A bit about Pocket Concerts
"We envision a vibrant, flourishing community of mutually supportive artists and citizens. Our goal is to use shared listening experiences to help people make authentic connections, learn from each other, and build a better world. We use music to open hearts and minds, and to nourish our community."
-Co-Directors, Rory McLeod and Emily Rho
We started Pocket Concerts because we wanted to make concert experiences more personal.
We were both raised and trained in the world of classical music, where the size of the halls you play in is considered a measure of success.
But in a big concert hall the audience and performers exist in separate worlds. We wanted to bring those worlds back together and make concerts a more connective experience.
We were inspired by the salon concerts of the 19th century, but we didn't want Pocket Concerts to feel like an exclusive club.
We knew we needed a new model. So, with the help of some friends and a few generous strangers, we rallied our community and designed an intimate experience accessible to all, where music, storytelling, and conversation come together.
A few months later, 30 people gathered in a living room in Toronto, and Pocket Concerts was born.
Since then we've presented concerts in more homes and workplaces than we could have imagined, meeting tons of interesting people along the way.
We've now expanded to include many genres of music, to better represent the diverse musical ecosystem of Toronto and bring the Pocket Concerts experience to more people.
