Against the Grain Theatre, Toronto’s visionary chamber opera company, has always asked questions about what it means to be an opera company in the 21st century. Starting today, the company begins a comprehensive digital research project examining online trends and behaviours of opera audiences towards live streamed performances. This research will inform future initiatives.
The project is led by digital consultant Michael Morreale, and is being conducted in partnership with the Canadian Opera Company, Canadian Music Centre, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, with support from the Canada Council Digital Strategy Fund. More partner organisations will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Digital Opera Research and Intelligence Study (“DORIS”) consists of a national audience survey and discussions with international experts in the field of performing arts streaming. A final research paper in English and French will be available for free on Against the Grain’s website this spring, with ongoing blog updates leading up to its release.
“To be able to add someone like Michael to the AtG team, with his vast experience both in the arts and technology is a win not just our company, but for opera in Canada”, says Founder and Artistic Director, Joel Ivany. “We’ll be able to ask, test and hopefully have some answers for questions that have always been at the forefront of our arts practice.”
“The future is digital.” says General Manager Jonathan MacArthur. “This project is pivotal in learning how to engage with our growing generation of online art consumers while also uniting niche opera lovers world-wide.”
“These audience insights are a crucial part of forming a digital strategy for any Canadian arts organisation,” says Michael, who has produced streams and recordings for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Royal Conservatory and CBC Music. “I’m thrilled to work with a forward-thinking company like Against the Grain, who are asking these important questions about what modern online audiences want.”
Follow updates on the project here.
For more information, please contact: michael@atgtheatre.com.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien.