In Sunday’s (3/15) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Elizabeth Bloom writes, “Last year, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra commissioned W5, a Durham, N.C.-based marketing research firm, to explore why Pittsburghers do or don’t attend the symphony and how the PSO could draw them to Heinz Hall.” The study’s focus groups surveyed 45 people “who had not attended a PSO concert in the past year…. The research drew myriad conclusions: The definition of an ideal evening out includes a combination of food, drink, social opportunities and uplifting performances; audiences prefer familiar artists and music they can relate to; and the PSO is not top of mind for several reasons, including the perception of a stiff and constrictive atmosphere…. For the 891 people surveyed online … the barriers to entry were multiple and diverse: traffic, parking, cost, lack of interest in symphonic music or a combination thereof.” The study’s recommendations on ways the PSO could attract larger audiences include bundling PSO concerts with other Cultural District shows, performing in alternative venues, and presenting multi-sensory, interactive productions. The article states that “the PSO already does much of that, offering a diverse array of events.”
Posted March 17, 2015
