Jocelyn Lightfoot: We are what we wear

Recently, we at London Chamber Orchestra (LCO) decided to ditch the dress code. The decision was made not only because the dress code is a massive headache across the classical music industry, but also to close the divide between orchestra and audience and make classical music more accessible.

It is important to note that a dress code does not serve the same purpose as a uniform or costume. Where a uniform helps the public to understand someone’s role and a costume helps an audience understand the personality and context of a character, a dress code very specifically influences perceptions of social norms and cultures. By insisting our musicians wear a specific western-influenced and gendered dress code, we as an orchestra created a boundary between ‘us’; the musicians on stage, who all are of a certain social class, wealth, binary gender and culture, and ‘them’; the audience, who ideally come from all social classes, financial backgrounds and include all gender identities and cultures.

The traditional concert dress for ‘us’ (the musicians) is tails, from which all concert dress codes have descended. This originates in the 18th century when musicians performed in peoples’ houses for their guests. When concerts moved into the concert hall the dress code did not change because musicians were exclusively male (an imbalance which lingered until as late as the 1970s, when the London Symphony Orchestra welcomed their first female member). During this time it was also still common for ‘them’ (the audience) to wear formal dress to the theatre or other high-cost events.

For the London Chamber Orchestra, ‘us’ is something quite different. Founded in 1921 by Anthony Bernard, we were the first professional chamber orchestra in the UK. LCO concerts were eclectic, diverse and modern, tapping into the thirst for more varied programming in the culturally vibrant 1920s. The first performances were in the home of Lady Aster (the UK’s first female MP) but musicians did not perform as servants: celebrated in other orchestras, the best musicians in London came simply to play with a group of like-minded musicians.

Bernard selected wide-ranging pieces of music that explored lesser-known works by some of the great composers. The list of LCO’s UK and world premieres is 100s strong, including composers such as Stravinsky, Vaughan Williams, Delius, Prokofiev and even Mozart.

Christopher Warren-Green continued in this modern vein when he became music director of the LCO in 1988, causing shockwaves throughout the industry when the orchestra performed a rock-style concert under lights of the Hammersmith Apollo. Christopher and Rosemary Warren-Green were photographed on the Apollo stage wearing almost rebellious clothes compared to what the classical music world was accustomed to.

The LCO also released a series of albums in the 1980s with rule-breaking album covers. The designs were so iconic they ended up being displayed as an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

So now, 100 years after the LCO’s inaugural concert, we still hold the same principles of performing wide ranging music: classics, lesser known but great works and new commissions. We still have the best musicians in London coming to play because the experience is exciting, fulfilling and inclusive. If we’re going to reflect society now as we did in 1921 and again the 1980s it is difficult to conclude that the best dress code for us is traditional western, male, servant clothing.

I started my career in music as a horn player and, looking back, I would say that I wasn’t really a natural ‘us’ member as I felt there were certain pressures to look and act a certain way. As I moved through the profession, I realised that there were many more musicians that felt the same. You wouldn’t know it but one of the beautiful things about musicians in the UK is we represent all corners of our society. We represent a whole range of gender identities, sexualities, cultures, demographics and ages. We represent audiences at events across the arts and popular entertainment sectors. We represent users of social media and Netflix! We are a group of human beings who have worked incredibly hard from a young age to do what we do but we still have lives outside of work.

So, if all of ‘us’ (the musicians) can enjoy classical music enough to dedicate our lives to it, what is preventing ‘them’ (the public) from becoming fans and coming to concerts? It is no secret that the industry has a reputation of being somewhat snobby and exclusive. Classical music can also feel unreachable for people who have had limited or no access to learning an instrument.

This is not an issue exclusive to the UK. Orchestras and classical music organisations all over the world are experiencing similar reductions in audience numbers. Some of these organisations have asked the public why this might be and have received the overwhelming response that many people don’t feel welcome in the concert hall. They don’t know how they should look or act. When can they clap and when can they talk? Will they be ‘educated’ enough to be able to enjoy the concert and feel engaged? It is clear that ‘they’ don’t feel part of ‘us’.

Surely it is time to start reflecting the audience that we want and need for classical music to not only survive but thrive in the modern environment and digital age. Wouldn’t it be a shame that this incredibly exciting and passionate area of the arts would continue on the trajectory of demise we find ourselves on because we refuse to be in line with the wider society and follow the lead of our potential audience?

So, in the LCO there is no ‘them’ and ‘us’ - the audience and orchestra are together. We are all ‘we’ and we are what we wear.

You can find out more about the London Chamber Orchestra at their website.