I received this thoughtful response from an OSO subscriber – I very much appreciate her comments, most especially about the lack of post-concert interaction between patrons and musicians.
1. How can we motivate those with the deepest pockets to see the orchestra as a community asset which helps the greater good of the community in which it resides?
Honestly, I don’t know for sure. I do know that people, whether they have money or not, don’t like being badgered, especially on the phone, no matter how worthy the cause. I noticed on the symphony website (months ago) a position open for someone in subscription sales. I can’t remember the exact percentages; however, a large percentage of the job description was phone sales.
I could financially afford to get a subscription and so I did. If for some reason I couldn’t next year, it would be painful and irritating to get calls from the symphony office asking me to defend my logic for not renewing. I have heard that arts organizations in this area are somewhat known for intense phone solicitation which I find distasteful.
And, I’m not sure I have any good solutions. “Bring your child, grand-daughter, niece, great-nephew (no matter how old or young they are) to the orchestra for free†afternoon? A silent auction where major donors get to decide exactly what is played for an entire concert? Maybe an ensemble auction in which small ensembles pulled from the larger group, a quintet here, trio there, duet there (some standard and some non-standard; string quartet or tuba and piccolo), could be auctioned and sold for an hour or two (or even one piece for the small bidders, or one piece over their phone or answering machine) of music at either someone’s home, or, in the case of a bank or law firm, in it’s lobby, or at a holiday party.
I’m not sure how this would go over, but maybe a minute for mission sometime in the concert. Churches do this and people still go to church… If not a direct solicitation for money, solicit for ideas on how to make more money. Also, when people give extra, more than the price of a ticket, they kind of want to get extra. Better perks for orchestra society members? Calendars? Cook books (ie the orchestra’s favorite recipes)?
2. Since fancy new attempts to attract the 25-40 year old “golden” audience demographic seem not to work here in Portland – how do we appeal to people who are indifferent to classical music in practice (but in favor of it in theory) in a cultural landscape that favors the hip and cutting edge without alienating our primary base audience which sticks with us through thick and thin?
What were the new attempts that didn’t work? Have you posted about these already on your blog? I think my brothers fall into this category; in favor in theory, but don’t attend concerts. I’ll talk to them. Also, was the Pointer Sister’s concert one of these fancy attempts? I went and enjoyed it, and saw other people enjoying it though I would think the target demographic here was more like 40-50+. And, it was mildly amusing to me how pained and un-amused the members of the orchestra seemed from the balcony. (I recently saw a recording of a Sheryl Crow concert during which her string section rocked and jammed throughout the whole concert whether they were playing at the time or not.) I wonder how easy it would be to collaborate with some of the local up and coming artists, jazz, hip-hop, rock, whoever, in the Portland music scene. OPB really likes “Pink Martini.â€
3. If we alienate our base they won’t come back for years. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the public flap about the non-renewal of our former principal flutist has led to negative feelings about our music director and that those who are feeling badly are very reluctant to return to concerts, regardless of who is on the podium.
The best I can come up with right now is perhaps a moderated forum with the music director during which the public can ask him everything they want to ask and more. Of course, that could come across as a hokey antic and if many people are truly sore and tired of the discussion, it’ll just sicken them even more… maybe you could just ask them with an ad in some local papers or on the radio, “How can we get you to come back?â€; unfortunately, that takes more money and may not be fruitful. (In relation to the end of my answer to question 4, maybe you just have to be upfront when you talk to people. “Do you know anyone who has stopped attending our concerts? How can we ever get them back?â€)
4. How do we reconcile our low level job satisfaction with our need to project positive and involved personas on-stage?
I’m not sure how to combat the not having a contract issue. I don’t know enough about business or corporations to know why they need CEO’s who get paid exorbitant amounts of money to do something like draw up a contract. Surely there’s a law firm or individual in the area who would be interested in season tickets and/or other perks for it’s partners/family members in exchange for legal services? Probably not as simple as that but I’d like to think I’m being helpful.
And of course, you don’t have to explain yourself to me, but I don’t understand where you are coming from. I’m sure it’s not my place to say this, but even though things are crummy, you are getting paid a living wage to play music, aren’t you? When you say that you’re playing without a contract, does that mean they aren’t paying you?
Easy for me to say, but put your woes aside, give a jolly good concert, and rush out after the concert to greet and thank the people who do attend before they leave. (If they swarm you backstage, maybe you could suggest, “may we continue this conversation as I make my way to the lobby?†or encourage people to come backstage if it’s too hard to make it to the lobby.)
I see the signs that say that orchestra members will be in the lobby to mingle and I never see any—ok well never say never; I didn’t see any at the last concert I went to 3 weeks ago. Now maybe I’m not looking hard enough and maybe I’m not doing my part, since I don’t wait around at all to see if any will show up. But I climb down from the upper balcony. Is that trek time consuming enough to give orchestra members time to get to the lobby? Maybe the herd I rush out with goes faster than it seems.
So to answer part of your question: a hearty performance of everything on the program, and a “thank you for attending†afterward. Making the evening more personal to the people who attend might get them to tell their friends about it. And then maybe their friends will want to go to see which orchestra member talks to them afterwards? how about free food after the concert? Cookies and coffee, perhaps, donated by a local bakery?
5. Given that studies have shown that the vast majority of major donors and/or board members of symphony orchestras have studied music earlier in life for at least a couple years, do we really have a chance to reverse the trend when arts programs are among the first to be cut and the last to be reinstated due to budget shortages?
Again, I’m not sure that I completely understand where you are coming from, but maybe the “knowledgeable†donors and board members are part of the problem. Instead of people who are willing to appreciate, support, and give you unconditional artistic license, they have their own ideas of what is best based on their, perhaps, limited knowledge and background. “Reversing the trendâ€â€”meaning keeping knowledgeable people on boards given that fewer and fewer people will be knowledgeable? If almost 60% of the funds are expected to come from private foundations, companies and individuals, I would think the organization would tank before you have unknowledgeable board members.
About recording performances, why not have orchestra members place personal recorders amongst the group and record what it sounds like from their perspective and sell those, maybe for not very much…$5? Or allow audience members to audio record performances and encourage them to share their recordings? Even if these people turn around and sell them, if you’re not recording anyway, then the group isn’t losing money; and it’s still a form of free publicity.
I’m surprised that the orchestra doesn’t have it’s own recording equipment though, I can’t even fathom how much truly state-of-the-art technology costs. Some people revere old recordings of famous conductors, groups, and soloists. While some of these have been re-mastered, there are people quite content to listen to their scratchy, old LP’s, though that technology was probably state of the art in it’s time.
My last crazy left-field idea on how to get an extra dollar out of people like me: have a raffle for audience members to sit on the stage among the players in the orchestra for one piece of one concert. Or a raffle amongst people who are members of the orchestra society? Or both? I hope I haven’t started writing in circles and that at least some of my thoughts make sense.