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Any discussion on audience development would not be complete without listening to the audience itself, but breaking the fourth wall of the stage can be a challenge. It's easy enough to round up the usual suspects among the extended chorus family—friends, relatives, co-workers, and neighbors—but what about the "ordinary" folk who are drawn to performances?
For this decidedly unscientific and deliberately anecdotal virtual focus group we asked more than a dozen choruses of diverse budget sizes, geographies, and missions to select audience members at random. Inevitably several interview subjects turned out to be no more than one or two degrees of separation from a singer or board member, but more than two-thirds had no association whatsoever with the organization: They were just Joe (or more likely Josephine) concertgoer.
Unaccustomed to measuring their words for an interview of any kind, these men and women were in no way ordinary; on the contrary, they were articulate and insightful, enthusiastic about the choral organization as much as the choral music, and not shy about sharing their concerns, their motivations, and their habits. Even when the collective results of their comments only validated the field's common knowledge of chorus marketing, the recommendations for audience-building that can be derived from their responses deserve reiteration.
Early Exposure
Voicing their love of choral music to a stranger over the phone was an unexpected form of cultural psychotherapy for some: When asked what drew them to chorus concerts, many interviewees instinctively reached back not to their most recent ticket purchase, but to their childhood, conjuring early memories of singing at home, school, or church.
Bobbie Morgan, a regular at the Bainbridge Chorale in Washington State, traces her love of vocal music to the sound of her mother singing hymns around the house. Alice Reis, who attends performances of the Salt Lake Choral Artists, links her commitment to choral music to the high school choir days when she and her husband met. Neither went on to sing in choruses as adults, but the sound that was implanted in their ears and hearts at an early age continues to drive their love of choral music.
One could easily extrapolate that audience members mirror the experience of those onstage: Chorus America's research on choral singers revealed that 69 percent of choristers had their first choral singing experience in elementary or middle school and 56 percent grew up in homes where somebody sang in a chorus.
Recommendation
Promotional campaigns should appeal not just to the intrinsic artistic experience of choral programs, but tap into the "remember when" emotional roots of early exposure. Choruses should seek out high school and college alumni associations to identify former chorus members.
Friends and Family
Joe Mathis-Lilly, who attends concerts of the Larimer Chorale in Fort Collins, Colorado, was recruited to his first concert by a neighbor who sings with the Chorale. "I know I never would have on my own bought tickets to a performance," he says.
Frederick "Fritz" Pellum began attending performances by the Anchorage Concert Choir when a colleague at his company, a singer in the chorus, sold him his first ticket.
Neal Hansen, whose wife Jennifer also sings with the Larimer Chorale, is a self-described "do-it-yourselfer," who stays active tending the house and their five children, ages seven to 16. He rarely sits down for long except for Chorale concerts. "There's an uplifting nature to these concerts," he says. "It's a chance to relax and reflect."
But there are nay-sayers among those who attend regularly: "I can't relate to the music," says the friend of a board member. "I'm a child of the '60s and '70s. Perhaps if they did a chorus version of the Beatles I could relate." Says another concertgoer who attends mostly for social reasons, "For the money I'd rather stay at home." Says the spouse of a singer: "If it's a huge work and it goes on and on it's exhausting."
Recommendation
The extended circle of the chorus remains a primary source of audience members, but don't take their loyalty for granted. Develop special programs for friends and family that build their knowledge and understanding of the repertoire, enhance their enjoyment of the concert experience, and reward their support of the singer they love.
The Media as the Carrot, the Internet as the Stick
Traditional media continue to lure new audience members to the sound of the chorus, but irrespective of age or location or chorus budget size, it is frequently the internet—specifically the chorus's website—that closes the deal.
Alice Reis recalls being first drawn to her first Salt Lake choral concert many years ago by a newspaper advertisement, but now uses the chorus's website for concert schedules and information.
Julie MacLachlan first caught the sound of Octarium, a professional chorus in Kansas City, on the local public radio station and now follows the chorus on Facebook.
