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To save the Orchestra, expand the audience
A few suggestions for the Orchestra
Vincent Rinella
The board of directors' vote last weekend to seek Chapter XI bankruptcy protection for the Philadelphia Orchestra doubtless surprised no one. But the lack of creative ideas regarding strategies to avoid that debacle was surely mystifying.
Orchestra leaders simply noted that they couldn't "melt down their golden idols" (the Orchestra's $140 million endowment) to reduce their current deficit due to "donor restrictions." That was the end of the public discussion.
Like other orchestras that have filed for bankruptcy recently, the Philadelphia Orchestra is reorganizing under Chapter XI to become more "donor friendly." But donors like to be associated with winners. Bankruptcy— an admission that you can't pay your bills— may well drive donors in other directions.
In any case, balancing the books is a pointless exercise if the Orchestra's audience is eroding. Here are a few other questions and suggestions (happily unrelated to repertoire or ticket pricing) that might be more helpful:
"¢ Why doesn't the Orchestra schedule more concerts for 5:30 on weekdays? Given that the Orchestra's "target audience" has expanded beyond wealthy retirees living in Society Hill or Rittenhouse Square, a schedule that could accommodate suburbanites or even Center City residents who don't wish to go home and come back into town again after work— or spend a not inconsiderable amount of money for dinner downtown and then wait until 8 p.m. for a concert— would be very attractive.
"¢ Why are there not more concerts on weekends when working people have time to attend? The orchestra rarely schedules concerts on Sunday afternoons. Better still, what about Sunday at noon, after families have had breakfast and don't have to spring for a downtown brunch and still wait two hours doing something before the concert commences?
"¢ Why do potential attendees have to wait until two and a half hours before concert time to learn whether "rush tickets" are available? And the board wonders why the Orchestra doesn't play to full houses?
"¢ Why am I able to get reduced parking rates at two garages near the Kimmel Center when I'm going to my periodontist in the Land Title Building at Broad and Chestnut, but no discounts when I want to attend a concert? Perhaps the Orchestra fund-raisers should write fewer grant applications and think about how to conveniently attract more audience members.
I still believe classical music is alive and well in Philadelphia. But staying in touch with social realities would help the Orchestra attract new and former attendees, some of whom might help solve its deficit problems.♦
To read a related commentary by Robert Zaller, click here.
Orchestra leaders simply noted that they couldn't "melt down their golden idols" (the Orchestra's $140 million endowment) to reduce their current deficit due to "donor restrictions." That was the end of the public discussion.
Like other orchestras that have filed for bankruptcy recently, the Philadelphia Orchestra is reorganizing under Chapter XI to become more "donor friendly." But donors like to be associated with winners. Bankruptcy— an admission that you can't pay your bills— may well drive donors in other directions.
In any case, balancing the books is a pointless exercise if the Orchestra's audience is eroding. Here are a few other questions and suggestions (happily unrelated to repertoire or ticket pricing) that might be more helpful:
"¢ Why doesn't the Orchestra schedule more concerts for 5:30 on weekdays? Given that the Orchestra's "target audience" has expanded beyond wealthy retirees living in Society Hill or Rittenhouse Square, a schedule that could accommodate suburbanites or even Center City residents who don't wish to go home and come back into town again after work— or spend a not inconsiderable amount of money for dinner downtown and then wait until 8 p.m. for a concert— would be very attractive.
"¢ Why are there not more concerts on weekends when working people have time to attend? The orchestra rarely schedules concerts on Sunday afternoons. Better still, what about Sunday at noon, after families have had breakfast and don't have to spring for a downtown brunch and still wait two hours doing something before the concert commences?
"¢ Why do potential attendees have to wait until two and a half hours before concert time to learn whether "rush tickets" are available? And the board wonders why the Orchestra doesn't play to full houses?
"¢ Why am I able to get reduced parking rates at two garages near the Kimmel Center when I'm going to my periodontist in the Land Title Building at Broad and Chestnut, but no discounts when I want to attend a concert? Perhaps the Orchestra fund-raisers should write fewer grant applications and think about how to conveniently attract more audience members.
I still believe classical music is alive and well in Philadelphia. But staying in touch with social realities would help the Orchestra attract new and former attendees, some of whom might help solve its deficit problems.♦
To read a related commentary by Robert Zaller, click here.
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