New model measures audiences’ concert experience

Poor ventilation, rustling sweet wrappers and coughing have a negative impact on the audience’s experience of a classical concert. However, when the conductor and orchestra show great skill, the audience can become completely absorbed by the music. A study in which researchers from Lund University, Sweden, collaborated with Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra demonstrates a new method of measuring audience experience. Su Mi Dahlgaard-Park, who conducts research on quality at the Department of Service Management, Campus Helsingborg, followed the symphony orchestra's concerts during the spring. The study was conducted in collaboration with Helsingborg Concert Hall and the City of Helsingborg. In the course of the study, a questionnaire to measure audience experience was handed out to over 400 audience members at four different classical concerts. "It is important to identify what factors affect the experience.