An Associated Press report published Wednesday (5/18) on the website of NBC News affiliate KDLT (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) states, “The Black Hills Symphony Orchestra [South Dakota] is moving some of its smaller concerts next year from the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City to a performing arts center at a middle school. Symphony board vice president Tony Thomas says the orchestra can’t afford a 60 percent boost in rental rates to use the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Fine Arts Theatre. Civic Center Manager Brian Maliske said the rates hadn’t been raised enough to keep up with costs and that rental rates for nonprofit organizations were especially low. Maliske said it’s not cost effective to have an event for 500 people in a theater that seats 1,700.” In Tuesday’s (5/17) Rapid City Journal, Lynn Taylor Rick reports, “Thomas said attendance at Black Hills Symphony concerts has declined 10 percent a year since the 2007-2008 season. The reasons vary, from an aging audience, financial constraints of concert-goers and what Thomas called the ‘terrible parking situation at the Civic Center.’ ”
Posted May 18, 2011
