Dr Park Sun-Min, Visiting Fellow | 7-min read

The slogan captured in the title above—once considered an empty statement in the classical music industry—is now happily becoming a reality. The classical music scene, which used to centre mainly on enthusiasts, is evolving into a performing art that can include the general public.

In the past, classical music promotion relied on relatively simple analogue methods, such as poster advertisements and ticket distribution, with the concert venue taking the lead. As a result, information was only shared within circles of interested individuals, and the scale of promotion was limited. However, with the increasing use of social media, news of performances can now be quickly disseminated to a wider circle of people, allowing not only existing audiences but also the general public to provide immediate feedback. Consequently, the prevailing trend is for artists to promote their own performances and appeal to the public directly.

One prominent example of successful marketing led by artists is TwoSet Violin. This Taiwanese-Australian violin duo consisting of Eddy Chen and Brett Yang successfully captured the attention of the younger generation by operating a YouTube channel that combines light-hearted humour with classical music. With 830,000 Instagram followers, they are currently performing sold-out tours worldwide thanks to their large fan base.

_{TwoSet Violin. Credit: The Photo Studio Glebe; Fashion Abraham DeSouza; Brett & Eddy TwoSet Violin}

Another example is Lang Lang, a Chinese pianist who began his career in the 2000s and has now established himself as a prominent pianist. With approximately 550,000 Instagram followers, he likewise demonstrates the power of social media. He actively promotes his performances through Instagram while engaging with his fans, and shares images from backstage at his concerts, as well as album announcements.

Ray Chen, a Taiwanese-Australian violinist, states: "Classical music will become even more important as a popular lifestyle". He alternates between classical and approachable styles to reach out to the general public. He has collaborated with British singer-songwriter Sting on music for the Netflix animation series Arcane. In a notable recent move, he co-founded the online classical music app Tonic, where amateur musicians can directly upload and share their performance videos. This initiative aligns with Chen’s aspiration of "sharing music with everyone" and opens up new possibilities for classical music.

Furthermore, artists are actively attempting collaborations with various genres to make themselves more accessible to the general public. Since 2016, Lang Lang has been proactive in working with popular music, performing with the K-pop group Big Bang. In 2020, he shared the stage with pop singers Celine Dion and John Legend at a charity concert.

_{Lang Lang. Credit: LL 2020 © OLAF HEINE Deutsche Grammophon}

The commonality among the aforementioned artists is their proactive approach and diversified access routes in promoting their artistic talents. They recognise that immediacy and transience, which are characteristics of the performing arts, could be overcome through media, transforming art and performances from intangible knowledge into a commodity, where increased sales are possible. The production and consumption of art, which was considered difficult due to its inherent limitations in mass production, have now changed to prioritise its instrumental value over its essence. This transformation towards an era where art can be enjoyed anywhere, anytime demands a change in the values held by artists.

Some express concerns about movements that deviate from the traditional essence of classical music. However, in order for classical music to exist as "living music" and to be loved by more people for a long time, active communication with the public has become essential. While this may feel somewhat burdensome for artists, they should not forget that for classical music to be "music for everyone", they need to embrace an entrepreneurial spirit that pursues not only artistic but also economic and social values.

The Master of Arts (Arts and Cultural Entrepreneurship) programme at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is a programme that fosters the entrepreneurial spirit of artists and cultivates the business-mindedness required in the cultural and arts sector, not only for artists but also for students aspiring to become arts administrators. It overcomes the limitations of traditional arts management education, which lacks opportunities to discover new ideas for the rapidly developing cultural and arts industry and to introduce established management strategies into the field. The programme will serve as an essential gateway to cultivating the talents required by the art industry.

For more information please visit:  https://masters.nus.edu.sg/programmes/master-of-arts-(arts-and-cultural-entrepreneurship).