Erica DeLong, a recent transplant to Salt Lake City, was looking for a chorus to join and had her first exposure to the Salt Lake Choral Artists via a brief audio download from the chorus's website. "It definitely made me interested in joining the choir, but the snippets were so short it didn't give me a good feel. I decided to simply buy a ticket and go to a concert."
Recommendation
Though choruses should continue to develop multi-channel media plans, including print and radio, directing the listener or reader to your website is increasingly the most effective means for converting curiosity into ticket sales.
The Social Network
Concertgoing for these respondents was consistently associated with an ancillary social experience. Going to a concert is not just about the music — it's about going out.
"Quite often we will go with another couple and have dinner ahead of time or go out afterwards," says Joel Gettys, a music teacher and audience member of the Des Moines Choral Society. Alice Reis and her husband generally dine out before a concert, while Jennifer and Neal Hansen join other friends after the concert for dessert, even though their social time is limited by the needs of their children.
Bobbie Morgan's exposure to the Bainbridge Chorale piqued her interest enough that she was willing to take the ferry across Puget Sound for a performance of Seattle Pro Musica, but to incent her reluctant husband she combined the concert with dinner out at one of Seattle's fine restaurants.
But socializing is not essential for all. Bobbie Morgan, Fritz Pellum, and Julie MacLachlan say they have no qualms whatsoever about going solo. For MacLachlan, a mother of young children and a devotee of Octarium, concertgoing is an essential reprieve from the hectic demands of everyday life. "It's the only thing that I really make time to do for myself," she says. Rick Fabian, a subscriber to San Francisco's Artists Vocal Ensemble, often goes to concerts with a friend, but says, "If my friend cancels I still go. The musical experience is first."
Recommendation
Develop partnerships and cooperative marketing campaigns with restaurants for pre- and post-concert dining. For those choruses that perform in multiple venues, be sure to target your partnerships to neighborhood establishments. And be sure that promotional, social, and fundraising events are structured to appeal to singles of all ages as well as couples and families.
Prime the Pump
Pre-concert preparation plays a vital function in enhancing the experience for those without a formal music education. Betty Trost, a longstanding subscriber to the Brazos Valley Chorale in College Station, Texas, looks up concert information on the internet. Joan Kennif, who with her husband Michael subscribes to the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, particularly enjoys the historical perspective and the musical analysis presented at pre-concert lectures.
Says Neal Hansen of the pre-concert talks of the Larimer Chorale, "They really help me connect with the music." He also takes the program book seriously. "I like to track where we are going and what's next. To me it's a navigation tool—without it I get fidgety." Says Fritz Pellum of Anchorage, "I try to read everything in the program book, and it is to my enjoyment."
A concertgoer at another chorus is decidedly less enthusiastic. "Often the program notes are informative, sometimes they are stupid," he says.
Not all audience members feel the need for advance preparation. "The kind of music I seek out I usually know a fair amount about," says Rick Fabian, a devotee of early music and a regular at numerous San Francisco Bay Area vocal ensembles. As a singer, music teacher Joel Gettys is familiar with the repertoire and rarely feels the need for preparation, but there are occasions where he needs to brush up on his warhorses: Though he had sung portions of the Brahms Requiem throughout his career, he had never performed the entire work, and for an upcoming performance was eager to expand his knowledge.
Recommendation
Offer audiences multiple ways to access meaningful information about each concert, from program notes and composer histories posted on your website, to printed notes at your concert, to pre-concert talks. Even modest amounts of preparation can significantly affect audience engagement.
Where You Lead, They Will Follow (Part 1)
Driving was the primary mode of transportation and parking was never cited as a challenge, but it should be noted that there was a strong correlation between devoted subscribers and arrival times. More than two-thirds of those interviewed indicated that they arrived early to get a close parking space and good seats for those venues with open seating.
Michael and Joan Kennif previously lived in suburban New Jersey and had season tickets for numerous events in New York City. "Just getting to concerts was complex and expensive and time consuming," says Michael Kennif. "Here in Indianapolis we are amazed at the quality of what is available to us. And it's easy to get to."
