Chicago Symphony reports deficit
NewsBuried in the small print of the annual report:
Donor support remained strong with 15,347 individual gifts received and representing $21.8 million in direct operational support. The CSOA’s total revenues from earned revenue, operations and contributions were $75.6 million, and total operating expenses were $77 million resulting in an operating deficit of $1.4 million.
Other headlines:
Ticket sales totaled $22.1 million.
• Other operating revenue totaled $7.7 million including performance fees, Symphony Store retail sales, facility lease and rental income and media and royalties.
• Total operating revenue was $29.8 million
Overspend on rat poison?
I am immunized. But this report is more distressing than even I anticipated.
A debacle in four numbers:
Negative ~4.5%
~14%
Negative ~22.5%
1,356
The first number is the drop in fundraising support, year over year ($45,849K vs $47,875K). If that is not a writing on the wall, I don’t know what is.
The second one is the reckless increase in total operating expenses, year over year ($77,063K vs $67,482K, while paid in-person concerts only increased from 182 to 199).
The third is the drop in number of tickets sold (269,982) compared to the pre-covid peak of 347,502 tickets sold in the 2017/2018 season. Even Broadway has fully returned to pre-covid level in the spring of 2023. The CSO now can consider this the likely true level of permanent audience loss, driven primarily by their mulish attachment to Muti and abysmal programming.
The last and worst number of all is an inferred number. The number of seats sold per concert (269,982 tickets in 199 paid concerts). Symphony Hall has 2,522 seats. Does it mean the average seat occupancy was … 54%? That can’t be right, even for them.
And don’t assume that they are learning their lessons: just surf to cso.org and what is the first thing you see? A clip of the Italian Stallion.
I don’t know what Alexander is doing right now. I’d be working on my resume.
Next time, let’s talk about the amazing success of the CSO at the recent Grammys nominations … 😉 and tell the story of how a Muti fake-woke CD made waves.
Maybe it just means that they only sold 54% of the seats, and the rest was given away for free to make the hall look fuller?
What? the CSO wasn’t nominated except for sound engineering (a technical grammy). Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Met and Philadelphia got all the nominations. The CSO has not won any orchestra award in a very long time, and their submission this year was particularly unimpressive.
That was the point.
“overspend…”
apparently not enough
Your daily reminder that American orchestras are non-profit organizations.
“deficit of $1.4 million”
Isn’t that Muti’s annual salary?
Considering the size of their total operating budget, a deficit of $1.4 million is really not too bad.
And, if I’m reading the financial report correctly, $360 million in endowment. Most US orchestras would feel fortunate to have that small of a percentage of net loss.
This will continue to be the trend for them. I look at seats all the time and even The Planets were only half sold, maybe.
Their social media person blocked anyone who questioned the continue use of masks and vax passports so I can’t even look at their instagram. Even when they play in Wheaton, IL, their ticket sales are in the tank. I thought about heading over there to see the Stravinsky but being blocked and some string players STILL IN MASKS on stage leaves a bad taste. Seriously, the masks on stage are so ridiculous looking that I can’t enjoy the concert. Since escaping Chicago I haven’t seen a mask since 2021. P.S. Chicago’s crime does contribute, the vibe has changed. But, Wheaton is very safe so it’s the orchestra not the crime.
If you can’t tolerate seeing anyone anywhere wearing a mask if they choose, the problem might be with you and not everyone else.
It’s not professional and it’s ridiculous at this point. Maybe read a study? Studies not provided by the USA government? I read one out of Switzerland in French and guess what, masks are actually bad for you. Masks are ridiculous at this point, no one wears them but for some reason (stupidity?) string players love them.
Even reading your comment makes me a little dumber than I was before.
American string players love them. I never see them anywhere in the old world on any musician. This is a uniquely American (cause they live in fear) issue.
If you can’t enjoy the music because some players are masked, then the problem is with you – not the masked musicians.
hardly.
The planets were completely full on all 4 nights, I was there for each of them.
You’re pretty pathetic If I’m being completely honest with you.
From my vantage point, the week with the planets was full… for all 4 concerts.
I have no idea what you’re talking about with “vax passports”. Have been to several events in the last year at OH with nothing asked or required. And could it possibly be that a musician on stage wearing a mask is just someone who doesn’t want to get their stand partner sick if they have a cold?
just like in olden times.
Would you rather the players contract Covid and be sidelined for a week or more, thus hurting the orchestra’s sound and unity?
I personally wouldn’t sit in a concert hall right now without a mask on, not with all of those coughing and sneezing people around me.
clearly you do not read studies
I most certainly do. Hence, I’ll be taking some sensible precautions during this flu & Covid season.
What nonsense you have absorbed somewhere. Masks do “work.” And they are a good idea if a. you test positive and don’t want to spread COVID; or b. you are immunocompromised and still want to live your life and do your job. You will still see masks in places where the population has higher levels of education.
What’s it to you if someone thinks a mask is the right thing for them?
The orchestral musician’s survival kit consists of a face mask (preferably black, but the ladies may wear pastel coloured masks), earplugs for anybody sitting within 50 meters of the brass, and for those sitting behind the percussion, which would be the brass, and an eye mask, for general distraction, bad conductors, too much light in the eyes, and not enough on the music. And there you have it. Musicians, protect yourselves, and your health.
(Through the loudspeaker ) “Mister Chicagorat to the stage please!
– Mister Chicagorat to the stage please!”
The hall is not full often.
The CSO gets more coverage on this site — for reasons not the least of which because certain Muti-hating posters who post tangential posts on completely unrelated articles — than what is called for.