CONTENT COURTESY MELBOURNE DIGITAL CONCERT HALL
Melbourne Digital Concert Hall is thrilled to announce a 2021 season that will see Australian classical musicians join forces, reach a global audience and emerge from the crisis of 2020 stronger than ever before.
“2021 on MDCH is going to be an incredibly exciting year as we traverse the country, broadcast 300 concerts and by doing so, support at least 500 artists, connect audiences with live music and redefine what is possible,” MDCH co-director Chris Howlett says.
“As always, we will feature the very best Australian artistry and continue to showcase emerging stars through our MDCH Next Generation series.
“MDCH will also present the complete Schubert string quartet cycle and highlight the power and tone of the Shigeru Kawai grand piano in a year-long Kawai Series featuring leading Australian pianists. We retain our focus on supporting independent artists and ensembles, and our programming reflects this.
“Close friends of MDCH — the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Australian Haydn Ensemble, Flinders Quartet, Wilma and Friends, Latitude 37, Darwin Symphony Orchestra and Australian National Academy of Music — will present year-long seasons from iconic concert halls around Australia, plus their regional tours.
“MDCH also becomes a festival gateway, with our cameras capturing the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, the Barunga Festival in Darwin, Bendigo Chamber Music Festival, Canberra International Music Festival and Orange Chamber Music Festival, to name just a few.”
While top-quality livestreaming remains a given thanks to the company’s national partnership with 5stream, audiences can also attend many concerts in person in 2021.
At MDCH’s base, the Athenaeum Theatre, the freshly refurbished Ath 2 theatre upstairs will become Melbourne’s new home for chamber musicians and fans, opening to a live studio audience on a regular basis.
“We’re incredibly grateful to our founding partners, the Athenaeum, 5stream and Kawai Australia,” Chris says. “They were there for us in our darkest hour and we’re thrilled to continue working with them in 2021.”
Flexibility is the new norm on MDCH. With two one-hour concerts offered most nights, patrons can choose to enjoy both or pair one great performance with drinks or dinner.
“I can’t wait to provide a stage for hundreds of Australian artists, enabling them to showcase their amazing talent and connect with an infinite audience,” Chris says.
Adds MDCH co-director Adele Schonhardt: “2020 has been rough for Australian musicians but it’s also given us the opportunity to reflect on how we can do things better.
“It’s time to put our artists back on centre stage, to put them first when it comes to revenue, and to put the needs of music lovers everywhere ahead of the status quo.
“MDCH is a truly flexible platform for our times, designed to connect musicians and communities regardless of circumstance or location. Can’t watch the livestream on the night? Enjoy 72-hour access afterwards. Can’t make it in person after all? Switch to a digital ticket.
“We understand that people are busier than ever, and that committing to attend a concert can be tricky in today’s fast-paced, COVID-normal world. MDCH takes the pressure off. And most importantly, all ticket proceeds go to the artists, so you can support and enjoy your favourite groups no matter what.
“Never could we have imagined when we launched that we’d stream 233 live concerts in our first nine months, or that at a time when all else was bleak, we’d enable musicians and arts workers to earn $1,000,000: $850,000 in ticket revenue for artists plus over $150,000 invested in the wider sector.
“We began as a two-person crisis response team. Now, with thanks to the Australia Council for the Arts, Create NSW and many wonderful sponsors and partners, we find ourselves in a position to change the narrative – to build a national platform for Australian musicians, offering access to the incredible technology that will connect them with the world.
“Our heartfelt thanks go to all our sponsors and to the many thousands of music lovers who got behind Australia’s classical artists this year. Their support means more than words can express and we can’t wait to share our 2021 season with them.”
Initial tickets for February-May 2021 are on sale now, with many more concerts to follow.
Subscription packages, gift vouchers and discounted six packs are also available, offering the perfect Christmas gift for any lover of classical music.
Melbourne Digital Concert Hall is a social enterprise run by musicians, for musicians. It was conceived to support the arts industry during the COVID-19 crisis and to provide a means for soloists and small ensembles to continue their profession. Launched on 27 March 2020, it presented 233 concerts in its first nine months, engaged well over 500 musicians in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Darwin, Townsville, Hobart, London, Berlin, Singapore and San Francisco, and generated $1,000,000 in revenue for the sector, with all box office proceeds going directly to the artists.
This project is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.This project. is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.
Images supplied.
