For some, however, Pulse can’t be the “real thing” if it dilutes the classical-music listening experience.

“I think a lot of people are attracted by the social or club atmosphere,” says Lawrence A. Johnson, critic and founder of Chicago Classical Review and South Florida Classical Review, which provides stories and reviews to The Miami Herald.

“Whether people who attend events like this will also attend an unplugged Brahms symphony is another question. I like the idea. And anything that gets new audiences or young people interested in classical music is great. But if people are talking and drinking, then they’re not really listening closely, and it becomes background music. I’m not sure this combination produces terrific music, and ultimately it’s the quality of music that brings people back.”

To Bates, talking and drinking don’t have to get in the way.

“If you’re someone who gives people dirty looks for clapping between movements at a Mahler symphony, then this is not for you,” he says. “But the vast majority of musicians are thrilled to see this art form can withstand a hell of a lot of production and change and people hanging out. The novelty might draw people in, but once they’re part of it I think it’s hard to feel you didn’t experience something very exciting.”

Herring acknowledges that some classical music lovers are never going to enjoy their Mozart with a martini, at least not in a concert hall. But catering to the curious doesn’t mean abandoning the purists, he says, and events like Pulse will ultimately help classical music to grow.

“It will not harm or diminish our commitment to traditional forms of presentation,” Herring says. “The idea is to invite people to a new way of listening and experiencing the music, and what they do with that experience is up to them. I believe that eventually we will have several audiences, not just one, and that will be for the betterment of the audience, the art form and the musicians.”