The RPO annual audience trends report 2026

The last 12 months have  been a milestone year for the public’s positive relationship with orchestral music in the UK – a record high in the percentage of adults who said they like orchestral music, alongside an increase in the number of people experiencing it for the first time. It has been a peak year for engagement beyond the concert hall, with more people enjoying orchestral music in everyday situations, and, for the first time, orchestral music topped the list of genres people said they wanted to learn more about during 2026.

These are just some of the findings from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s (RPO) consumer research programme, now in its ninth year, which aims to build a clearer understanding of how the public engages with orchestral music. 

The latest in a series of RPO insight reports explores four key themes:

• The anatomy of the orchestral audience today: exploring audience typologies and the forms of orchestral music and performance that different groups prefer.
• Everyday routes to discovery: examining how engagement with orchestral music develops beyond the concert hall across the calendar year.
• The orchestral world beyond London: for the first time exploring tastes, habits and preferences across locations around the UK, and celebrating the diversity of local perspectives that shape the UK’s relationship with orchestral music.
• Innovation or disruption? AI in music: concluding the report with an exploration of the opportunities and risks presented by AI, drawing on research commissioned in January 2026 and reflecting the views of music lovers and concertgoers.