In Saturday’s (10/9) Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colorado), Steve Rabey writes, “Instead of just the musicians and conductor taking a bow after the season-opening concerts of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, season ticket holders were asked to stand and be recognized with applause. Nathan Newbrough, the Philharmonic’s energetic 36-year-old president and CEO, knows there would be no Mozart without money. … The number of subscribers who buy season tickets for Philharmonic’s concerts has soared during Newbrough’s two years here, from around 800 to nearly 2,000 today. That’s noteworthy because the growth has come at a time when symphony orchestras throughout North America are facing financial challenges that predate the current economic recession. … Newbrough worked with the League of American Orchestras as well as symphony orchestras in New York and Texas before moving to Colorado Springs with his family. … In the 2009-2010 season, the Philharmonic made season tickets affordable by offering 50-percent discounts for first-time subscribers. This year, subscribers who wanted to renew for a second season received a 30-percent discount. More than 40 percent of first-time subscribers renewed, a response that Newbrough says ‘blows the roof off’ subscriber figures in other cities.”
Posted October 13, 2010
