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Pretty sure everything will be just fine.

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The Meyerhof in Baltimore is impossible.

The Kennedy Center in DC is doable.

The Strathmore is just right!!

The other topic is schools and community band ensembles and their future. Most that I've talked to so far, have said no vaccine/no play and most school districts have cancelled all music, sports and extra curricular activities indefinitely. I don't know how this will shape up, but it doesn't look good for the whole industry from instrument makers up to the facility managers who open the doors for community bands to rehearse.

Three Valves wrote:The Meyerhof in Baltimore is impossible.

The Kennedy Center in DC is doable.

The Strathmore is just right!!

The Strathmore is okay, but far for me. The Kennedy Center is not that doable, just because parking is expensive and the traffic getting through Arlington is a PITA. I had season tickets to both Dallas and Fort Worth when I lived in Dallas, and to San Antonio when I lived in Austin, so clearly the distance didn't used to be a problem. But that was 25 years ago and more. But Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio had reasonable and safe parking, reasonable and safe places to eat nearby, and my tickets were always on Friday or Saturday nights. When I lived in San Antonio, my tickets were on Thursday, but I could walk there from my office in about two minutes. Yes, downtown SA is sketchy in spots, but I understood every inch of that street system because of my work, and probably knew more hiding places than the under-bridge residents.

But I live in the country now, and driving into a city and putting up with city crap and dressing in city clothes takes more motivation than I can usually muster up.

Rick "Wolftrap is the closest 'large' venue" Denney

There is a venue at George Mason with decent parking but it’s still a nice college auditorium, not a concert hall.

I like Wolf trap too, but I have not seen the NSO/BSO there.

Three Valves wrote:There is a venue at George Mason with decent parking but it’s still a nice college auditorium, not a concert hall.

I like Wolf trap too, but I have not seen the NSO/BSO there.

No, I've never seen a symphony orchestra at Wolf Trap. But I have seen the Canadian Brass at George Mason. I wish we had a performance space that nice out here in Loudoun County.

Rick "high-school auditoriums is the best we have" Denney

I'm a 5 minute walk from Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, and I still get there only once or twice per year, because 1) my kids are little, and we don't get out much, and 2) my wife doesn't want every date night to be an orchestra concert.

She likes the orchestra just fine, but I do know she's there for me.

I'm sure to be one of those old people who buys subscription tickets and goes to everything. And then chats up the tuba player afterwards.

bloke wrote:I view $15 - $20 dress rehearsal tickets as a good strategy for some orchestras in some cities.
It doesn't require any extra services of the musicians, and folks with wonky schedules and/or challenging budgets can still hear some great live performances - along with some interesting final phrase tweaking by music directors.

Works well with Opera, too.

The problem is that the Majors may survive (or declare bankruptcy & re-emerge), but it may be another story for those depending on the "gig" economy...

bloke wrote:

bort wrote:I'm a 5 minute walk from Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, and I still get there only once or twice per year, because 1) my kids are little, and we don't get out much, and 2) my wife doesn't want every date night to be an orchestra concert.

She likes the orchestra just fine, but I do know she's there for me.

I'm sure to be one of those old people who buys subscription tickets and goes to everything. And then chats up the tuba player afterwards.

I view $15 - $20 dress rehearsal tickets as a good strategy for some orchestras in some cities.
It doesn't require any extra services of the musicians, and folks with wonky schedules and/or challenging budgets can still hear some great live performances - along with some interesting final phrase tweaking by music directors.

Did this in NYC a few times. Was cool to pop in for an hour or so at lunchtime, and then be on my way. Even for a person who enjoys the formality and ceremony of an orchestra performance... It was still nice to just get in and get out.

I only go for the dressing up, drinks and hor doeuvres!!

You know, there will be plenty of money for orchestras when the municipal police are disbanded...

Get it??

