Interest in live orchestral music is on the rise

Over 82% of UK adults are interested in attending a live orchestral performance, up from 76% this time two years ago, according to an annual poll conducted by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The top five forms of orchestral concert people wanted to experience were musicals (25%),  blockbuster films (25%), traditional repertoire (24%) and pop crossover (24%). Family-friendly orchestral concerts were also a draw for one in five respondents (20%).

The survey sampled 2,099 adults in July 2024 about their music tastes, with 85% of respondents saying they would like to discover a new genre of music this year. Orchestral music rose to 3rd place as the most popular genre people would like to discover this year (20%), behind pop (26%) and rock (25%). 

Vasily Petrenko, Music Director at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, commented: “Whilst all of us in the orchestral world seek to modernise the genre and broaden its appeal to more diverse audiences, there is also a simple truth that we must also let the music do the talking – and especially in a live setting."