Explore and learn

Your feedback 16 September 2021

Last month we asked OAE Player Annual Pass holders to complete a survey to help us improve our digital platform. Below is a summary of the results of the survey and the action we’re taking in response.
If you would like to download a PDF of the results in their entirety, you can do so here.

The survey was completed by a total of 47 people which represents about 10% of Annual Pass holders.

Your Motivations

The first eight questions of the survey asked about your motivations for signing up for an annual pass. The largest percentage answer (78.7%) was ‘I just like OAE in general’, meaning that the main motivation was an emotional connection, above a practical consideration. The second highest motivator was a desire to ‘support the OAE’. This is, of course, incredibly flattering. We could not have pulled through the height of the pandemic without your support but we have a long journey ahead back to normality. We are so grateful for your continued support as we embark on this journey of rebuilding and resilience, together.

Your Favourite Film

The two most frequently cited responses to this question were, ‘Seeing Double‘ featuring Vivaldi’s double violin concerto with Nicola Benedetti and Bach’s St John Passion, directed by Mark Padmore.

Telemann on trapeze? Rameau on ropes?

We asked you, ‘Are there any other art forms that you would like to see us work with eg. poetry or aerial gymnastics?’ There was some interest in contemporary dance and poetry but 9 of the 23 responses said ‘no’.

89.1% think the price is right

100% say they will, or might renew their OAE Player subscription

WE ARE TAKING ACTION

Thank you to everyone who generously suggested ways that we can improve OAE Player. Here is a list of the main themes and how we are responding:

Advance knowledge of planned programme

The journey of planning films under lockdown conditions has been a rocky one, so thank you for bearing with us. In the next year, we have a bulging programme of films to share with you on OAE Player, these include:

  • Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 conducted by Robin Ticciati, recorded at Glyndebourne
  • Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, ‘Jupiter’ conducted by Bernard Labadie, recorded at Glyndebourne
  • SIX Bach, the Universe and Everything episodes Watch the complete 21/22 programme from our popular science and music series, recorded at Kings Place, including talks from six leading scientists and music from Bach, Lassus, Telemann and more.
  • Telemann’s Essercizii musici (suite)
  • Baroquebusters Popular baroque pieces presented with commentary, trivia and interviews with OAE musicians
  • Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 conducted by Tafelmusik’s Bruno Weil
  • Handel’s Aci, Galatea e Polifemo Featuring Bass Trevor Bowes as the cyclops, alongside OAE Rising star Soprano Zoe Brookshaw and Mezzo-soprano Bethany Horak-Hallett
  • Schumann’s Violin Concerto conducted by Antonello Manacorda with guest violinist Isabelle Faust
  • Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 conducted by Ádám Fischer with guest soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha
  • and more short pop-music-inspired films from our Rising Star vocalists.

    • Improved access, user experience of the tech

    Over the last year we have been working on improvements to the OAE Player site including no longer needing a password to login, and a ‘continue watching’ feature if you want to switch from your computer to your tablet. If you have trouble accessing the platform, please contact us directly at [email protected] and we are more than happy to walk through the process with you. It is really important to us that we make the user experience as slick and pain-free as possible so please get in touch.

    Extending the format to support smart TV

    The cost of setting up an Apple TV app is £7,000 a year. We are working diligently to fundraise for all aspects of our organisation but right now we are not in a position to spare this amount of money. If you would like to donate to the OAE please visit: https://tickets.oae.co.uk/donate/q/donatenow

    Words and translations on subtitles for vocal items

    Thank you for this feedback, you can find the translations for vocal pieces in the digital programmes that are linked in the film descriptions. You can view our full library of digital programmes on Issuu.

    More consistent output without long gaps and more choices

    Between January and March, there was a national stay at home order that prevented us from filming. Restrictions on venues and the requirement for musicians to isolate between performances caused further complications to our production schedule throughout spring and summer. All of these challenges have impacted our output and for this, we are very sorry. Now that national restrictions have all been lifted, we are confident that we can deliver new films with far greater continuity. Thank you for your patience.

    More experimentation with 20th/21st-century music

    We are thrilled to tell you that we will be filming Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 conducted by Ádám Fischer with guest soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha for OAE Player in Spring 2022.

    Pre-concert talks, interviews with musicians

    A key ambition for the next season is to increase the discursive content on OAE Player, both for existing films and new releases. If you have ideas about questions or themes that you would like us to discuss, please email our communications director, Elle [email protected]. We are always glad to hear from fellow music lovers.

    Put dates on concerts

    Thank you for this feedback, we have now put dates on all our concerts on OAE Player.

    More Bach

    Over the next year we will be uploading not one but SIX of our Bach, the Universe & Everything recordings on OAE Player. Stay tuned!