“Dis-Band”

BAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHhahahahahhahah!!

bloke wrote:

bort wrote:Even for a person who enjoys the formality and ceremony of an orchestra performance... It was still nice to just get in and get out.

no smelly perfume, no old-people breath, and no boring long-winded board-of-directors or CEO money-begging speeches

I love the dressing up, dinner before, drinks after... Totally into that whole classic "night out" vibe of it. Admittedly different in Manhattan (or Berlin) than Baltimore ... But still, I just love going to orchestra concerts.

Although, I've been telling my wife for 10+ years that we are dragging down the average age significantly...

I always thought it a little funny to hang out before/after, while knowing that the musicians were ready to get TF out of the city.

I live a 5 minute walk from Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Have only been a few times in 5 years. With two little kids... Has been really hard to get there more often. They still get some $ from me, but just a little different with kids. BTW, the kids have been to a few concerts there too. They LOVED it!

In this day and age with whats going on --> more chamber groups (quintet ) performances / more open dress rehearsals / more online performances, and fewer formal big-audience perfomances, methinks.

Symphony orchestras have had a very difficult time for years trying to reach broader audiences. One of the main things, imo, that needs to change is the stuffy/formal format of most all performances. I see nothing wrong with doing things a bit more casual/laid back more often

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My rambling...

If people want to build a better orchestra system and culture, start from the local level. I'd actually like to believe that the lack of orchestral jobs, the scarcity of winning auditions, etc... Should be great news for the local and amateur music scene. Lots of trained and talented musicians doing things other than music for careers, who will likely still be looking for outlets to play and perform.

When is it NOT exciting to meet someone at a community band rehearsal and learn they were a professional (for me, it was "hey, you're really good!"... "Thanks... I was the tuba player in xyz symphony for 20 years until it folded").

I know...we are largely performing for each other and our families, but that will never stop me. I think if we can get the kids interested the best you can, and some number of them will always want to pursue it. Maybe we can get some great new composers in future generations, too? (Is the problem the performances of existing stuff, or the need for more new stuff?)

When I think of orchestra performances, I also think of seeing a play in the theater.

Some people adore seeing authentic performances of Shakespeare, complete with the period costumes and the hard-to-understand language. That is, for some people, fun, and their idea of culture. Beyond that, these are stories that are hundreds of years old, and have been told and retold across generations. There is something alluring about that.

Other people say give me a modern version of that story, words I can understand, and then I'll be entertained. It's a good story, but dang, that old language makes no sense... There is plenty of this, too.

So when I see orchestra schedules, the only difference to me is that it's one group trying to meet both of those needs and everything in-between. Play some Handel and also the soundtrack to some movie that just came out. One group, many audiences.

bort wrote:Play some Handel and also the soundtrack to some movie that just came out. One group, many audiences.

This was Sousa's key to success. Popular music, interspersed with classics (which some were actually freshly written in his day), and many of his marches for numerous encores tossed in as a plus.

Wow, this topic, critical to the future of musicians, has instead become a discussion about the ease or difficulty of getting to your local orchestra hall.

The truth is, most of the semi-professional orchestras cannot last without regular donations. None of the orchestras in this country can last without people in the seats. Both of those income sources have been severaly injured in the reaction to the pandemic.

Many concert goers have lost a serious percentage of their annual income because they could not work. Two months of no work means a loss of 18% of their income for they year. Extravagant expenses will be cut. No tickets to the orchestra this year, they aren't playing anyway.

Donations are stopped because there is no product. What millionaire is going to give $100k to an orchestra which has shut already its doors for the Fall? A small orchestra will loose staff - no staff = no musicians. Even musicians have to eat and without income from your job what would you do? Practice to get better? No, you will eventually find a job to pay your bills.

The trickle down effect applies here, too. and it is worse than many here seem to realize. Thee longer things stay the way they are now... the darker the outlook is for musicians and music in the future. Orchestras could be a thing of the past unless something changes soon.

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