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That’s something orchestras are becoming increasingly aware of, prompting musicians to set up the Orchestra of Change in 2020. She and her colleague Martin Möhler say the German cultural scene has a long way to go. Usually, small initiatives started by staff are what gets things moving, says Möhler, a clarinettist.
The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra has set up a “climate group” along with a range of other efforts to help the environment, including sending out rehearsal schedules and previews by email, rather than printing them out. Only 18% of an orchestra’s emissions were due to travel, he adds, referring to research by the German Federal Cultural Foundation. Meanwhile some 74% of emissions are caused by the event itself, the analysis said, through the trips made by the audience and concert hall emissions.There are no simple solutions. “But it is good that the topic is now gaining momentum. It’s necessary in all areas of society,” he says.
The German musicians also see potential for reducing the energy used in lighting and air conditioning and to improve insulation.