Surprisingly Good Concerts - In a church near you…
We’re very lucky in the UK to have such a strong tradition of church concerts – from the many excellent lunchtime recitals in our city churches to regular evening performances in rural churches up and down the country.
In these days of the ‘credit crunch’, saving on the train fare and enjoying classical music nearer to home has got to be a good thing.
Often concerts are organised by local music societies (or music clubs), or at chamber music festivals with international artists flown in. It’s equally important to recognise the extraordinary level of talent which many British performers have – and that on Friday and Weekend evenings, in many towns and villages up and down the country, classical music of a very high standard can be enjoyed for around the same cost as a takeaway meal or a cinema ticket.
Church concerts usually offer a warm and welcoming atmosphere and the chance to hear music in a far more intimate environment than a large concert hall. Usually ticket prices are between £7 and £12 and after paying the musicians, the proceeds will usually go towards the upkeep of the church or a nominated charity. More often than not, a glass of wine or soft drink will be available in the interval and there’s a chance to chat personally to the musicians at the end.
In terms of programming, it’s possible to hear everything from enjoyable concerts of popular classics (usually with a theme), to more serious recitals of lesser known chamber works. From the musicians point of view, it’s always a real pleasure to play in nice acoustics, in front of any appreciative audience, especially when some of the money raised goes towards our beautiful historic churches and cathedrals….. We’ll usually announce pieces in an informal way and talk a little bit about the works, there’s less of a barrier between us and the audience so it’s more of a shared experience, and no, we don’t mind at all if people clap between movements.
Despite gloomy reports of classical audience numbers dropping off, or orchestras playing to half empty concert halls, with smaller scale church concerts the opposite seems to be true. Because it’s often a ‘local event’, publicised in village newsletters or on town centre notice boards, new audience members of all age groups will come along just to see what it’s like. Concert goers can discover classical music in an unstuffy environment, chat with other audience members over a glass of wine in the interval, enjoy uplifting music and have a really nice evening out. In smaller scale settings, concerts of classical music are thriving – accessible, enjoyable and real.
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