As for aesthetics and geography, there were similarly no objections. Joel Gettys enjoys the shifting locations of the Des Moines Choral Society, particularly churches. "It builds audiences by going to a venue because people from that church are more inclined to attend," he says. Julie MacLachlan eloquently describes the various venues at which Octarium performs, crediting the setting almost as much as the music for inspiration.
Recommendation
Push the geographic and experiential boundaries of your chorus's venue beyond traditional performance spaces, and don't get too hung up on acoustics. Offer benefits for early birds, such as reserved parking, preferred seating, and pre-concert receptions.
Where You Lead, They Will Follow (Part 2)
"I like everything Jonathan Dimmock does," says Rick Fabian of the artistic director of San Francisco's Artists Vocal Ensemble. "I love Dr. Rodde," says Gettys of the Des Moines Choral Society's music director. Julie MacLachlan refers to Octarium music director Krista Lang Blackwood simply as "Krista," and is never disappointed in her musical journeys. Says Joan Kennif of Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, "We know the conductor very well and all the people on his staff. The leadership here is approachable. If you want to meet them you can."
Whether the connection to the music director is actual (the concertgoer has met, socialized, or sung with the conductor) or psychic (the concertgoer identifies the music director as his or her personal artistic leader), there is an inherent trust in concertgoing regardless of repertoire that is presented.
Most agreed that programming specifically to appeal to the audience's tastes and expectations is not necessary. As one concertgoer put it, "Sometimes it's 'There's no way I can miss that' and sometimes it's 'We'll take a chance.' But we still go." As for visual enhancement to the concert experience only a few expressed interest. "I love choral music and they do it well and that is a joy in itself," says an avid subscriber.
Recommendation
Identify every opportunity to build a personal relationship between your conductor and your audience. Pre-and post-concert talks, Q&As with the audience, and speaking from the stage are powerful tools, but nothing compares to the handshake and a personal conversation. Loyal audience members will follow ambitious programming and staging, but it is not necessarily a requirement for their enjoyment.
Audiences on Audiences
There is consistent concern among the audience members about audience demographics. In these interviews it was voiced with a variety of acceptance and frustration, but always with a request for anonymity. "Mostly white, mostly women," says one subscriber. "There is a better mix of ages and races in the chorus than the audience," says a regular at a big city chorus. "We have a real culture gap here," says a chorus lover in a community with a significant Hispanic and African-American population.
Respondents enjoy concerts celebrating diverse heritages, but from where they sit these programs don't seem to have succeeded in changing the primary audience. Several, however, hastened to add with enthusiasm that in recent years there were more diverse faces in the chorus itself.
Those in proximity to universities saw much greater diversity. College Station, home of the Brazos Valley Chorus, is also home to Texas A&M University. "People who are drawn here come from large cities and sincerely appreciate the chorus, the symphony, and the arts in general," says Betty Trost. As a consequence of the University she says the Chorus as well as the audience are more diverse.
There is equal concern but greater optimism about engaging younger audiences. Joel Gettys credits music director James Rodde with rejuvenating the Des Moines Choral Society audience by rejuvenating the chorus itself. "Dr. Rodde has brought in former students from Iowa State University, and bringing in younger singers brings in their friends and families, who are also younger."
Most (but not all) respondents indicate that they make regular (if modest) financial contributions to the chorus, either directly or through community giving programs, but when they speak of their support they see it as sustaining the organization as much as the art form. "I worry about the future of the chorus," says Bobbie Morgan of Bainbridge. She was delighted to hear that the Bainbridge Chorale has inaugurated a youth chorus. "We are just so fortunate to have a chorus right here in our community," she says.
Recommendation
If you want to diversify the demographic of your audience, your chorus is a good place to start. Audience members are not just listening, they are looking, and they are as concerned with ensuring audiences of tomorrow as you are. Tap into their early association with choral music to lure new audiences today. Appeal to their present association with the choral organization to build audiences of tomorrow.
This article is adapted from the special audience issue of The Voice, Spring 2011, "The Face of Today's Audience."
