“Especially during a pandemic, the graying of audiences has been seen as a sign of precariousness,” writes Anthony Tommasini in Thursday’s (8/6) New York Times. “It’s true that classical music tends to attract older patrons, and that seniors are indeed the most vulnerable to the virus…. Yet again, aging audiences are pointed to as an ominous indicator that this art form continues on a slow, inexorable death spiral…. Even back in the 1960s, when Leonard Bernstein was galvanizing the Philharmonic and attracting young people like me to his concerts, audiences were dominated by those in their 50s and older.… During a recent online panel sponsored by the League of American Orchestras, several artists and administrators commented that classical music attracts passionate fans, including older ones, and that institutions should cherish and serve that passion…. The main challenge of engaging new classical music audiences—of all ages—[is] diminishing attention spans…. Classical music should embrace this reality and promote performances as rare opportunities to disconnect … from the digital life outside…. Classical music institutions must be careful … not to take older members its audiences for granted. These veteran music lovers keep showing up—something for the field to celebrate, not fret over.”
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