Shhhhpeak up!

I am always fascinated by the dynamics of an audience and perceptions when certain behaviors are noticed. It’s all to easy to jump to a negative assumption as to why someone would get up and walk out, or talk, or be disruptive. The most liberating thing is to give people the benefit of the doubt and so that’s what I am doing here. I will next season go even one step further to prove that is what I am doing…..(hear the SSO below!) Our opening concert was on Sept 13 and it was a great night for us, the orchestra excelled and the audience was big and so enthusiastic, even though around 40 minutes before the start of the concert Hurricane Ike started to dump it’s remnants on us! Afterwards at the reception several commented however that there seemed to be some quite chatty audience members. Maybe they were new? maybe they were being inconsiderate? Oh goodness me, maybe they were bored or they didn’t care for our performance!

Disruption is not new and as this photo from the brawl at the Boston Pops last May proves, it can get pretty extreme!

I thought about this the day after, and realized that it’s important to give an audience the benefit of the doubt and this led me to think that maybe something else was going on.  We have noticed each year that more and more subscribers are asking to sit together in groups.  I have heard that that the Symphony concert is the monthly friends night out, the one night of the month when they would all get together.   It pleases me no end to hear that we not only provide great music, but in addition we may be developing and maintaining relationships!  Our last subscription concert was in May, so it’s possibly been 4 months since some of these groups have been together, so naturally there was a lot to talk about and catch up on!

Now maybe you might be thinking I’m giving them too much benefit of the doubt, however next year at the first concert of the season, I’m going to try something.  After the opening work when I welcome everyone back, I will announce that there will be an extra 10 minutes of intermission so that everyone can catch up.  Maybe it quells the talking maybe not, but I will always try to give the audience the benefit of the doubt anyway and will always be glad to see and hear them!


Here is Verdi’s La Forza del Destino Overture from our Sept 13 concert!

Send this to a friend