“The Green Bay Symphony Orchestra traces its roots back to a group of volunteer musicians who banded together in 1913 and played a debut concert the next year,” writes Bill Glauber in Thursday’s (1/15) Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. “And now, amid donor fatigue and declining ticket sales, the farewell season is in full swing. Musicians, though, remain hopeful that they can drum up support to keep the symphony intact.… The orchestra has faced challenging economic times for years and carries an accumulated debt of some $70,000, according to executive director Daniel Linssen. The organization managed a tiny profit in two of the past three years. The debt may not sound like much. But according to the board, donors were tapped out, ticket sales were down and it was time to shutter the organization before it fell further into the red.… Not counting youth and university orchestras, there are some 1,000 orchestras in the United States, according to Jesse Rosen, president and chief executive officer of the League of American Orchestras. Since 2010, he said, nine have shut their doors, but three managed to return. ‘That’s the norm over time, they come back,’ he said.”
Posted January 16, 2015
