The art of tradition

Why do some events resonate so strongly with audiences that they become instant favourites, whereas other programming decisions quickly fall by the wayside?

Image: Tanderrum at Melbourne International Arts Festival. Photo by James Henry.

Whether four years old or tens of thousands of years old, certain events just click with audiences. They become expected, even loved – and their absence can lead to outcry.

Originally presented in 2015 as part of Artistic Director David Berthold’s first Brisbane Festival, Symphony For Me is a free concert which sees members of the public sharing intimate and surprising stories about their favourite piece of classical music, after which each piece is performed live by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts