In a comprehensive article published on Sunday (5/10) in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Janelle Gelfand reports on how the city’s arts groups are engaging young professionals. “At stake are not only who buys tickets, but also who sits on future boards and who donates large dollars and a lot of time to the arts.… Arts institutions—including the oldest and most conservative in the region—are launching social groups for younger fans and advertising what they do on Twitter and Facebook. They’re doing more: everything from planning exhibitions and performances that are increasingly event-driven to inviting young professionals to join their boards for a reduced donation.” When the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra partnered with MusicNOW, rock icon Bryce Dessner’s new-music festival, in March, “fans of the band The National helped fill 6,000 seats in Music Hall.… More than a third of the attendees that weekend were new to the nation’s fifth-oldest orchestra, and many of them were under 40. In the last two seasons, the orchestra’s young professional (YP) group, CSO Encore, has created hundreds of new ticket buyers and generated thousands of dollars in additional concert ticket revenue.” Among the groups profiled are Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, and the Contemporary Arts Center.
Posted May 13, 2015
Pictured: The So Percussion ensemble performs David Lang’s “man made,” using sticks and wine bottles, during the 2015 MusicNOW Festival at Music Hall in Cincinnati. Photo by Emily Maxwell
