OClassical Strikes a Sophisticated Note for Concert Audiences

October 07, 2008 - Press Dispensary - A new concert listings website will be music to the ears of classical audiences across the UK. OClassical enables concert-goers to keep track of concerts and recitals in their area – making sure that, whether they’re into Beethoven, Bruckner or Bocelli, they need never miss a performance again.

Users can browse by date, location, performer, composer or a particular piece of music, so they don’t miss a beat when it comes to concerts in their town. The site remembers users' locations and searches, so the home page will always show their local concerts.

Graham Phillips, OClassical’s director, explains: “I was fed up with discovering that I had missed a great concert because I couldn’t keep track of all the choirs, orchestras, musicians and venues where I live. Finding concerts shouldn't be such hard work, so I started oclassical to make it easy.”

The site will also help musicians, venues and promoters to reach a wider audience, as all concert details can be uploaded onto the site for free. And a listing doesn’t just go into the database of concerts: each artist, composer, work, venue and date has its own page showing relevant concerts, and all information is cross-linked to concert detail pages.

“ ‘Intelligent linking’ enables users to find events by following links rather than filling in forms”, continues Graham Phillips. “The site understands when ‘Bach’ refers to ‘Johann Sebastian’ and when it means “Johann Christian”, regardless of how the concert promoter has written it. It knows that ‘A German Requiem’ is the same piece as ‘Ein deutsches Requiem’, and that if a user is searching for this piece, they might well be interested in other works by Brahms.

“Concert goers’ participation isn’t limited to buying tickets and giving applause – users can rate or review performances online and share their thoughts with others.”

Use of the site and listings are free, although promoters and venues can choose to enhance their concert listing with images, reviews and a spot on the home page for a small fee. The site welcomes information from amateur and professional musicians alike.

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OClassical Ltd, based in Cambridge, was formed in February 2008 and is run by Graham Phillips.

The web site oclassical.com was launched locally in East Anglia in July and has spread to cover the UK by October 2008.

For further information, please contact:
Graham Phillips, director, OClassical Ltd
Tel: 056 0000 5048 or 01223 302412 or 07887 678317 Email:
Site: oclassical.com