In Wednesday’s (4/30) New York Times, Zachary Woolfe writes, “Upstate New York remains a part of the world unusually rich in orchestras. Buffalo, Rochester and Albany all have impressive ensembles.… But it will also be no surprise to those following the American arts landscape that all three groups face a simple yet daunting challenge: summoning the revenues, in ticket sales and donations, to meet their expenses.… What will the American orchestra be like in 2050?” All those interviewed for the article, in addressing that question, “spoke in remarkably consistent terms. Words like multidimensional, varied, flexible and collaboration kept coming up in interviews. The orchestra of the future will likely be smaller and play less. Subscriptions, while not disappearing entirely, will increasingly become a thing of the past.” The article quotes Jesse Rosen, the president of the League of American Orchestras; David Alan Miller, music director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic; and Dawn Lipson, chairwoman of the Rochester Philharmonic’s board, as well as Deborah Borda, Daniel Hart, and Matthew VanBesien, executive directors of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, and New York Philharmonic, respectively.
Posted May 2, 2014
