In Monday’s (3/2) Boston Globe, Michael Levenson writes about the increasing interest the Boston Symphony Orchestra has in attracting new audiences. “For generations, the orchestra could count on a seemingly endless supply of new concertgoers, raised to love live classical music by music classes in the schools, nationwide radio broadcasts of the New York Philharmonic, and homes where the great composers dominated the rotation on the living room record player. But as those institutions—the schools, the media, the home—have faded in their focus on classical music, the BSO is now trying harder than ever to attract new listeners and patrons. After seasons of offering discounts to college students and hosting preconcert social events, the orchestra this season is trying to throw open its doors even wider, selling $20 tickets to anyone under the age of 40. … Next season, the orchestra is considering repeating the $20 deal, and is drumming up other ideas to appeal to the young, such as interactive media displays about classical music. … The orchestra also hosts cocktail receptions for young people and offers 25 concerts to college students who pay a total of $25. This season, 5,200 of the $20 tickets—which typically cost $29 to $115—have sold, smashing expectations that only 4,000 would go.”
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