FROM THE MANAGING DIRECTOR Bruce Applebaum
The 2021 season opens with great fanfare and excitement. My Co-Founder and Artistic Director Paul Dyer has programmed a season that celebrates what we love most - the shared joy of experiencing Baroque music performed on period instruments by the world’s best musicians live in the concert hall.
While COVID-19 temporarily forced us physically apart in 2020, technology and a restless energy to create kept us together throughout a challenging year. The Brandenburg is a national orchestra with a unique model: our musicians hail from all of Australia’s states and territories and come together six times each year to rehearse, perform and tour each concert series. 2020 was, in many ways, a stress test for the company and for the broader Arts sector. The Brandenburg has emerged from the industry-wide shutdown a more resilient, agile and creative organisation. Many brilliant new performances have been shared and enjoyed on our inventive new digital stage Brandenburg One. It has been inspiring to see how enthusiastically audiences have engaged with the platform. Online performances allow new audiences an entry point to Baroque music. Almost half of the total audience to Brandenburg One resides outside Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane - the cities we regularly perform in – and viewers have tuned in from over 70 countries around the world. One third of this diverse audience is under 35 years of age and the most engaged segment of the public is between 25-34 years of age.
Although not a replacement for live concerts, Brandenburg One has become a regular way for our loyal subscribers to experience Baroque music in a flexible new style. The success of our digital performances, the diverse new audiences we have discovered and our imminent return to concert halls give me tremendous confidence about a bright future for the Brandenburg. It is in this spirit that I warmly welcome you to Season 2021 and sincerely thank you for your ongoing support as a loyal Brandenburg subscriber.
Bruce Applebaum Co-Founder & Managing Director Australian Brandenburg Orchestra
BRUCE APPLEBAUM MANAGING DIRECTOR
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AUSTRALIAN BRANDENBURG ORCHESTRA
SEASON 2021
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