David Runnion wrote: >Actually, I find this thread sort of sad and disturbing. Yes, there are >lots of distractions in the concert hall, but there always have been, it >is certainly better now than in Beethoven's day ... I think that David has some very valid points here, and I am of a mixed mind when it comes to this issue. Being that I am the artistic director of a professional chamber choir in the world's most musically mannerless city, I have found that I cringe at the bad behaviour when I attend the concerts of others. When I am conducting my own, I rejoice that people came and don't really notice the noise. I am concentrating on the music anyway and tend to block the rest. David is correct that we must continue to go to concerts and encourage others to do so. What has delighted me is that The Helios Ensemble is building a dedicated and appreciative audience out of people who probably never attended serious music events before. Why and how? Because we have personally invited our friends, day-job co-workers, fellow parishioners and relatives to fill the seats. The magic is that when they got there, they had a wonderful time and now wouldn't miss us for anything! Have they occasionally clapped between movements? Yes. But it fixed itself immediately when I simply held up my hand as I turned to the next page in the score and did not turn around to acknowledge the applause. Very simple. They learned by one gesture that they shouldn't clap till I turned around and stepped off the box. No one was offended, no one was harmed. The key to success in the arts is not to have a bunch of experts like us sit at our computers and bitch about the rude members of the audience. The key is for us to invite novices to concerts with us and teach them how to behave. Tell them about the music that they will hear, and most important, explain WHY concert ettiquette is important. If they understand the traditions and significance, they will participate as readily as many of us might participate in the liturgy in church. "But Kevin, concert tickets are expensive and I can't afford to buy a ticket for some plebian just to save great music." Don't spend money I say. Start with the universities. Many of us live near at least one. I live within and hours drive of half a dozen. There are many high quality free concerts at universities. I have an idea. Let's all pledge to invite a member of the great unwashed to a concert during the next month. Odds are that we will turn on quite a crowd to great music and they will buy their own tickets! Kevin