Year: 2004

Reader Response: A Student’s view on ticket price

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It’s funny how quickly we forget what our lives were like in our younger years. Recently I’ve been criticizing the industry for high ticket prices that exclude many young patrons. Several orchestra administrators have written in to remind me that their orchestras (as do most) offer student rush tickets for around the cost of a movie ticket. Although I did point out in the earlier article that these tickets have restricts and are few in numbers, I forgot how absolutely frustrating and demeaning an experience obtaining those tickets can be…

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Making better musicians for today and tomorrow

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Historically, most orchestra musicians take a very passive role in how their orchestra functions; artistically, and administratively.  They play the music and administrators make the decisions, end of story.  But one orchestra has taken a large step toward moving musicians from passive to active participants.  The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra recently underwent a massive transformation that now provides a much larger role for musician participation.  You can find a great deal …

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I’m not the only one complaining about prices

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I just ran across this article in the NY Times by John Rockwell entitled Turn-Ons: Classical Concerts. Turnoffs: Sticker-Shock Tickets.  We seem to have similar opinions about the inflated cost of orchestra tickets.    Here’s a teaser: “Museums attract the young because people know they are a good deal: low prices for everyone, and once you’re in, you’re equal to everyone else.”   What are you waiting for?  Go read the rest …

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Talk is cheap, tickets aren’t

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Audience development is a big issue in this industry. Attendance is down, younger patrons are harder to attract, and subscription series are getting increasingly difficult to sell. In addition to all of the cultural, social, and marketing issues involved with this problem, I think a widely overlooked area is the cost of single tickets… Kennedy Center Director, Michael Kaiser coined the phrase “rich white guy” when describing today’s stereotypical orchestra patron, and he’s …

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