Posted by Matt G on May 14, 2003 at 15:34:06:
In Reply to: From Today's NYTimes posted by David on May 14, 2003 at 14:35:59:
Thanks for the article.
I am suprised, in a way, that it came out of the NY Times. The writer has a very legitimate point. Orchestras are playing to an audience that in many ways does not exist. While I wouldn't recommend pops concerts with Britney Spears or Limp Bizkit, today's orchestras need to really think about the majority of the population and what they are willing to pay to listen to their perfomances.
I am willing to bet that 5-10% of the population listen to classical music. Even less are willing to pay for it on a regular basis. Groups like the BSO seemed to realize this a long time ago and branched out into the Boston POPS which is a separate entity to a degree. Lo and behold, the BSO seems to be doing very well regardless of the way things are. Probably because those coffers are filled with pops money. I might be wrong, but I am taking an educated guess.
Tough times demand for people to work smarter and harder.
Matt G