Musicians win new audiences by moving online

Creative thinking

For the China National Traditional Orchestra's musicians, concert hall audiences are totally different from those that only watch online shows.

Li Chao, the orchestra's erhu player, said: "Audiences who pay for concert tickets are prepared, but online audiences are not. Livestreaming platforms challenge our idea of presenting our music and instruments. This inspires us to be creative and think outside the box."

Unlike Shen, Li, 32, started to watch livestreaming shows after the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in early 2020. He had some ideas about such platforms, but had never given an online show until July.

Since first working with the orchestra in 2012, Li has gained a fan base. When he launched his channel on Douyin－posting his livestreaming shows and announcements－his supporters viewed these performances, making him feel "warm and relaxed".

"It took me a while to adjust to talking and performing, using just my phone," Li said. "Since online audiences are extremely spontaneous, I need to improvise. For example, when they ask me to play a pop song, I have to react fast, or they stop watching the show."

Li added that although traditional Chinese music has witnessed a revival and gained new fans, it still takes time to tell people about this music and the instruments used to play it.

"Many people now play traditional Chinese instruments on livestreaming shows. They wear flamboyant costumes and perform pieces that cater to online audiences," Li said.

"However, this might mislead audiences in terms of what traditional Chinese musical instruments are really about. We want to give audiences authentic traditional Chinese music, and play our instruments to fully showcase the sounds they can make."