How Midori And Classical Music Find New Diverse, Younger Audiences

Some people who will be tuning in to the Sunday telecast of the 43rd Kennedy Center Honors might not recognize Midori, the classical music violinist who is among the five performing artists being feted for their career achievements.

Compared with her fellow honorees, Midori lacks the television ubiquity of Dick Van Dyke, the radio recognition of Garth Brooks and Joan Baez and the multi-format achievements of Debbie Allen. However, an increasing number of music listeners are paying attention to both Midori and her fellow performers in the classical music space.

Pacific Overtures: Traditionally, classical music in the U.S. has never rivaled other music genres for record and concert sales. According to a 2019 survey published by Billboard, classical music occupied a mere 1% share of the U.S. market, ranking 12th out of the 12 main music genres.

But also in 2019, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry determined classical music ranked sixth out of the top 10 music genres in China — ahead of rock, dance/electronic and Chinese traditional opera.

Indeed, the Chinese interest in the genre is so strong that the Beijing-headquartered classical music licensing company Kuke Music Holding Ltd - ADR KUKE came across the Pacific to become publicly listed in the U.S. in January. It has become the latest Chinese music firm to float on the New York Stock Exchange.

The company, which offers institutional and individual subscriptions, also organizes live events including the Beijing Music Festival and licenses its library of approximately 800,000 tracks from more than 200 labels to online music platforms and film and television production companies.

“Through our licensing and subscription services, we have brought high-quality classical music into more people’s lives, enabling them to enjoy classical music in a more convenient, enriching and affordable way,” said the company in its Form F1 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Classical Diversity: A greater diversity among classical composers is also being appreciated.

On May 31, Germany’s Hamburg International Festival presented “Song of America: A Celebration of Black Music,” featuring the works of Black classical composers including William Grant Still, George Walker and Valerie Coleman.

On this side of the Atlantic, San Francisco’s performing arts theater The Marsh launched a streaming performance series titled “The Art Songs of Black Composers,” highlighting past and present Black composers. The first episode of the series went live on May 22 and focused on Adolphus Hailstork’s song cycle “Ventriloquist Acts of God.”

In an interview with CNN, Black mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges believed the classic music environment can foster a wider societal change.

"I feel very inspired by the times we're in," she said. "People of all ethnicities are asking what they can do about racism in our art. And I'm also seeing opera houses and institutions around the country implement initiatives for equity."

The Next Generation: There also appears to be a growing number of younger music lovers are discovering the charms of classical music.

According to an August 2020 study published by Britain’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), the streaming service Deezer and the British Phonographic Industry, one-third of classical music streaming was generated by listeners between 18 and 25 years old, while the number of classical streams by listeners under 35 increased by 17% year over year. In comparison, only one-tenth of classical listeners were under 30 a mere 10 years earlier.

In an earlier report from the RPO, 35% of respondents under 35 found classical music to be therapeutic in dealing with the stress during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

A separate study from Britain’s MIDiA Research that polled 8,000 adults on three continents found the average age of classical music listeners was roughly 45.5, with approximately 40% over the age of 55 and 44% under 44. Among listeners, the 25- to 34-year-old demographic was the second highest.

In an interview with ClassicalFM.com, composer Max Richter welcomed the younger audiences.

“It is wonderful that new audiences are coming to classical music during this time of anxiety,” he said. “Streaming offers listeners the chance simply to follow their enthusiasms through the musical universe without any boundaries, and I’m really happy to hear that many people are turning to classical music for the first time.

“As well as being a historical art form, classical music is also part of what is happening now and it is great to see more people embracing it.”

As for Midori, she also welcomed the next generation of classical music lovers.

“I keep sharing this idea with the students and youth orchestras: We're the agents that are able to bring this out to the world and that can share this with others,” she said in a PBS NewsHour interview.

“We're the ones that are giving life to this new music. And to be able to work with living composers, to work with contemporary compositions, new ideas about how to make sound, how to produce sound, new concepts about music, these are just absolutely exciting.”

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(Photograph of Midori courtesy of Kennedy Center.)