Consider the last time you attended a classical music concert. What was your role as a listener? What was your experience of the music? Listeners often say, “that was beautiful!” If asked, “What did you find beautiful about it,” they often respond, “Oh… I’m not a musician. I don’t know. I just liked it.”

In this paper, I discuss the evolution of the audience's role in classical music as the genre has changed to focus on valuing high-quality performance. In the 21st-century, the traditional audience experience is being reconsidered in order to dissolve the invisible wall between listeners, performers, and music. Classical musicians are considering how to blend presentational and participatory mindsets to strengthen audiences’ musical connection while maintaining high-quality performance. I explore the implications of incorporating art, writing, and conversational activities into a classical concert. I use data collected from my public interactive performances, which includes the audience’s artwork, interviews, and field notes. Participatory activities enhance listeners’ musical awareness and ability to express it creatively. This gives listeners a means to connect with others by discussing musical experiences. This participatory classical mindset may be beneficial in guiding audiences to develop their musical awareness and use it to build social connections. 

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Presented at the University of Toronto Graduate Music Conference in March 2020