“The York Symphony Orchestra, which kicked off its season Saturday with the debut of new music director Lawrence Golan, has lowered ticket prices,” reports Gary Haber in Tuesday’s (10/21) Flipside PA (south-central Pennsylvania). “The YSO dropped its most expensive ticket to $39, down from $56 previously, a decrease of more than 30 percent. The price for the least expensive ticket fell to $9, down from $25 before. That is a drop of 64 percent. Ticket prices are even lower if purchased as part of a three- or four-concert package. ‘You can sit in the best seat in the house for $29 if you buy it on subscription,’ Ken Wesler, the YSO’s executive director said.… The YSO has 361 subscribers. Wesler wants to boost the number to 800 in the next five years.… Orchestras around the country are trying a variety of strategies to increase ticket sales … said Rachelle Schlosser, spokeswoman for the League of American Orchestras.… Lowering an orchestra’s ticket price helps bring in a bigger audience, Schlosser said. That’s important because those new concertgoers may become future donors.… ‘The community is saying, “We’re really behind you on this,” ’ Wesler said.”
Posted October 24, 2014
