US orchestras: The good news
mainAmid the ghastly mess in certain states beginning with M, there is some cause for Christmas cheer in other corners of the Union.
1 Cleveland last week announced a break-even budget of $48.2 million, almost half of which – $22m – came in increased revenues. Some of this money has trickled up from 13,000 students who responded to a cheap-ticket offer and 11,5000 schoolkids whose seats were paid for by donors.
2 Detroit is about to announce a small surplus, the first in years. It raised $18.9 million in gifts and drew in thousands of students to its $25 season ticket scheme.
Lessons to be learned? Start ’em, young. Simple, really.
Good news, unfortunately Detroit’s museum (Fine Arts Institute) and its brilliant collection are about to be disemboweled and looted by billionaire predators.
Not necessarily. There is a movement and donations afoot, supported by the Emergency Manager, to spinoff the Detroit Institute of Arts and all of its assets from city ownership. More at http://www.freep.com/article/20131204/BUSINESS06/312040157/Orr-DIA-bankuprtcy-Detroit-Rosen
The Wall Street Journal, a couple of days ago, had a very good breakdown of the various options facing the DIA.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304096104579242490968248588?KEYWORDS=detroit+institute+of+art
What a wonderful idea for the donors to purchase concert tickets for the young! If only other orchestras did the same!!!
The Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra (functioning as their own entity) are doing this now—having donations of tickets to their concerts to students, as well as continuing with their own outreach to schools and to disadvantaged students (El Sistema).
“11,0000 schoolkids.” Really? Someone needs to proofread more closely to make an argument about schoolkids.
And now I’ve made a typo: “11,5000” was what was written in the original post.
MaryAnn is right. And they do a wonderful job. I’ve seen them working with the El Sistema program in Minneapolis. It’s inspiring to watch and listen to.
Not surprising about Cleveland. Every concert I’ve been to there has been sold out or nearly so, with plenty of young people in the audience.