New-age idea for NZSO audiences

Orchestra hopes to attract young listeners by asking people to pay according to their age.

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is inviting younger people to "pay your age" for tickets this season in an attempt to attract those who have never been to concerts.

Those between 18 and 35 will pay $1 for each year of their life to attend a concert in the six-month season which starts today.

An orchestra spokeswoman said the scheme would spread the "joys of orchestral music" to a younger audience.

"The motivation was a combination of reaching out to young people and offering orchestral music to more audiences," she said. "We knew that it might be harder for them to afford the full ticket prices."

Audience members usually pay between $30 and $126 for a seat at an Auckland or Wellington concert, with some price differences in other cities.

The seats do not carry fees and must be booked before the day of the show.

The scheme was tested during the 2011 and 2012 concert season.

Four hundred tickets have been sold for Wellington and Auckland shows using the scheme so far this season.

The orchestra will play 14 pieces over 48 shows in 14 towns and cities this season, which finishes on December 13.

On the web

Tickets to concerts can be bought from www.nzso.co.nz/tickets