Melbourne Digital Concert Hall has raised $35,000 for musicians in its first fortnight, the new live streaming initiative’s co-directors announced today. “We’ve streamed nine concerts live, programmed many more and raised over $35,000 in ticket revenue for Australian classical musicians,” said Co-Director Chris Howlett. “What started out as an immediate response to a crisis situation has captured the public imagination and we couldn’t be more grateful.”

Philip Arkinstall, Peter de Jager and Matthew Kneale in Melbourne Digital Concert Hall’s opening concert. Photo courtesy of Melbourne Digital Concert Hall

The Melbourne Digital Concert Hall was launched to help sustain local artists whose livelihoods have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the shut-down of live performances. Concerts have been streamed live from Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre, in a “clean performance environment where the musicians have had no contact with any other human”, with viewers paying for tickets.

According to MDCH, the full $20 ticket price goes to the artists – many of whom have lost all other revenue – while a modest booking fee of $4 covers transaction costs and employs members of the wider sector, such as piano tuners and technicians.

“Our deep gratitude goes...