US orchestra’s opening gala was just one-third sold
NewsDismal news from the troubled Seattle Symphony:
By Melinda Bargreen
Special to The Seattle Times
Concert review
The start of a new concert season is always a special occasion. It’s a time to listen up, and to dress up; a time to return from the beaches and hiking trails to the symphony hall and beautiful music.
There was plenty of that last commodity at Thursday’s impressive and entertaining Raise the Curtain concert by the Seattle Symphony with guest conductor Ludovic Morlot. What was missing was the audience: From this viewer’s vantage point, it looked as if more than half of the hall’s seats were empty. (Only about 850 of the hall’s 2,500 seats were occupied, Courtney Bullard, the Symphony’s senior manager of public relations, said Friday.)
The attendance Thursday is both worrying and unfortunate: This season marks not only the 120th year of the Seattle Symphony, but also the 25th anniversary of Benaroya Hall. Those are milestones worth celebrating…
More here.
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