The Power of Listening

The London Philharmonic Orchestra today announces the adoption of its new brand platform, “The Power of Listening”, created by Ace of Hearts. “The Power of Listening” is the new long-term vision for the London Philharmonic Orchestra, with Jesús Herrera heading up his first full season as Artistic Director.

“The Power of Listening” is a manifestation of the principle at the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s core; the shared exchange between musicians, audiences and communities that creates connection, emotion and collective human experience. This vision will be embedded in the way the Orchestra approaches artistic programming, future collaborations, its education and community work, and its public communications going forward.
The first piece of communications built on this bold new vision, in collaboration with the Royal College of Art, launches today. It is an invitation to stop and truly listen - for audiences who already know the Orchestra and those who don’t yet.

Jesús Herrera, Artistic Director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra said: "Listening is often thought of as something we do passively, but music can have a profound effect on how we feel and what we imagine. By bringing together the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal College of Art, we wanted to make that invisible experience visible - and show people that you don't need to be an expert in classical music to have a powerful response to it."

David Burke, Chief Executive of the London Philharmonic Orchestra commented, “The Power of Listening is a statement about the kind of Orchestra we are: open, connected to the culture around us and relevant both to those who already know us and those who might never have set foot in a concert hall. It’s a long-term commitment to opening up what orchestral music can offer and who it can be for. If our music moves you on a London street, we hope you’ll come and hear it played live.”

The first piece of work under this new brand platform is a series of original artworks, created by Royal College of Art postgraduate artists. Mentored by Neville Brody OBE, Professor of Communications at the Royal College of Art, the artists were each asked to listen to a piece of music, with a single instruction to make something out of the feelings it evokes. The music pieces came from the Orchestra's own record label, encapsulating six decades of the Orchestra’s history under five of its Principal Conductors, past and present. These artworks represent completely different accounts of the power of listening, highlighting the contrasting ways music affects us.

A specially built “Listening Wall” installation brings each artwork to life. All eight of the designs have been paired with a set of headphones, inviting passers-by at Vinegar Yard, London SE1, to listen to the very piece of music that inspired each artwork, allowing them to experience the power of deep, active listening and its ability to inspire creativity and emotion. The installation is designed to reach people who may never have considered an orchestral experience as being “for them”.

The campaign extends across paid and organic social and (D)OOH across London, led by a hero film capturing the exploration of the power of listening in collaboration with RCA. The film was directed by Talia Beale, who is represented by Academy Films, and co-produced by Academy Films and Ace of Hearts. Talia is a multifunctional artist, musician and filmmaker who has previously worked with Jonathan Glazer on his Warchild project.

Rasmus Smith Bech, Executive Creative Director and Partner at creative company Ace of Hearts commented, “It’s been an absolute privilege to collaborate with an institution such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra and help define and sharpen their future mission. We came in to give them a way of showing the world what is already at the core of their brand. ‘The Power of Listening’ is that idea, and it has turned out to travel much further than the advertising. Working with Neville Brody and a group of up and coming artists from the Royal College of Art on the first expression of it, with Jesús Herrera carrying it through the organisation, is the best start we could have asked for."

Neville Brody OBE, Professor of Communication at the Royal College of Art said: “Translating a symphony into a still image is a near-impossible task. In a moment when images can be generated in seconds by a machine, there’s something urgent about asking a person to sit, listen and really feel something before they make a mark. Through this partnership with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal College of Art, eight artists were asked to do exactly that: listen deeply to orchestral music and turn what they heard and felt into something visual.”