An animateur is a
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
al professional whose role is to engage audiences with a new or unfamiliar form of music,
"bringing it to life" beyond what might be expected in a traditional performance.
The role of animateur developed from the French concept of "animation socio-culturelle" and first became established in the 1980s as musical outreach activities were being formalised in the UK.
Because the role has roots in the United Kingdom,
they are most common in the English-speaking world.
While an animateur is likely to have some skill in performance (with voice or instrument), conducting, teaching and possibly composition or arrangement, their principal role is to assist the communication of the performers and the audience. If working with a
symphony orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...
, for instance, they might accomplish this through running participatory workshops to introduce audience members to aspects of the music to be performed, or by facilitating dialogue between performers and audience members.
There are animateurs in a wide number of musical styles. While they are probably most common in
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
, they also work in
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
,
gamelan and some forms of African traditional music. Often they are employed by an orchestra, concert hall or music education service, though some also work freelance accepting commissions from groups or organisations for a specific occasion. Animateurs also work with children (where the discipline can approach a form of musical
youth work
Youth work is community support activity aimed at older children and adolescents. Depending upon the culture and the community, different services and institutions may exist for this purpose. In the United Kingdom youth work is the process of cre ...
) as well as adults. Possibly the best known animateur in the United Kingdom is
Gareth Malone, who for some years ran the youth and community choirs at the
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
's music education center,
LSO St Luke's prior to applying the same skills in a series of television programmes.
References
{{Reflist, refs=
[{{cite web , url=http://www.media-match.com/uk/music/jobtypes/animateur-jobs-407859.php , title=Animateur , publisher=Media Match , accessdate=24 May 2016]
[{{cite web , url=http://www.polyphonic.org/article/an-animateur%E2%80%99s-journey-a-report-from-the-field/ , title=An Animateur’s Journey: A report from the field , publisher=Polyphonic , date=17 September 2007]
[{{Cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kA7TfA_iPiMC, title=Community Music: In Theory and In Practice, last=Higgins, first=Lee, date=2012-07-09, publisher=Oxford University Press, USA, isbn=9780199777839, language=en]
Occupations in music