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Modes of Listening and Their Implications to Audience Experience of Orchestral Concerts, with a Case Study of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

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Modes of Listening and Their Implications to Audience Experience of Orchestral Concerts, with a Case Study of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra MODES OF LISTENING AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS TO AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE OF ORCHESTRAL CONCERTS, WITH A CASE STUDY OF THE TORONTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CATHERINE WILLSHIRE A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTERS OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO AUGUST 2017 ©CATHERINE WILLSHIRE, 2017 Abstract Although listeners adopt similar behaviours according to sociocultural norms in the concert hall, they do not all experience an orchestral performance in the same way. Stockfelt’s theory of Adequate Modes of Listening provides the framework necessary to examine contemporary listening practices in the modern orchestral context, and provides an alternative to the dominant marketing paradigm. Using a representative case study of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the current research performs interviews, document survey and analysis, and concert observation to answer questions such as; do facilitators, orchestra, and audience members agree on a single (or related group) of genre-normative modes of listening? What happens when there is a breakdown in the assumed sociocultural conventions? How can the orchestra facilitate its listeners? By examining the way in which a listener experiences orchestral music, we can strengthen our understanding of contemporary listening practices and develop nuanced approaches to promoting sustainable audiences. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Steven Bailey, for his patience, and his kind and thoughtful comments and conversation. I thank my committee, Dr. Anne MacLennan and Dr. Paul Moore for supporting my project and giving valuable guidance. I recognize the generosity of the members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra who gave their time and expertise through conversations and interviews. These include Adrian Fung, Jonathan Crow, Wendy Rose, Leslie Knowles, Mark Tetreault and anonymous contributors. I would especially like to thank Dr. Chan-Hartley for generously providing me with materials, her expertise, and guidance. These conversations not only provided the basis of my case study, but also the passion and insight and inspiration. I would like to thank my family for their constant support, and especially to Sophie Fielder for her help. I extend the utmost recognition and gratitude to Vlad Soloviev, and to my friends, especially James Bortolus, Emily Hill, and Alyssa Stevenson for their encouragement and help. iii Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ v List of Figures .............................................................................................................................................. vi 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Setting the Stage ................................................................................................................................. 14 2.1 Literature Review .............................................................................................................................. 14 2.2 Stockfelt’s Theory of Adequate Modes of Listening ........................................................................ 28 2.3 Genre-Normative Listening: Transformations in Listening Practices .............................................. 37 2.4 Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 56 2.5 Orchestral Music in Toronto: The Toronto Symphony Orchestra .................................................... 65 3. Imagining TSO Audiences .................................................................................................................. 73 3.1 Perceived Segmentation of TSO Audiences ..................................................................................... 78 3.2 Understanding Modes of Listening: Comparing of Musician and non-Musician Experience .......... 93 3.3 TSOundcheck and Young Audiences ............................................................................................. 104 4. Trends in Perceived Listening Practices and their Facilitation by the Orchestra .............................. 115 4.1 Exposure, Familiarity and the Orchestral Genre ............................................................................. 116 4.2 Curiosity and the Role of the Orchestra as Educator ...................................................................... 123 4.2.1 Children’s Education................................................................................................................ 133 4.2.2 Programme Notes ..................................................................................................................... 137 4.2.3 E-Learning Platform ................................................................................................................ 144 4.3 Assumption of Audience Immersive Listening and the “Washing Over” Metaphor ...................... 150 4.4 The Importance of the Personal Connection between Orchestra and Listener ............................... 155 4.4.1 TSO Chamber Soloists ............................................................................................................. 157 5. Conclusions and Implications to Future Research and Practice ....................................................... 164 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................. 173 Appendix A: Sample Interview Questions ................................................................................................ 182 iv List of Tables Table 1 List of Toronto Symphony Orchestra Music Directors ................................................................. 69 Table 2 TSO Chamber Soloists repertoire and members .......................................................................... 158 v List of Figures Figure 1 Possible Modes of Listening. ........................................................................................................ 30 Figure 2 Key Programs at the TSO. .......................................................................................................... 139 Figure 3 Listening guide in the TSO key program. ................................................................................... 141 Figure 4 Inuit Games activity on the TSO's E-Learning platform. ........................................................... 145 vi 1. Introduction Sitting side by side in the lofty concert hall, it is not unusual for two listeners to have completely different experiences of the orchestral performance to which they are witness. Through the course of a single work, each member of each row may focus on something entirely different than their neighbours— for some, it is the visual spectacle of the occasion, for others the technical virtuosity of the soloist or the conductor. It may be the character of the soaring adagio passage in the second movement or the excitement of the bombastic march. Perhaps it is the compositional skill of the long-dead composer, or the memories elicited by the work which had not been heard since childhood. Another listener may have fallen asleep in the second movement, not waking until the final applause, bored and a little annoyed he had been dragged to the concert by his friend, while two rows away, someone else is annoyed and disappointed in what he sees as a mediocre performance; another sits riveted to his seat unable to look away. How can the same work—experienced in the same moment and in a single environment—evoke such different reactions? Are some of these listening practices more correct than others and how do they impact the experience of listening? Rather than answering this question through an enumeration of the benefits of art music to society, fervently defending the value of the orchestras in an anxious bid for their preservation, I aim to look at the underlying structure of listening and how it can be facilitated. Many researchers have successfully advocated for the relevance of art music, but while this line of research is very important, particularly in the context of promoting arts-friendly public or cultural policy, it stops short of creating meaningful discussion around how listeners engage with art music.1 What is needed in the literature is a more comprehensive exploration of what underlies the significant theories of taste, value, or the study of works or style; a framework for understanding the listener and listening practices. What do the listening practices look like in the context of live orchestral art music, and how do contemporary orchestras address them? Can multiple expectations of an adequate listening style co-exist? 1 I use the term “art music” in the research to distinguish the genre from pop or folk idioms. This choice has been made for the purposes of clarity. While the arts administration literature
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