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Could this be the moment to change The Classical Guitar Concert Experience?

Rarely, if ever, has the entire human race been levelled by one single event from which it picks itself up more or less at the same time. As live concerts get going again could this be a unique opportunity to rethink The Classical Guitar Concert Experience?

For starters we could reverse the process of programme planning. Ask not what the performer wants to play but rather what does the potential audience wish to hear. That’s easy to find out. Fans and subscribers and Facebook friends are quite loquacious when encouraged. This does not exclude inserting new music or a performer’s favourite piece: that is all part of the art of programme planning.

Once the programme is decided, a stage could be adorned with furniture, posters, or artefacts, more like a theatre show than a monastically bare concert stage. It can be simple and suggestive rather than extravagant. Lighting could enhance the atmosphere. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to be imaginative. And then there’s the venue. Why sit in rows? Maybe bistro-style tables would be more attractive to the punter in new untried spaces. What’s more, amplification can enhance the sound anywhere where it is appropriate.

I have made no mention of the business side of all this, but the model could be rethought too. A casual conversation with anyone who works in business or sales will provide lots of interesting insights.

As people step out blinking into the sunlight from virtual isolation, they will be faced with a choice of entertainment competing for their attention, like glittering goods in a bazaar. This might encourage us to dress it anew and put make-up on The Classical Guitar Concert Experience.

Thank you for reading.
Carlos