I'm a Classical Music Enthusiast But…

Let’s play “I’m a feminist but”, the classical music edition (inspired by The Guilty Feminist podcast). Here are some of the anonymous confessions by members of our community, organised into the most popular themes. To take part in our next poll, sign up for our mailing list or follow us @alterclassical on Instagram.

• Classical music doesn’t need to be placed on a pedestal

  • “I don’t think classical music is holy or sacred in any kind of way”

  • “Fetishisation of ‘the greats’ lead audiences to forget that classical music is a living tradition”

  • “I’m so bored of the repetitive Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Mahler programming 🥱”

  • “It’s like playing with Lego, following the instructions…”

• Concert programming and marketing needs a shake-up

  • “I feel disgusted about the programming of 90% of the halls”

  • “I am sick and tired of the same programmes being played over and over again. Plus venues not opening up for current classical music composers to showcase their works.”

  • “It’s hard to remain enthusiastic when I have heard the same piece over and over again 🫨”

  • “It needs a facelift. More young audiences, more opportunities to bring it back to glory”

  • “Sometimes I read the programme notes to stay awake”

  • “I yawn at concerts regularly”

  • “I usually am impatient for a classical concert to be over”

• Rethinking the “rules” of classical concerts makes it more inclusive

  • “I love a short concert - preferably not longer than an hour”

  • “I wear jeans and a hoodie to the opera!” 

  • “I rarely go to concerts because they’re often right over dinner time, and often run too late to go for food or even a drink afterwards. If I’m going out for the evening, I want to share an experience with a friend and then talk about it and catch up afterwards. Long concerts that start at 7.30pm and end just in time for me to get the last train just don’t appeal, even if the music is great.”

  • “I'm upset nobody ever even acknowledges or talks to us as audience”

  • “I can't clap in places really asking for it. Opera can cope?”

  • “Why is the audience always a sea of grey and when a young person comes in, they are an instant nuisance for some (not always but in some cases yes)”

  • “I hate concert intervals…just get it over with!”

  • “I get excruciatingly bored sitting through an hour-long symphony”

• The industry can be toxic: elitism, power dynamics and hierarchy

  • “It's absolutely, 100% elitist. No matter what anyone says. The very core of it is elitist. All professional musicians have to be able to pay for countless lessons, coaching time, scores, masterclasses, under- and post-grad courses. Scholarships are awarded to those already showing immense levels of talent supported by privileged backgrounds. It frustrates the hell out of me that we keep pretending it's not.”

  • “I still hate the elitist attitude mainly of the older male generation who still dominate it”

  • “Crushing students’ confidence at music college is not the way to facilitate industry growth”

  • “I hate the inherent power dynamics embedded within it”

  • “Music colleges keep appointing predators”

  • “The sexism is sickening”

  • “I hate the industry”

  • “It’s a toxic industry”

  • “I often feel alienated from that ‘world’”

  • “It is an environment built on class and exclusion”

• Celebrity culture within classical music

  • “I’m so bored of the same old faces doing the same old things”

  • “It makes me sad that most people care more about stars and status than great music”

  • “I feel like the industry's focus on identity is at odds with the development of the art form”

• You’re allowed to like other music!

  • “Last year, I saw more non-classical gigs than classical concerts and I don’t feel bad”

  • “A classical composer has never come up on my Spotify Wrapped. Classical music is often too quiet to listen to on the Tube!”

  • “Kylie Minogue comes first”

  • “I hardly ever listen to classical music!”

  • “I wish genre labels didn’t exist”

  • “I love the band Status Quo”

• …and you don’t need to be a fan of everything defined as “classical”

  • “I can’t stand opera or art song 🙊🙊🙊”

  • “I DESPISE Beethoven”

  • “The solo singing tradition for anything above mezzo-forte in late-19th century (especially opera) repertoire and later is ugly and silly”

  • “I hate atonal music”

  • “That doesn’t mean I like ‘calming’, ‘relaxing’ glib music”

  • “2 hours of Mozart can often be quite tedious”

• There is still a lack of diversity

  • “The lack of diversity in programming makes me embarrassed to admit it”

  • “I hate how ‘International Women’s Day’ is used as an excuse to limit diversity of programming to ONE day in the whole year”

  • “I cannot unhear how Mozart’s patrons also funded the colonisation and unjust wars of my homeland”

• The industry needs to change

  • “If we don’t genuinely change our industry it will be dead in 30 years”

  • “There is less and less work for professionals”

  • “It can be so restrictive: musically, emotionally, as a genre etc.”

  • “I’m much happier since I found a new career”

Hannah Fiddy is the Founder of Alternative Classical and a freelance marketing consultant, developing audiences for classical music. Described as a "classical innovator" by Classical Whisper, Hannah has created and promoted numerous concerts outside of traditional spaces, including warehouses, pubs, clubs and museums; interviewed some of the world's most famous composers; and guest lectured on innovation in the classical music industry. Hannah has managed the digital marketing for many music organisations and artists including choral composer John Rutter and The King’s Singers. In a past life she founded London Flashmob, producing quirky events from wedding proposals to cultural pranks for up to 1,000 people.