A Classic Case

Attracting audiences to contemporary classical music performances is no easy task. The difficulties posed by dwindling audiences for the genre feed down to the composers themselves, complicating their attempts to identify and successfully apply for appropriate sources of funding, and also, to get their work commissioned. The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters recently launched a regional composers network, which aims to provide greater communication and resources to composers, in the hope of raising the music’s profile. However, Julian Lancaster, the Academy’s Head of Classical Relations, believes the media’s coverage of contemporary classical music, or lack of, isn’t helping.