BBC Proms fall short of peak attendance
mainAudience statistics are out for the 2019 BBC Proms, which end tonight, and they are well short of the range of 90+ percent attendances achieved earlier in the present decade.
Over 300,000 people bought tickets to 89 concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall, with an average attendance for the main evening RAH Prom coming in at 89%.
Not bad. But far from best which was, I think, 2013.
They need to modify their schtick.
And judging by the disgusting spectacle of Jamie Barton shoving her sexuality down our throats on that most British of institutions the Last Night of the Proms they should lose many more fans. What were the BBC thinking allowing her to wave that rainbow flag after Rule Britannia.
She’s just another cheap, gawdy, talent-shy activist and all-about-me acolyte.
Carly Simon had it right:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j13oJajXx0M
Well said Sue
You probably think this Prom is about you, don’t you.
I’m not quite sure what your point is?
Is it the programming; the performances?
I, for one, enjoyed all of the concerts and applaud the BBC for their continued support of this wonderful, musical extravaganza.
Attendance down ?
Dumbing down !
Trying to be all things to all people.
Statistics-wise, we’ve not got much to go on here.
This year’s figure was a reasonably precise 89% but previous years were “90%-plus”. I mean what’s that ? a range of 90.02% to 91% or 90.1% to 99.999% or whatever
It’s very hard to see if anything serious has happened trend-wise with these flakey, inconsistent numbers
Just looking through the 1977 Proms season programme for example…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/rznc6q/by/date/1977
Proper classical music festival programming. No musicals, no jazz and no junk.
Sir Adrian Boult at 88 years of age. Wonderful!
Musicals and jazz are not junk.
If Leonard Bernstein was still alive he could tell you that himself, or ask you what your opinion of West Side Story is.
But the greatest classical musician alive today Yo-Yo Ma would be glad to explain to you there’s quality in all good music, there’s genius in all genres, and being a snob will prevent you from experiencing some great art.
Because fewer and fewer people want to attend concerts at an All-In Wrestling venue, with the charm of a railway terminus and the acoustics of a swimming pool?
But don’t tell Belinda and Cedric at the Beeb – who are spiffingly convinced they’re going a marvellous job.
A far better venue to play than either Barbican or RFH and I’ve played in all three.