The Concert: A New Audience for Classical Music

Violinist Julian Oberson often accompanied the Metropolitan Orchestra on tour, but he had never seen such a young audience in a classical concert as the person attending concerts. Candles Light, In emblematic places in Montreal, organized by Fever Up.

Throughout the summer, the stringed quartet will present violinists Julian Oberson, Jacob Niedrover, Viola Clément Bouvern, and cellist Ariel Carabri a selection of works by Vivaldi, Mozart and Beethoven by candlelight. Concerts are currently held at Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, Montreal’s oldest chapel, located in Old Montreal and at Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church, on Plateau-Mont-Royal.

Active at the international level, the company Fever up was founded in Madrid. It has performed in 80 cities around the world, including the United States, over the past two or three years, but this is the first year it has produced events in Canada. The company hires local artists in each city to provide services.

The projects, of course, have been greatly slowed by the pandemic, but the Quartet has been able, since the beginning of April, to start a series of evenings on the theme of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with a few pieces of Piazzola and Massinet.

“It’s really cool because we find an audience that’s still small in general. And we love it, Julian Oberson excited. This changes the usual concerts where the hall is pretty white. This is attributed to the venues, by candlelight, but also to the way they advertise it.” On social networks. “

“The mission of Fever up is to give access to culture,” says Alex Boccardi, director of Fever in Canada. Fever up estimates that 70% of its platform users are between the ages of 18 and 40. “There are people in the hall who are coming to the party for the first time,” he adds. We try to do this in unique rooms with a historical character. “

While candles add to the intimate character of the event, Notre-Dame du Bonsecours also offers exceptional acoustics. Although Fever Up initially focuses on classical music, it isn’t impossible to perform jazz performances soon. Even Julian Oberson’s foursome is considering putting on a classic show.

For him, these parties provided the opportunity to resume work in front of the public after nearly a year of hiatus. “It was very difficult to quit smoking, but it was very difficult to start over,” he says. “The hardest part is the changes in speed. Going from no concert to five concerts a week is a lot. It’s like an athlete who takes a year off and finds himself in an international competition.”

Small churches where concerts are performed do not currently accommodate orchestras, and performances generally feature quads, trios, and sometimes piano solos. However, we do not rule out performances that combine ballet with music, says Alex Bocardi.

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