CLASSICAL music is experiencing an all-time high among Scottish aficionados.
The boom comes as Glasgow welcomed Proms in the Park to the city yesterday, underlining just how much the audience for classical music is building and reaching more people than before – particularly young people.
Radio station Classic FM has recorded a huge spike in the number of young listeners, with the station reaching a record 5.8 million listeners each week, 1.2m of whom are under 35.
Most surprisingly, 161,000 of those weekly listeners are younger than the radio station itself – Classic FM gears up to celebrate its 25th birthday this year.
To coincide with their birthday celebrations Classic also compiled a list of 25 pop hits from the past 25 years which sampled classical scores. This included everyone from Take That to Beyonce.
Also making the cut is Zayn Malik's Blue, which samples Prelude No 1 in C major from The Well-Tempered Clavier by Johann Sebastian Bach, and Little Mix's Little Me, which features Pavane in F-sharp Minor by Gabriel Faure.
Rapper Professor Green (with artists C.O.R.E and Chynaman) also features on the list for his track Upper Clapton Dance, which samples Brahms' Hungarian Dance No 5 in F-sharp minor.
He said: "The world of rap has huge respect for classical music. Myself, along with lots of contemporary artists, recognise the value and the importance classical music has on our music making and it has often played a big part in my song writing."
The station also experienced a record number of website visitors this year, at 10.3 million, and a record number of social media likes, meaning classical music is reaching more people than ever before and in unconventional ways.
The number one ranking classical artist on Spotify in the UK is Ludovico Einaudi, whose hauntingly beautiful melodies featured heavily in Shane Meadows TV series This is England – a programme with a big audience of younger viewers.
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is the hub of classical talent in Scotland, ranked in the top three schools to study performance arts worldwide, and training students to be become professionals musicians and singers.
Speaking of the number of young people getting into classical music, Principal, Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, said: “This is so encouraging and reflects that the beauty, excitement and drama of classical music is open and available for everyone to discover.
“Access to music in all forms has never been easier through the various digital channels and live public events such as BBC Proms in the Park. All of these open the possibilities for young people to experience divergent styles of music which previously they might not have experienced.
“We see this first-hand through the growing participation in our Junior Conservatoire and community programmes and would encourage all young people to discover for themselves the joy of playing, singing and participating.”
BBC Music Magazine is the UK’s leading classical magazine, comfortably outselling its worldwide competitor, Gramophone, with 93 per cent of its readers avid concert goers at events like Proms in the Park.
Glasgow has been recognised by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as the city of music.
David Laing, Head of Arts & Music at Glasgow Life, the city's council's cultural arm, said: “The city’s music venues, including Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and City Halls, welcome more than 460,000 music lovers every year. Through our partnerships with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and others, we are committed to ensuring that the people of Glasgow and visitors to the city can enjoy a varied programme of classical music year round.”
Proms in the Park is part of the two-month long celebration of classical music across the UK. In Glasgow, the BBC Symphony Orchestra put a Scottish slant on the event by playing classical pieces alongside traditional Scottish reels.
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