By Yo Yo Zhou, AYO Youth Council Member
Music becomes infinitely more meaningful when performed for an audience. The applause – whether at the end of a one-hour symphony or a five-minute caprice – makes the years of practice worth it.
In an industry that exists almost entirely to serve the community, performers often undervalue, or do not fully understand how to engage audiences. Think back on a recent time where you chose not to attend a concert and ask yourself, why? Was it because of issues around accessibility, location, financial
barriers, mainstream relevance or representation?
At this year’s 2026 Youth Summit, we engaged in valuable discussions around these topics with Adelaide Rief and Zoe Taylor from Creative Australia, Professor Dan Golding from Monash University and Alexander Poirier from the Media, Arts and Entertainment Alliance.
As a result of its historical association with the aristocracy, classical music has been placed on a pedestal and is often perceived as an art form accessible only to elites and intellectuals. However, through a broader lens, art music was often shared and experienced in smaller, domestic settings (think salon concerts held by composers such as Mendelssohn, Schubert, Liszt and Boulanger amongst others).
A recurring theme of our discussion was the desire to bring back recitals performed at home or in smaller informal venues. Lowering the barriers to hosting and attending concerts could make live classical music more accessible and encourage greater audience attendance.
Our conversations focused on identifying key challenges and emerging trends, followed by discussions of potential solutions. For example, increasing the accessibility of a performance by adding hearing loops, captions and wheelchair accessible spaces, will allow seniors and disabled communities to attend more concerts.
Through the simple act of inclusion, performers are opening their artform to a wider demographic. Bringing
music into less conventional venues can not only help attract new audiences but also provide a more affordable alternative to traditional concert halls.
Music thrives in its diverse applications, and is certainly not an art form that has to be limited to a traditional concert stage. Audiences gravitate towards performances where they feel represented and included, which may mean bringing the music to community halls, bars, libraries or hospitals.
Removing the sense of elitism and dismantling social rules surrounding Western classical music is a progressive step towards increasing audience engagement.
I believe the question that artists must ask themselves is: “do we dedicate over 10,000 hours of our lives for ourselves or for our listeners?” For most of us, it is a combination of the two, though we must all admit that they are inseparable from each other. To preserve and grow the thriving future of art music in Australia, performers must consider more diverse and creative ways to engage audiences.
The year 2020 showed us that music is fundamental to a healthy and joyful society. As the future generation, it is our responsibility to act now to ensure that music continues to enrich and connect our communities
