Audience engagement with community music performances : emotional contagion in audiences of a ‘pro-am’ orchestra in suburban Sydney

Research into audience engagement in the arts is a growing area of interest because of the need to build audiences and to provide convincing evidence of the value of arts programs to funding bodies. In addition, the way in which music works so as to touch the listener is of ongoing interest to music psychologists and is increasingly being considered in the context of live listening situations. This paper considers the phenomenon of emotional contagion, or the transference of emotion between audience members, and how this contributes to the audience experience. Audience members (N = 105) were surveyed at three concerts by a ‘pro-am’ orchestra – an orchestra made up of both professionals and amateurs – about their response to the concerts and factors that influenced that response. It was found that emotional contagion can enhance the emotional response of audience members at concerts, and that this is mediated by the sense of social bonding participants have with other people present. Social bonding is also associated with attendance at enhancement events such as pre-concert talks