Classical music has long since had a looming reputation over it in the modern day. Elite, old-fashioned, and even outdated have all been prejudices that have been routed deep into the genre, however, that makes it all the more surprising to hear it’s been having a comeback in the younger generation out of everyone.
A study published in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) found that classical music was becoming even more popular among young people, with 74% of UK residents under 25 years old likely to be tuning into the music just at Christmas time, almost 40% more likely than those aged 55 or over. A decade ago, surveys done by similar industries should that just a tenth of these listeners had been under 30. These figures all reflect that there has been a widespread surge in the popularity of classical music in general, particularly among those among the younger generation.
There are many possible reasons for this spike in popularity, from the solace it provided in the pandemic, to the new streaming culture spawned from companies like Spotify or Apple that make it much easier to listen, send, and discover new music. This is not even mentioning the huge profusion of classical music in more pop culture hits like Wednesday or Squid Game. The greatest reason, however, is undoubtedly the new wave millennial and Gen Z artists and composers that are finding completely new ways to share their music out into the world, completely modernizing this long-thought stuffy and elite genre of music.
Social media, particularly TikTok and Youtube, have both played a large role in this revitalization and reimagination of classical music. The search for ‘classictok’ alone has over 53.8 million views, and many young artists like Spencer Rubin have amassed a large following not through skits or dances, but by playing the oboe. Rubin, now studying classical oboe at Julliard Pre-College, is one of the few influencers who built their platform around classical music and got over 764.9 million views and 1.5 million followers on TikTok for it. In a past interview with the New York Post, Rubin stated that “I think that with social media, we’re able to de-stigmatize the sense that classical music is super fancy and needs to be perfect.”
He is just one of the many creators that have come out in recent years and spread this new wave of classical music even further, including famous names like French violinist Esther Abrami and Nigerian-US baritone Babatunde Akinboboye. Abrami was even the first classical musician to be nominated in the Social Media Superstar category at the Global Awards, gaining over 250,000 followers on Instagram and thousands more on TikTok, all in a journey to share her passions more widely.
Of course, genres such as pop, hip-hop, and rock still rule the music industry in terms of listeners, but the spotlight of classical music has had many in high hopes to see how the genre can change and grow. In the meantime, I invite anyone who needs a bit of a break this exam season to take some breaks, drink water, and maybe listen to some classical music if you have the time.
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