Is Global Warming Something Orchestras Have To Worry About?

The 9/3/2016 edition of the New York Times (NYT) published an article by Justin Gillis that reports on the initial stages of coastal flooding resulting from global warming. Normally, this isn’t the usual sort of thing one might associate with the orchestra field; then again, times are far from “normal.”

The detailed article examines severe flooding in several cities but one that caught my eye was Norfolk, VA, home to the Virginia Symphony Orchestra (VSO).

The VSO has had its share of financial challenges over the past decade but when juxtaposed with the potential for its supporter base to erode thanks to increasingly aggressive flooding, it may inspire thoughts about long term viability. Simply put, it’s one thing to argue about sustainability vis-à-vis changing cultural tastes or any of the other host of reasons offered up for declining interest in live orchestral music, but there’s no arguing flood waters.

Both Houston Symphony and Nashville Symphony have endured devastating flooding damage so there should be no unknowns here when it comes to tangible damage, but the larger concerns surround long term potential for any given community to survive.

Granted, larger cities named in the NYT article as flooding hotspots, such as Boston and Miami, are likely going to find a way to deal with these problems in a way that doesn’t erode population base. But what about Annapolis, Norfolk, Charleston (SC), or Wilmington (NC)?

All of this really hits home when you take a look at the NYT’s ‘sunny Day’ flooding map. Most of the areas with the worst flooding are home to a wide variety of professional orchestras across the budget spectrum. I’ve pointed out a few of the professional orchestras located in the flooding hot spots.