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Organisations doing rural touring need to make the most of local knowledge to maximise audience numbers. Maria Howes explains how one music project builds rural audiences.

In 2005, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG) received the Royal Philharmonic Society Audience Development Award for Rural Tours an initiative that brings BCMGs performances of new and recent music to audiences who would not normally have the opportunity to hear it. The first of these Rural Tours was in 1998 when BCMG took a series of free performances to rural venues in Shropshire. These were extremely well received, and the tours have developed into an annual visit, extending to Herefordshire and Worcestershire in 2005. Since then, a total of 57 performances have been given to a total audience of 5,644, averaging around 100 people per performance of new classical music in rural venues.

Each year, BCMG aims to give a number of taster-tours (essentially interactive performances which each last 11/2 hours) and one final two-hour concert in Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Each taster-tour visits two venues on the same day. The performances are free to audiences and to venues; in return, venues provide in-kind support by waiving any hire charges and providing refreshments for audiences and performers. These events can include a number of elements:

- spoken introductions from composers and artists
- BCMG performances of at least two pieces
- an opportunity for the audience, performers and composers to meet and chat over refreshments
- post-concertdiscussion sessions.

The final concert the culmination of the years programme takes place in a central location in Shropshire or Herefordshire and Worcestershire, with a full BCMG concert programme. Again, spoken introductions and the opportunity for audiences and artists to mingle provide a friendly, informal and relaxed atmosphere at each of these events.

Travel distances, times of year and day, and choice of venues are just a few of the considerations we make when planning these tours. Perhaps the biggest challenge for organisations pursuing new audiences of any kind is adapting to the environment in which you present the work. For example, the atmosphere at a Rural Tours performance in a church hall with a capacity of 100 is quite different from that of BCMGs main concert series held at the CBSO Centre a central-city concert venue with a 300 capacity but by no means less rewarding.

The close proximity of players to the audience gives a more intimate feel, and BCMG adapts to this environment by making the concert experience less formal. Players wear casual clothing, not formal concert wear, and sit amongst the audience when not playing. Audience members are invited onto the performance area to look at instruments (not in the middle of a piece, I hasten to add) and chat after performances over home-made cakes and cups of tea!

For many of the venues we visit, the surrounding community has a great sense of ownership and works hard to make BCMG feel welcome and help us find audiences. Discussion sessions, informal chats and comment forms give our rural audiences the chance to give immediate feedback on their experience, which informs future planning. An independent evaluation of our 2005 and 2006 Rural Tours showed that audiences who had not heard of BCMG before found the Rural Tours taster performances were an ideal way-in to contemporary music, with no dumbing-down or compromises on quality.

BCMG works with Jenna Kumiega as Project Manager to manage the Rural Tours in close collaboration with BCMGs management team. A former Head of Arts for Shropshire County Council and based in Shropshire, Jenna has extensive knowledge of both the county and its communities. She locates venues for BCMGs performances, building networks of local promoters, organising the distribution of publicity and managing each event. In 2006, she was assisted by two publicity assistants, due to the increase in the workload across the three counties (a huge geographical area) and the number of taster tours (12 in 2006 with two final concerts).

Composers, conductors, soloists and musicians enjoy taking part in BCMGs Rural Tours because of the strong sense of teamwork and the very direct relationship it gives them with audiences. Composer Simon Holt asked to have a new work premièred on a BCMG Rural Tour the world première of Five settings of E.D. (Emily Dickinson) took place in April 2006 at Number 8 Community Arts Centre in Pershore, Worcestershire, followed by the second performance at the Lion Ballroom in Leominster, Herefordshire later that day. These tours were a source of inspiration also for Colin Matthews, who composed a brief piece of music between venues, which was then given its world première on the spot by the BCMG players!

Is it worth it? Absolutely! Rural Tours audience loyalty is spreading into more areas of our work, from attending BCMG concerts elsewhere to joining our Sound Investment commissioning scheme. Our mailing list and new e-newsletters are vital marketing tools for keeping in touch, and organised coach trips to Birmingham performances that are either outside the Rural Tours period (spring), or to concerts that are simply too big to fit in a rural venue, help to strengthen our relationships further. It seems appropriate to end with a comment from a Rural Tours audience member: Thank you for sharing this music with me I cant wait for the next time.

Maria Howes is Marketing Manager of Birmingham Contemporary Music Group.
t: 0121 616 2616;
e: info@bcmg.org.uk;
w: http://www.bcmg.org.uk