Behind the scenes at an Atlanta Symphony Orchestra virtual concert streamed on the orchestra’s new digital platform. Photo courtesy ASO
“Since the start of the pandemic, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has turned up in the most unexpected places, including in the middle of a meadow,” writes Noel Morris in Sunday’s (3/28) Saporta Report (Atlanta, GA). “On two crisp fall evenings, the orchestra offered an opera program featuring internationally renowned opera stars, who were grateful for the work and thrilled to once again perform for a live hometown audience, and a Beatles tribute program. In ‘Lot A’ of Ameris Bank Amphitheatre … the … orchestra hosted a tailgate party for music starved Atlantans…. The ASO is beaming Beethoven and Brahms to TVs and computer screens worldwide through their newly minted digital platform…. With the moratorium on public gatherings, the ASO lost an estimated $11 million in ticket revenue—but that does not mean they are seeing red ink…. Strategically speaking, the orchestra has managed to engage its core audience while safeguarding its eventual return to in-person concerts.” Said Executive Director Jennifer Barlament, “We have incredibly resourceful staff, board and musicians who’ve helped to come up with strategies to keep the musicians playing, our audience engaged and our budget balanced.”
