Rochester Philharmonic Marks 100 Years—and Looks to the Future

In Tuesday’s (10/3) Rock City Magazine (Rochester, NY), Daniel J. Kushner writes, “This year, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is celebrating a century of existence—and ensuring the cultural institution’s legacy for the next 100 years is now a top priority. Questions of financial health and survival loom large, not only for the RPO, but for American orchestras as a whole. In 2016, the League of American Orchestras (LAO) reported that these groups were now receiving more income from donations than from ticket sales. Ticket sales have continued to be an issue since the pandemic … While a forthcoming TRG Arts study in conjunction with the LAO finds that ticket sales have returned to pre-pandemic levels and individual donations made to American orchestras this year are up 12 percent, the revenue from individual donations has decreased four percent since 2019. RPO CEO Curt Long believes a proactive approach is needed to maintain support in the community…. ‘If all we do is serve affluent, educated, suburban, old, white audiences, the case for philanthropic support for many philanthropists is not as compelling as other pressing needs of the community,’ he said…. Securing investments is about cultivating long-term relationships that begin with ticket purchases.”