BY DYLAN HENDERSON
A new audience of young concert-goers under 30 attended the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Elegant Tchaikovsky concert on April 29, with an after-party taking place in the tunnels beneath the Adina Treasury Hotel.
The event was the first of four ReMastered after-parties planned for 2016 in a bid to encourage and promote concert attendance within the young demographic.
“In total, for Friday night around one-sixth of the audience at the concert was under 30,” ASO Audience Development Co-ordinator Kane Moroney said.
Eighteen to 30-year-olds were given the opportunity to meet young members of the orchestra, along with international cello superstar Narek Hakhnazaryan, who had performed Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33 with the ASO earlier in the evening.
“The intention was to create something approachable, casual and bespoke – but above all, relevant to a younger audience – a space for people to kick back, mingle and talk after the concert,” Kane said.
According to Kane, many people in attendance had never been to a concert before. For others, the after-party simply enriched the concert experience.
“The atmosphere was great – people came to enjoy themselves and the location in the [Adina] Treasury tunnels was brilliantly charismatic,” Elder Conservatorium of Music student Elsabeth Parkinson said.
The event showcased young local Adelaide talent, including a photography exhibition from Samantha Herbut and a live set from solo acoustic guitarist Simeon Baker, who busks regularly in Adelaide’s Rundle Mall, ahead of his upcoming performance at Glastonbury Festival in the UK.
“His style is unique – percussive lap guitar, so he was great to watch and even better to listen to,” Kane said.
“The vibes of the venue suited the event so well, as did the artwork and music…the guitarist was incredible and was such a joy to listen to,” Conservatorium student Jade Paterson said.
Kane had discovered Samantha Herbut was discovered via the blog This is Radelaide.
“I just loved her style – it was clean, bright, and had a vibrant edge that was perfectly encapsulating of what we were trying to convey for the evening,” Kane said.
“[ReMastered] is the start of shaping an experience that is relevant to a new generation – it’s the start of cultivating a new community for future artistic sustainability and appreciation,” Kane said.
The next ReMastered event is on 5 August. See the ASO website for details.
Images supplied. Credit: Baxter Wiles.
