Over the last three years, there has been a significant upturn in the percentage of people that say they would be interested in attending a concert that featured orchestral music – 86%, up from 76% in 2022 – according to new research from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO).

 

The tracking research compares the public’s attitudes to concert experiences in 2025 to the position in 2022. The results reveal a greater interest in popular forms of orchestral concert, in particular:

  • Orchestral concerts that feature pop music – 37% (up from 25% in 2022).
  • Orchestral soundtracks from blockbuster films – 35% (up from 27% in 2022).
  • Hits from the musicals (e.g. West End, Broadway etc.) – 33% (up from 28% in 2022).

 

Alongside these concerts, the popularity of experiencing core repertoire in concert – such as Beethoven, Mahler and Mozart – held appeal for around one in four adults (23%) and this level of interest has remained remarkably consistent for the last four years.

Furthermore, the RPO research suggests that the joy of orchestral music lies in its rich diversity. For people new to the orchestral world, soundtracks from blockbuster films (41%) or hits from the musicals (27%) proved to be accessible starting points – but even here, at the earliest stage of the journey of discovery, there is also interest in experiencing more demanding core repertoire (14%).

 

Vasily Petrenko, Music Director at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra commented: “Our new research busts a few myths: traditional symphonic repertoire is not the preserve of serious classical enthusiasts, and popular concerts are not just entry points for people new to the orchestral world. In truth, people like the genre because it is simply great  music that is so wonderfully diverse, which is why we at the RPO refer to it as orchestral music. People can have an uplifting family evening out, they can dance, they can enjoy something familiar, but they can also be challenged, reflecting on the deeper ways that music can touch and inspire them. In the first weeks of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s  new season, we have already celebrated this diversity of orchestral music starting with Symphonic Queen, then the Best of Broadway  and, on 21st October, we bring the magnificence  of Gustav Mahler to the iconic Royal Albert Hall.

 

“Mahler said that ‘the symphony should be like the world – it must embrace everything’, and his titanic First Symphony is one of those pieces that you simply have to experience live. Join us for a very special evening that will also include Puccini and the music of one of Mahler’s greatest advocates Leonard Bernstein – the maestro who innovated in jazz, film and the musicals, and played a key role in helping the world to rediscover the music of Gustav Mahler.”

 

For more information on the RPO’s new season visit: visit https://www.rpo.co.uk/whats-on

 

RPO’s unique position in the orchestral world is powered by its mission to enrich lives through orchestral experiences that are uncompromising in their excellence, wide-ranging in their appeal and inclusive in their delivery. Performing approximately 200 concerts each season and with a worldwide live and online audience in excess of 60 million people, the RPO acts as a cultural ambassador for the UK on the world stage and enhances the social and cultural fabric of local communities at home through a wide range of community, education, inclusion and wellbeing programmes.