Sports pages from last weekend told us that “crowds have not yet flocked to football with pre-pandemic regularity.” AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan described them as “unequal”. These descriptions may well apply to audiences in theaters and concert halls. The reasons are complex but all have their origin in the Covid-19 pandemic. The restrictions have played their part, and some members of the public will be risk averse enough to stay away; some have just lost the habit, especially when it comes to going out on a winter evening.

One organization that does not seem to be in too much trouble in this area is the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He has been promoting concert series in the second half of the year and on his website most are now “sold out”. This is in light of the fact that the SSO has been absent from the Sydney Opera House concert hall for the entire year during major renovations. It could be that many members of the public love Sydney Town Hall with its Victorian sense of grandeur, convenience and warm acoustics.

The unmistakable highlights of the SSO this part of the year will be the concerts conducted by Simone Young, currently described as conductor nominee. She will take up the post of conductor in 2022. She conducts Beethoven on July 29 & 30, Brahms on July 31 and Mozart’s Requiem August 4-7. It’s great to find her in a leadership role.