Latoyah Forsyth & Jessie Upton talk about our community partnership with Melbourne Recital Centre
Natalie: Can you tell us a little bit about the Melbourne Recital Centre and what it is that you do there?
Latoyah: Of course! Melbourne Recital Centre opened in 2009, following a call for there to be a purpose-built space and place for the performance of chamber and classical music and since then we’ve welcomed so many incredible local and international artists into our venues and expanded what we do in the process. Speaking of spaces, we have two performance spaces at the Centre. The Primrose Potter Salon (named after philanthropist and arts administrator Lady Primrose Potter AC) is a 150-seat flexible space, home to many local artists who perform there year on year. And Elisabeth Murdoch Hall (named after philanthropist the late-Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, our founding patron) is a 1000-seat box concert hall, split across two levels and lined with beautiful Australian hoop pine timber. Since opening, we’ve diversified our programming significantly, presenting and hosting over 500 events a year spanning all genres – from contemporary to classical and everything in between.
My role at the Centre is Head of Marketing and Visitor Experience, which oversees the functions of marketing, digital, CRM and audience development, ticketing and (you guessed it) visitor experience. Jessie Upton is our lovely Visitor Experience Manager and looks after front-of-house, box office and customer service.
QVWC is excited to be working with MRC on a new cultural community partnership. Can you tell us more about this & how the participants will be engaging with MRC?
Jessie: We are thrilled to be welcoming the QVWC community to Melbourne Recital Centre. Over the next year participants will attend performances in both Elisabeth Murdoch Hall and Primrose Potter Salon and get to know each other, our artists and the Centre all whilst experiencing the universal language of music.
Our mission is to create wonder for everyone, in and beyond Melbourne Recital Centre and this partnership is a great example of our mission in action. Participants will get to meet new people and grow their communities whilst taking part in the wonderful shared experience of attending live events together in our venue. Myself and the Visitor Experience team will be there every step of the way not only to welcome our new visitors but to support and share these experiences with them.
Are there any other ways MRC is looking to engage or grow women (cis, trans & non-binary inclusive) audiences?
Jessie: Melbourne Recital Centre is committed to providing a safe place for women (cis, trans & non-binary inclusive) to not only experience music but create, perform and share within and beyond the Centre. From an artist perspective we champion classical composers through our Merlyn Myer Music Commission which enables female composers to create new musical works. We know there is always more work to do and we are currently in the process of crafting our first Gender Equality Action Plan for the Centre. This will then speak to a Disability, Access and Inclusion Plan that will be completed later this year. Melbourne has an amazing array of talent and we want to ensure that we are providing safe and welcome opportunities for our artists, audiences and team.
How are audiences for recitals changing and what is your curatorial approach to the huge variety of musicians and musical styles?
Latoyah: Whilst we may be Melbourne Recital Centre by name, we do so much more than just recitals and have done for many years now. We’re home not only classical and chamber recitals (like our flagship Great Performers series), but we also program and host a range of festivals, contemporary, jazz and blues gigs, cultural groups, kids and families' activities and more. We want to inspire people through music, regardless of the genre or musical style and we're striving to be the only Australian music venue dedicated to the performance of all kinds of music. This means that alongside our own Melbourne Recital Centre Presents program, we work with Key Presenting Partners and hirers to deliver a constantly expanding program and with that comes a wonderful diversification of audiences and music-lovers geographically and demographically, but we know we still have a way to go. We are working on and are committed to a couple of different medium and long-term visitor experience research projects, changing up the way we market our events, revamping our brand and more to make the Centre more accessible. Plus partnerships like this, with QVWC, is a wonderful and exciting next step for us. The pandemic really highlighted why engagement with the arts and music sector is vital, especially in times of crisis – it has the power to heal, mesmerise, transform and unlock memories from other times and make us feel better. We want Melbourne Recital Centre to be a welcoming, safe and comfortable space for everyone, where they can experience music that makes them feel something beautiful.
The last two years of the pandemic have hit the arts & cultural sector particularly hard. How is MRC looking to re-engage audiences in 2022 & beyond?
Latoyah: The last two years have been devastating for the arts and cultural sector, there are days where I am still in disbelief that it’s been two years of constant disruption, devastation and delayed recovery efforts. We are tired, but we know the important role we play in reviving arts, music and culture for the state and what it means to so many visitors and audiences (and what it means to us, too). For us at the Centre, our re-engagement plan is grounded in flexibility, safety and understanding of the ways audiences’ behaviours have changed throughout the course of the pandemic. Some may no longer be able to visit us in person, or they may no longer feel comfortable, some may have relocated elsewhere, and some may no longer have any recreational income to spend. That’s why we’re ensuring our physical concert seasons (we currently have Season One: Awaken, Jan to March and Season Two: Evolve, April to June in market) have a range of events available and are complemented by free digital seasons from our Live from Melbourne Recital Centre program, to ensure we can reach those whose circumstances and preferences may have changed, whilst warmly welcoming back those who feel able to return. The environment is still constantly changing around us, and so we must change with it by listening and responding. The one thing that remains constant is how music connects us, and that’s a special thing.
Interview: Natalie Forde