The percentage of people that want to discover orchestral music has reached its highest level in six years, according to latest research published today by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO).
The findings from the RPO’s new annual audience research report tracks the public’s interest in, and terms of engagement with, orchestral music. The new findings show that 35% of UK adults want to learn more about orchestral music, up from 20% in 2024 – and 11% in 2021. Among the under-25 age group, interest has risen sharply in a single year, from 11% to 30%. At the same time, long-term engagement has also increased from 28% to 38% – as people new to the genre develop journeys of discovery and become enthusiastic fans.
Whilst the popularity of core orchestral repertoire has remained at around 23% for the fourth consecutive year, there were big rises in demand for other forms of family-orientated orchestral concerts, including Orchestral soundtracks from blockbuster films (35%) and hits from the musicals (33%).
Sarah Bardwell, Managing Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, said: “From many years of tracking research by the RPO, the picture that emerges is one of evolution. The orchestral audience is growing and diversifying – and in a healthy and inclusive way. Time shows that the new and established audiences are inextricably linked – the growth of the established audience in 2026 is the positive consequence of people starting journeys of discovery with orchestral music five or ten years ago. Furthermore, our data tells us that people are discovering orchestral music in new ways, enjoying richly diverse concert experiences and, outside the concert hall, they are carrying orchestral music it into many facets of everyday life – from cooking and studying to brightening the commute, to and from work.”
Alongside long-term audience trends, the RPO’s annual insight report also includes newly commissioned national polling on public attitudes to Artificial Intelligence (AI) in music. At a time when the industry is locked in serious debate over the perceived opportunities and risks of AI, the RPO felt it was time for audiences to be heard and part of the debate. Nationally, live performance – whether music or theatre – was seen to be the least affected by AI. In contrast, recorded music along with photography, were the areas seen to be most at risk of AI taking over in the next few decades.
Vasily Petrenko Music Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra comments: “In many ways, human creativity and AI can co-exist because they offer different strengths. The RPO research revealed that the public felt AI could be used successfully to enhance the production side of recording music – such as the mastering of new recorded music and the restoration and audio enhancement of archive recordings. In terms of the creation of music, AI may in theory offer perfection, but great art is often art precisely because of human imperfections implicit within the shape and form of the piece. This is true of many great paintings for example. Any creative act – any art – always has an element of hesitation in the mind of an artist. Not hesitation in the exact moment of creation, but about the ‘fullness’ or ‘completion’ of the object. One of many examples might be the Unfinished Symphony by Schubert. This kind of hesitation is completely beyond AI, in terms of structure and idea. This adds weight to the thought that change and continuity can co-exist.”