Whose Messiah are You?

This past Christmas noted conductor Kent Tritle had multiple “Messiahs” : Musica Sacra, The Oratorio Society of New York and the "sing in" at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center to name a few.  Same man, same music, yet very different experiences. For example

• Musica Sacra is a professional chamber choir, priding itself on expertise and authenticity.
• NY Oratorio society is 100 year old  NYC tradition.
• The  "Sing-in" is a community sharing event with 3000 singers and multiple conductors who may be cheered on by their respective chorus.

NYC has the advantage of a very dense population.  Everyone is there, and there is something for everyone if you know where to look. However it is unlikely to apply to the chorus in the wilds of suburbia. We have to pick and choose. Being mindful of your community mindset matters.

Research in the performing arts by the excellent arts researchers Wolf /Brown shows how different the audiences can be.

Net result is that marketing  these Messiahs can be very different not because the music is different, but because the people who prefer the varied experiences are different.

Choral Nation Question for the Week Who is your brand target, and what really differentiates your Christmas program from all the other choices someone may have?  Knowing that, how will you go to market? Now is the time to think about it. Christmas is coming! (and I'll bet you are taking the summers off!)

Links to help you

Here is the interview with Kent on NPR

Desciption of the Messiah “sing-in” is here: 

Lastly the Research from Wolf /Brown. It’s a free download from their website made possible in part by the Doris Duke Foundation found here.