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NEWS RELEASE
22 November 2012
Classical music colours the lives of 8 in 10 people
Modern appeal of the great composers revealed - from concert hall to the gym, the motorway to
the living room
Eight in ten British adults (80%) have a relationship with classical music every now and then – with
more than two in five (42%) engaging with it beyond the concert hall - according to new YouGov
research. The research also reveals that there is resurgent interest in the artform among the under-25
age group, dispelling notions that the great composers are the preserve of older people.
As the Philharmonia Orchestra embarks on its most ambitious season for decades, the Orchestra
commissioned YouGov to ask a GB representative sample of 2,020 adults how they followed classical
music in their everyday lives. Thinking about orchestral music, chamber or choral music, quartets and
solo recitals, YouGov asked UK adults in which situation they would be inclined to listen to Classical
music every now and then. The results show the wide ranging experiences people have with the
artform.
•
The living room has overtaken the concert hall as the number one place to listen to classical
music, with 43% of respondents saying they enjoy listening while they chill out at home. In
contrast, 38% said they enjoyed classical music in the concert hall.
•
For around one in three people (35%) classical music is a quintessential part of a special
occasion – and 33% said it is the music they associate with eating out at a restaurant.
•
The car is a new concert hall for many people, 34% claiming it is a musical choice that colours
their journey when driving from A to B.
•
Around one in four people listen to classical music whilst reading (23%), rising to 30% with 18
to 24 year olds and 29% with full-time students.
•
Travelling on public transport, going on a date or to a dinner party and whilst working are
everyday situations in which around one in every five people listen to classical music. 18 to 24
year olds and full-time students again account for the peaks with 23% and 28% respectively
listening to music whilst travelling, 25% and 31% when on a date or at a dinner party.
•
Full-time students also lead the way on the exercise front, with 17% of them listening to
classical music whilst exercising.
Where and when people listen to classical music
1.
2.
3.
Relaxing/‘chilling out’ at home
While in a concert hall
At a special occasion
43%
38%
35%
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
While driving/on a car journey
When eating out
While reading
Travelling on public transport or on a flight
When on a date/at a dinner party
When working
While exercising
34%
33%
23%
18%
17%
16%
8%
Alice Walton, Marketing Director of the Philharmonia Orchestra commented:
“These are myth-busting figures, showing that the great composers have importance and relevance in
people’s everyday lives. At a time when people lead hectic lives, many people want to engage with music on
their own terms. Given more than two in five people are engaging with classical music outside the concert
hall, the Philharmonia Orchestra is engaging new audiences in a range of new ways; online, through our
pioneering community programmes, free digital installations and recording for films, CDs and computer
games. This season an audience of more than 300,000 people will engage with us through 150 concerts
and two digital installations across 50 cities and three continents, and many thousands more online. ”
For further information on the data or to arrange an interview please contact:
Jim Follett | +44 (0) 20 7921 3932 | [email protected]
Camilla Johns | +44 (0) 20 7921 3921 | [email protected]
For full details of the 2012/13 concert schedule visit www.philharmonia.co.uk
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Research commissioned by YouGov between 10-12 September 2012 with a GB rep sample of 2,020
ABOUT THE PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA
The Philharmonia Orchestra is one of the world’s great orchestras. Acknowledged as the UK’s foremost
musical pioneer, with an extraordinary recording legacy, the Philharmonia leads the field for its quality
of playing, and for its innovative approach to audience development, residencies, music education
and the use of new technologies in reaching a global audience. Together with its relationships with
the world’s most sought-after artists, most importantly its Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor
Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Philharmonia Orchestra is at the heart of British musical life.
Today, the Philharmonia has the greatest claim of any orchestra to be the UK’s National Orchestra. It is
committed to presenting the same quality, live music-making in venues throughout the country as it
brings to London and the great concert halls of the world. In 2012/13 the Orchestra is performing
more than 150 concerts, as well as presenting live digital events and recording scores for films, CDs
and computer games.
www.philharmonia.co.uk
ESA-PEKKA SALONEN
Composer and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen has been Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the
Philharmonia Orchestra since September 2008, continuing a relationship that dates back almost 25
years. His tenure has been dominated by landmark multi-disciplinary festivals, exploring the music of
key 20th-century composers and musical movements in their widest possible cultural, social and
historical context. Salonen’s dedication to technology, digital platforms and outreach has been
realised through his work with the Philharmonia Orchestra on a number of innovative projects,
including RE-RITE and Universe of Sound: The Planets.
www.esapekkasalonen.com
RE-RITE, the Philharmonia Orchestra’s 2009 award-winning digital installation, led by Esa-Pekka
Salonen won both the RPS Audience Development and Creative Communication awards in 2010.
Since its première appearance in London in November 2009, RE-RITE has toured to Leicester, Lisbon,
Dortmund, China and Turkey. RE-RITE tours to Hamburg, Salzburg and Paris in 2013.
www.philharmonia.co.uk/re-rite/
UNIVERSE OF SOUND: THE PLANETS, the follow-up audio-visual installation to RE-RITE, also led by
Esa-Pekka Salonen, premièred at the Science Museum from May to August 2012, and will tour to
Birmingham and Canterbury from April to June 2013.
www.universeofsound.co.uk/
-ENDS-