Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra with increasing resonance

The Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra is experiencing a great response again after the coronavirus turmoil. "A year ago today, I would have been cautious, but now I can say: our audience has returned and we are managing to attract new audiences," said Artistic Director Frauke Roth on Monday at a review in Dresden. With an overall occupancy rate of 82 percent in 2023, the orchestra is in the upper range compared to other concert halls. This speaks for the undiminished appeal of the Philharmonie Hall, the high quality of the orchestra and the enthusiasm for live experiences. An occupancy rate of 88% in the first quarter of 2024 confirms this trend.

"Trends are emerging: our audiences are booking at short notice, committing less and less to a subscription and increasingly appreciating it when the concert is part of an overall 'event'," said Roth, describing changes in the behavior of music lovers. The Philharmonie is highly committed to the task of attracting new audiences and making new types of concert experiences possible. The success of the "abgeFRACKt" concert series is proof of this. The audience here is more diverse, sometimes even more attentive and enthusiastic. "And above all: they come back, they love our music and the orchestra and can also imagine coming to our regular symphony concerts."

The "abFRACKt" concerts take place in a relaxed atmosphere and only last about an hour. You can also follow the concert itself on your smartphone using an app. Information about the music is played live on it. Afterwards, the audience is invited to round off the evening with a cocktail specially created for the concert and snacks at the bars in the Kulturpalast. People have obviously taken a liking to this - as a survey by the Philharmonie shows. Within a year, capacity utilization rose from 50 to more than 90 percent. A fifth of the audience is under 30 years old, while the figure for classical symphony concerts is eleven percent.