MISA ‘seasonings’ are a hit as tickets sell fast
Print Edition
THE 8th Music in the Summer Air (MISA) is set to kick off tomorrow, but tickets for most of the 25 concerts have already been sold out.
The Shanghai Symphony Hall claimed it was the first time that tickets for the event had sold out so quickly, suggesting its growing popularity. Only 200 tickets were available just two weeks before the event, and at least half of the buyers are not regular visitors to the orchestras.
“I am so happy that residents are attracted by our programs. That proves that our earlier assumptions were right,” says Wang Xiaoting, program director of Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.
Wang has been organizing programs for MISA since 2013.
MISA started off as a two-week event in summer in 2010 — a casual outdoor music festival with the aim of reaching out to more ordinary residents rather than the audiences making the trip to the concert halls.
Most of the MISA programs in the first few years were classical or light classical music on a more casual atmosphere on the city lawns.
Confident that Shanghai residents would welcome more variety in music, Wang and his team started to add more “seasonings” in the programs since 2013.
“‘Interesting’ has always been an important criteria when we select programs for MISA, as it helps attract non-regular concert-goers. The program can be interesting for a big-shot performer, for a particular type of music or presenting it in an innovative form,” says Wang.
“By attracting new audience to concert halls for the first time, we are giving them a chance to know about classical music, and also giving classical music a chance to prove its charm.”
Soon after, MISA staged an experimental adaptation of legendary rock band Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” 3D presentation of “The Rite of Spring” combining real-time visual technology and traditional symphony music, and the MISA-commissioned “Ping Pong Concerto” that combined symphony with table tennis on stage.
The 79-year-old minimalist composer Steve Reich also performed at MISA in 2015, getting the audience involved in his show.
“Many new audience members came out of curiosity but that’s not an obstacle to enjoy the concert,” says Wang. “As long as they come, there is a chance that they might stay.”
Besides those innovative programs, MISA has retained traditional classical symphonies like Dvorak’s “From the New World,” which will be presented by the New York Philharmonic tomorrow, cross-over programs like “Amadeus” on July 6, and niche independent bands like Penguin Café on July 11.
“We found three types of audiences at MISA — regular classical fans, teachers and students from conservatory, and the expatriates and youngsters,” says Wang. “The mixed composition of audiences is exactly what we want as a feature of MISA.”
It is never an easy job to make the most suitable programs for MISA, according to Wang. Generally, only one-third of the musicians make it finally. Fortunately, Shanghai is a city with a good reputation among artists and musicians, and that helps a lot.
“Most musicians we approach express their willingness to come in the first place. Besides, a lot of fans here are willing to look outwards and try out new things,” says Wang. “I hope that the audience at MISA can represent the city in a way that is open to diversification.”
Visit www.misa.org.cn
for more information and performance details.
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