Peoples’ Symphony Concerts are “one of the best deals in New York, a city not exactly known for bargains,” writes Michael Cooper in Friday’s (10/18) New York Times. “The organization, which offers performances by some of the best artists in the world for as little as $8.33 a concert, will open its 120th season on Saturday evening with the Juilliard String Quartet [at] Washington Irving High School in Manhattan. ‘We’re primarily able to do it due to the generosity of the musicians, who come and play for a fraction of their normal fees,’ said Frank Salomon, 83, who [manages] the series. [The series was] founded during New York’s earlier Gilded Age by Franz X. Arens, a conductor with a vision of making the finest music available to students, workers and immigrants…. Rising costs pose a special threat to classical music, raising barriers at a fragile moment when the field must fight to keep existing fans and lure new ones…. Mr. Salomon noted that this will be his 48th season managing the organization, and that his predecessor, Joseph Mann, managed it for 59 years. ‘Together we’ve run it for 106 of its 120 years,’ he said. ‘This is probably a Guinness World Record.’ ”
Posted October 21, 2019
