Is there anything to be done Of course a huge amount is being done Pioneering work is going on all over the country to encourage new audiences into concert halls and opera houses and to break down the barriers that make people feel that serious music is not for them I remember a remarkable event the staging of Jonathan Doves community opera In Search of Angels which followed the action from location to location within a cathedral and then out into the town It was a musical experience of the highest order in which the skills and the generosity of the professional musicians were absolutely central and it was also lifechanging for many of the audience who were not just there to see and hear but also to contribute directly