for classical music video streaming. During the 2021–2022 season, orchestras resumed their live performances worldwide. Some orchestras decided to continue delivering concerts in digital formats in concomitance to their live counterparts; others have mostly reverted to live performances. The presented research identifies and discusses advantages and disadvantages for orchestras of presenting events in digital formats. In particular, this paper explores to what extent digital formats may support orchestras to draw audiences to watch their events. Setting a context for the paper is the discourse around classical music and its taste cultures, with the discussion focusing on classical music audiences’ perceptions of digital formats. The research integrates a literature review on taste cultures in classical music with specific case studies, with respect to orchestras who have delivered their concerts online since the start of the pandemic. The purpose of this research is to analyse whether digital formats may help orchestras to engage with new audiences. More extensively, the paper questions the role of concerts in digital formats in the democratisation of classical music.