In Wednesday’s (5/25) Cincinnati Enquirer, Janelle Gelfand writes, “Paavo Järvi’s final season as music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra attracted big attendance numbers. Average attendance for classical concerts at Music Hall increased by 11.5 percent over the previous season. For the Pops, a season dedicated to the late Pops conductor Erich Kunzel, attendance jumped 15.5 percent. For Järvi’s final concert on May 14, the orchestra had to put out extra seats to accommodate a record 3,467 fans. It was the fifth sold-out or nearly sold-out concert during the season, which produced the best attendance numbers the CSO has seen for the past five seasons. … Judith Kurnick, vice president for strategic communications for the League of American Orchestras, a national service organization, said the jump in attendance ‘means that the community does care about and value what the orchestra brings. Certainly, the fact that you’re in a music director search is a tremendous impetus for an audience.’ … The idea of rewarding subscribers (who buy 10 or more concerts) a free ticket to see a big star, such as next year’s renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman, has been highly successful. It has resulted in an increase of more than 300 percent in the number of people subscribing to 10 or more concerts.”
Posted May 25, 2011
