Q. The NAC New Media team’s podcasts such as the NAC Orchestra’s Explore the Symphony and L’Univers Symphonique, as well as those for dance and theatre, have seen four million downloads over the last decade. Which countries have the most downloads?
A. The U.S. leads with almost a million downloads, followed by China with more than 800,000. Canada is third with 517,000. In all, we have listeners in more than 50 countries.
Q. That’s impressive. I’m curious, how did the Chinese discover the podcasts?
A. Western classical music is very popular in China. Forty million young people, for example, are studying the piano. During the NAC Orchestra’s 2013 China Tour, we promoted the podcasts as a great way for Chinese audiences to get exceptional musical content and also as an opportunity to practice English and French.
Q. Why are NAC podcasts so popular?
A. Audiences today want to know more about composers and the history behind the music they are enjoying. NAC podcasts complete the performing arts experience. They offer unique insights into what’s playing on our stages and they have universal appeal. For example, we have thousands of subscribers in Europe who love the podcasts but know little about the NAC.
Q. Where do you listen to NAC podcasts?
A. I love listening to NAC podcasts on road trips.
Listen at NACpodcasts.ca
Prélude magazine – The People
Fall issue, 2016