Opening hearts and minds: October 2018 Editorial

A sea of hands fluttered in the air, expressing a round of applause in British sign language. As the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra launched into Holst's Jupiter, the small child mimed playing a violin. The Royal Albert Hall, no stranger to enthusiastic responses from prommers, had suspended its usual concert-going etiquette: audience members were welcome to sing, move and experience the music in whichever way they wished. It made for a lively, joyous and accepting atmosphere, for this was the Relaxed Prom, an event created for those with autism, learning disabilities, dementia and sensory impairments.

Accessible does not mean dumbed down, and the concert differed from, say, the former CBeebies Prom in that it was open to all ages (that didn't stop an appearance by Mr Tumble, much to my nephews' delight). The event provided food for thought: not least why such concerts are still relatively unusual. But given that there was yet another furore over clapping between movements during the recent Proms season, it seems we are a long way from removing stigma around audience behaviour at classical music events.