“Audience members will be invited to pay what they like for what they hear at an upcoming Halle Orchestra concert,” states an unsigned article on Tuesday’s (7/21) BBC News website. “Priceless Classics on 6 September will see the orchestra play 10 short pieces at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall. Holders of pre-booked free tickets will then be able to pay whatever they think the event was worth. Chief executive John Summers said it would let new audiences ‘experience the Halle and enjoy some incredible music, but on their own terms. We wanted to do an event which would bring in a new audience,’ he told the BBC. ‘People who thought classical music was not for them or had never been to a concert hall and were kind of scared by the whole rigmarole. … If they want to clap they can clap.’ Programmes will be distributed free at the concert, which will feature selections from Bach, Mozart and eight other composers spanning three centuries of music. The concert will be conducted by Stephen Bell, who has spent the last two years as associate conductor of the Halle’s Pops Series. Tickets would normally start at £10, with a maximum price of around £40.”
Posted July 22, 2015
Pictured: The Halle Orchestra at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall
