It was a sign of things to come as the entire concert was the merging, clashing and interchanging of contemporary pieces and more traditional symphony fare. Where else would you find Dvorak and Electric Light Orchestra on the same program?
The director (William Intriligator) was a master at conducting a mix of music that appeased traditional symphony fans, yet enticed others to consider the genre in a new light. There were original pieces, interspersed with Star Wars and the William Tell Overture, mixed with the Armenian Sabre Dance from the ballet Gayane, followed by a 12-string violin punk rock composition. The orchestra played movements from works they will perform on their classics series -- presented as little hors d'oeuvres to whet the audience's appetite -- each with a reminder about buying tickets to the full concert presentation.
The maestro orchestrated other forms of audience generation as well. They hosted a String Camp for aspiring musicians, and the campers did a concert before the main show. The symphony played a piece written by a local composer. An area teacher sang the Star Spangled Banner. Two local musicians had instrumental solos. An area business leader won the "pursuit of the podium" by raising the most money so he was allowed to conduct the symphony for one piece. All these people brought friends and family with them -- who hopefully were lured into becoming on-going ticket holders.
How can you learn from the symphony and take steps to dispel myths about your organization? There might be beautiful music to be made by getting out of your comfort zone, experimenting with different things, giving away something you normally charge for, and actively working to expose new audiences to your work.
-- beth triplett
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