“Revenue was up from last year. Ticket sales were way up. So having weathered hard times, the mood at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s annual meeting Monday was upbeat,” writes Will Higgins in Monday’s (12/8) Indianapolis Star. “ ‘We certainly are encouraged,” CEO Gary Ginstling said…. He pointed out the ISO’s new outreach efforts of taking its concerts—with the full orchestra—on the road. Earlier this fall, the ISO did a concert in Greenwood and one in Avon, and more are ahead. Just two years ago … the musician pool was trimmed from 79 players to 74, and the administration was trimmed about 40 percent. Those who kept their jobs took pay cuts. Now, fortunes are rebounding. After three consecutive years of shrinking, ticket sales for 2013-14 rose to $7.5 million from $6.4 million the previous year. ‘We’ve reinvigorated our marketing and our pricing,’ said Ginstling, who joined the ISO in March 2013…. Overall, the ISO kept ticket prices flat, Ginstling said.… Ginstling also attributed the sales leap to the music, which he said has improved. ‘This is the third year under Krzysztof [Urbanski],’ he said… ‘The concerts are more electrifying than ever.’ … Last year, the ISO surpassed its charitable giving goal, slightly, raising $10 million. That’s the second-highest amount in the ISO’s history.… The ISO’s ‘317’ suburban concert series so far is limited to Avon … and Greenwood… ‘But we’re looking for other communities with similar characteristics,’ said Ginstling.”
Posted December 9, 2014
