Expanding the audience for classical music is a matter to take seriously

You may have read reports on comments I made this week about levels of classical music literacy now compared to the era of the Third Programme. The reports were given headlines that didn't really reflect what I actually said. Therefore I’d like to expand on my comments here and put them back in the context in which they were delivered.

I was asked about the challenges facing me as Controller of Radio 3 and how those might differ from those facing my predecessors, especially those involved in the Third Programme.

One material change I identified was the extent to which audiences arrive with a knowledge about classical music. That this means that we need sometimes to provide context to pieces ‒ but being absolutely clear we do not dumb down or simplify the content. We need to give people the means to approach complex music for what it is. That's clearly part of our job as a network ‒ we want everyone to be able to experience the great things engagement with great musical and other works of art can bring. 

I am quite clear that I am an example of this: I stumbled across classical music in my twenties when I was fortunate enough to live in Birmingham and could hear the CBSO every week ‒ and came to learn a great deal from Radio 3, building on my already existing love of music of all kinds. That's why I take this issue of how we help people discover classical music so seriously.

Audiences have many choices nowadays, so in presenting complex music we need to do so not only in brilliant sound, not only by giving the excitement of live concerts every day, but with clear and informed presentation and online resources that help deepen people's knowledge. That's the modern version of the Third Programme. Our audience members are intellectually curious and exacting in their standards, and are characterised by wanting to dig deep and not be short-changed in what they are offered.

Classical music and its place in our culture is something I feel passionately about. We must be honest in identifying the challenges it faces and debate the issues with vigour. But, if this is to happen, we need all sides of the argument to be reported and debated fairly and thoroughly. Expanding the audience for classical music is a matter to take seriously, as we do across the BBC, with projects like Ten Pieces ‒ bringing classical music to school age children, the work of the Performing Groups, the Proms, and above all BBC Radio 3, which remains the best place to discover classical and other serious music, as well as culture and ideas.

If you want to hear what I actually said, here is the link to Radio 4's Feedback.