“When headlines appear about orchestras filing for bankruptcy, wrangling over collective bargaining agreements, or shutting down, as the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra will at the end of the 2014-15 season, I still believe most orchestras will survive this time of financial upheaval,” writes Sandy Tabachnick in Thursday’s (10/30) Isthmus (Madison, Wisconsin). “Jesse Rosen, president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras, also believes in the future of American orchestras. ‘We are experiencing a confluence of changes in cultural and civic priorities, philanthropy, audience preferences and technology,’ Rosen says. ‘The combination of all of these factors poses challenges for orchestras, but also opportunities. Many orchestras today are adapting by … experimenting in pricing, concert formats, audience retention strategies, and in artistic and creative innovation.’ … Wisconsin orchestras are vigilant in the wake of the Green Bay Symphony’s news.” The article gives brief profiles of Wisconsin-based orchestras including the Madison Symphony Orchestra, with comments from Executive Director Richard Mackie and Music Director John DeMain; the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, with quotes from President and Executive Director Mark Niehaus; the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, with quotes from Executive Director Mark Cantrell; and the Rock River Philharmonic, formerly the Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra, with quotes from Britney McKay, its marketing and outreach director.
Posted November 3, 2014
