How the classical music scene is winning new fans – DW – 09/26/2025

When Juri de Marco lifts his hand and plays a note on his small pocket trumpet, people start singing and making music — in concert halls and on the street. There’s no sheet music necessary; following his hand gestures allow people find their way to a shared sound that’s all their own.

What de Marco makes is known as community music. “In high-classical music culture, it’s all about perfection, interpretation and fidelity to the score,” de Marco tells DW.

For him, community music means “making music on an equal footing,” where the social interaction between people of different ages and cultures plays as important a role as the music itself.

Music-making on the rise in Germany

Juri de Marco has tapped into the spirit of the times. According to a study by German information and documentation body the Deutsches Musikinformationszentrum, more and more people in Germany are taking up music and singing on an amateur level — even without formal lessons. Over the past four years, the number has grown by two million, reaching 16.3 million people.

“Especially in ages up to 15 years, almost half of all children are making music,” says Antje Valentin, Secretary General of the German Music Council (Deutscher Musikrat), the umbrella organization for music culture in Germany.

A concert in the Berlin Philharmonie in 2023 celebrated 70 years of the German Music CouncilImage: Peter Adamik/DMR

Sparking curiosity with experiential music

Children who are introduced to music early become tomorrow’s concertgoers. At the moment, classical music presenters are focusing on reaching young audiences in particular. Special programs and new concert formats are being designed to spark curiosity among groups who might otherwise never set foot in a concert hall.

What tends to resonate is music that moves people, surprises them, or fills them with wonder. The Aurora Orchestra in London, for example, performs entire symphonies from memory.

Juri de Marco’s pocket trumpet piques people’s curiosity, while the duo Synaptic addresses psychological states of mind in the style of a live podcast.

Synaptic is made up of pianist Adele Thoma and singer Theresa Szorek. They combine Franz Schubert’s melancholic “Winterreise” song cycle with spoken texts and new music by Bernhard Lang, creating a staged evening of song.

“We’re interested in how society deals with psychological strain, the way it’s also experienced by the protagonist in ‘Winterreise,'” explains Adele Thoma. The program is structured like a live podcast in which the audience can follow a person’s suffering with a mix of curiosity and voyeurism.

Many musicians are striving to carve out niches in the concert market with unique programs. Pianist Danae Dörken and vibraphonist Pascal Schumacher recently released a new album featuring piano and vibraphone, with the driving rhythmic patterns of composer Philip Glass.

Danae Dörken (left) and Pascal Schumacher captivate audiences with their spherical soundsImage: Michael Staab

The vibraphone’s ethereal tones are especially captivating for audiences. “For me, as a classical pianist, this was a completely new world,” Dörken told DW at the Beethovenfest Bonn. Luxembourger Pascal Schumacher comes from the world of jazz. “It’s very unusual to work with the vibraphone; you have to reinvent yourself time and again.”

What can classical music be combined with?

Antje Valentin of the German Music Council sees enormous potential in concerts with innovative formats, especially when they involve blending classical music with sounds from other cultures. “I see tremendous development with trans-cultural ensembles, especially when combined with classical music.”

One example is Bernhard Schimpelsberger, who learned rhythms and melodies from a guru in India. He brings percussion instruments from around the world into classical concerts. In South Africa, he met cellist Abel Selaocoe.

“Abel plays Bach and sings African hymns over it. It’s incredible,” said Schimpelsberger. The two have performed together for years as a duo.

At the Beethovenfest, the Aurora Orchestra played Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony from memoryImage: Neklame Klasohm

Selaocoe has written an orchestral work that combines classical and South African music, with Schimpelsberger on percussion. For the past two years, they’ve been performing it around the world. “We play it constantly with new orchestras everywhere, and that’s how I made my way into the classical world myself,” says Schimpelsberger.

Social media and ‘real-life encounters’

Juri de Marco has also traveled the world collecting music from different cultures for a project about Beethoven. At the Beethovenfest in Bonn, he founded a neighborhood choir. He’s now working on a video for social media about the group.

Today, it’s nearly impossible to gain attention without a presence on social platforms. Young British organist and influencer Anna Lapwood is a prime example: She has more than two million followers across all her social media channels.

Community musician Juri de Marco founded a choir in the Bonn district of TannenbuschImage: Beethovenfest Bonn

Of course, that requires constant attention and fresh content, as vibraphonist Pascal Schumacher notes. “But the advantage is that you can reach a specific audience fairly easily and quickly,” she said.

For Juri de Marco, however, it’s not follower counts and clicks that matter most. His videos are always intended to lead to real-life encounters.

“Especially when you make music across cultures, a sense of understanding for another culture develops very quickly,” he says. In today’s world, that can be an important contribution to mutual acceptance.

This article was translated from German.