On 25 Jul 2011, at 1:00 PM, John Howell wrote: > Hi, David. I'm not sure what you're looking for. > What the article describes is certainly a case of > "built it and they will come," and also a ringing > endorsement of community-based music in general. > And it sounds as if they are paying attention to > living composers, as well as the classics.
I wanted to share a success story in these days of collapsing orchestras, and complaints that the audiences are all over 60. This one has been good for the community, good for my music department, good for my college -- basically, everyone wins; and the winning is centered around serious music, including new music. I also wanted to encourage everyone to do this in their own communities, though the folks who have the energy to pull this off are few and far between. At least, it is a model for how it can work. > As a player I shudder at the idea of putting > myself--and my instruments!--at the mercy of > Mid-Atlantic summer weather, and I have to wonder > what they do when the inevitable rainstorms > hit--our own community July 4th concert got > rained out this year. (Well, rain and > lightninged out, actually.) Yes, that's a problem. In 13 seasons, they have lost 4 or 5 concerts to thunderstorms. The orchestra is protected under a tent, but there is no cover for the audience. We almost lost this week to the heat wave, though because about 1000 people showed up (a small crowd for this series), the orchestra decided to go ahead and play outside in extreme heat. Thankfully, no one was harmed. There was a backup plan, playing in a gym, but aesthetically it would have been horrible. I believe the string players bring their "second" instrument. Ideally, there would be a shed like Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood (or their main shed), but that hasn't happened yet... These are not the only outdoor concerts in our area. Wolf Trap is an example -- though they are vastly more oriented towards pops, and they are not free. > But when I was a kid, my parents took us out to > concerts in Central Park, and there's no question > that they are a great draw. (During the '40s > they were doing graduate work in NYC in summers, > and braving the 3,000 mile trip across country to > do so, so we did all the "tourist" things that > most native New Yorkers never get around to.) > And even the regional orchestra I played with for > several years drew big crowds for outdoor summer > concerts--and not all on July 4th, either. Free outdoor concerts -- not necessarily pops -- show how much people want to hear classical music. Given the fact that most concert series derive such a small proportion of their budget from ticket sales, maybe all concerts should be free. It seems vastly easier to make a case for a donor to support this activity that communities like so much as opposed to giving money to keep tickets under $100 for the wealthy patrons. David _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
