The word on the street is that American Orchestras are hurting. In 2009 both endowments and audiences have shrunk. This fall we’ve seen the Cleveland Orchestra announce a new residency with the Lincoln Center Festival in New York City and an innovative Friday concert series aimed at a younger crowd. Both moves are intended to reach new audiences and generate new revenue.
In Sunday’s Washington Post, Anne Midgette explores another audience-boosting tactic — the new, celebrity, conductor. Without doubt, the biggest hype of the season surrounds the arrival of Gustavo Dudamel in Los Angeles. Also this fall, the New York Philharmonic has welcomed maestro Alan Gilbert. It is still too early to tell whether new blood has increased the audience in these cities, but they have reason to be hopeful. Midgette points to Pittsburgh (Manfred Honeck) and Dallas (Jaap van Zweden) as recent examples of orchestras reenergized by new music directors.
However, not every big name conductor delivers big audience, and, opines Midgette, audience is just one measure of success:
What does “success” actually mean for a music director and an orchestra? Does it lie in artistic excellence? The musicians’ excitement about their leader? Better ticket sales? A strong community presence? These things do not necessarily go hand in hand. And a new music director does not necessarily create them.
While a music director’s success may be measured by each of these aims, Midgette wisely concludes that both the nature of success and a music director’s path to it are illusive:
Ultimately, the goal for a music director is “someone who can inspire musicians and audiences on a consistent basis,” said former Philadelphia Orchestra president Kluger. But that inspiration is as individual and hard to pin down as any other form of human attraction. “I can’t tell you,” Kluger said, how it happens. “But I know it if I see it.”
Read the article here. ClevelandClassical.com wonders, what success stories do you see in 2009? What are the characteristics of a successful orchestra? Let us know your thoughts.
2 comments
September 30, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Ana Papakhian
I was struck by the success the NY Phil had adding a contemporary piece to the opening night of their season. The NPR story the following day had some interview sound bites with the composer – http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112863954. I really enjoyed hearing something interesting and relevant about orchestras on Morning Edition.
October 2, 2009 at 8:56 am
clevelandclassical
Here’s an excerpt from Diane Haithman’s article from the LA Times about Dudamel’s first day on the job (link below).
“…Because of his youthful appeal and determination to reach out to new audiences, some music writers have hailed him as the savior of classical music.
Dudamel rejected that notion — pointing out that there are a number of young conductors working in today’s orchestra world. And he added that, in Los Angeles, it is “not only Gustavo Dudamel; I am part of a group of 120 musicians. I’m part of a big group of artists,” he said. “I am a part of this — it’s not only me.”
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-dudamel-welcome1-2009oct01,0,601437.story