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The Executive Director of St James has made an impassioned plea to classical music fans to support events he organises - warning that it might soon be the end of such concerts in Guernsey, with 'catastrophic' ticket sales ahead of two planned concerts being blamed.
Jon Bisson took on running the concert and assembly hall last year and since then he has introduced a number of new events which have proven popular including comedy nights and alternative music nights including hip hop and drum and bass.
However, many people may still associate the former church building, near the island's court house, with classical music.
Two more traditional events planned for this month are the visits of 'renowned performers' the Maxwell Quartet and the Warwick Piano Trio. Mr Bisson says both acts have previously performed to 'sell out audiences' at venues including Carnegie Hall and the Wigmore Hall - but so far, in Guernsey, they've only sold 58 and 63 tickets respectively.
The St James website says that; "as a guide only, the Hall can accommodate a maximum of 576 people in standard theatre-style or reception format, 217 for dinners and up to 200 for wedding receptions and dinner / dances."
Another performer recently booked to play at St James sold fewer than 20 tickets - that was a finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the year competition.
Pictured: St James is playing host to Huey Morgan this month among other artists.
Putting on such events costs a lot of money, and Mr Bisson said St James can't continue to book acts without the ticket sales to fund them.
He said any decision to cancel concerts would be met with a heavy heart, particularly in the case of the Maxwell Quartet which was to give a schools concert and administer an educational workshop as well.
“The name St James is synonymous with quality performances of all genres and we are particularly proud of our classical offering," Mr Bisson said.
“We have hosted some of the world’s most inspiring performers and we want to be able to continue to do so. Unfortunately, audiences for classical music are dwindling and we can no longer afford to make losses on these events.
“It is no secret that St James has been financially stricken and from the outset my mission has been to turn this around whilst honouring and respecting the values the Founders of St James instilled in the business.
“It is therefore with a heavy heart that we find ourselves in this position. We know that people do not want to see a demise in the classical performances, but sadly people do not support this notion by attending the events. We have now reached a critical juncture where people must support it or lose it."
Pictured: St James offers an eclectic line up of entertainment.
Mr Bisson thinks some concert-goers believe these events will always be staged in Guernsey but he says that just isn't true.
“Ticket sales need to more than triple for these events to take place. This is not an impossible task as we know that the audience is out there. Certainly, many voices were heard when the idea that classical might not continue was a concern a couple of years ago. Dare I say Guernsey audiences are generally lethargic and expect that these types of events will always be available to them. Sadly, this is no longer the case.”
Pictured top: St James.
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