English abstract
This study aimed to define the social and cultural characteristics for the audience of western classical music in contemporary Omani society and to know what makes the western classical music is known in Omani society? And to discuss what could Royal Opera House Muscat do to present Omani traditional music?
For data collection, this study depend on a questionnaire included seventy questions distributed to 150 of western classical music audience in ROHM. And for collecting data about music activities in Oman it used interviews with researchers and employees in music institutions in Oman like Royal Omani Symphony, Oman Center for Traditional Music and Royal Opera House Muscat. Study results showed:
Firstly: results regarding the social audience characteristics indicated that male are more attended than female, there age are between 25-34, singles, employees in governmental and artistic sector, lived in Muscat governor, and their input are between 501-100 OMR. Which means that the audience of western classical music in contemporary Omani society are from inner circle and Incidental visitor according to Howard Becker classification of Art work. The study results also revealed that the cultural characteristics presented the interested of audience was in visual arts like cinema, and they always listen to diverse types of music in different places and people which shows the music listening experience are comes from individual interested more than collective patterns.
Secondly, the factors that makes western classical music are known in Omani society was: family and friends, studying of western classical music in academic organizations, attending western classical music concerts, ensuring the musical motivation for attending and merge with non-Omani audience of western classical music in ROHM.
Thirdly, results related to the contribution of ROHM in presenting traditional music of Oman was: creating modern musical atmosphere, including all Omani groups in its musical activities, facilitating merge with non-Omani audience and presenting the traditional music of Oman in symphonic forms.
