In Friday’s (7/29) Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Bill Zlatos writes, “When the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra kicks off a world tour next month, its members will be pulling strings—and not just the ones on musical instruments. The symphony trumpets its international tours as having played a role in creating economic opportunity in Western Pennsylvania. … Representatives of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, a regional marketing group, accompany the orchestra. They try to meet business executives in host cities by offering tickets and invitations to private receptions with the orchestra and its conductor, Manfred Honeck. During the upcoming 18-day trip, the alliance is lining up meetings with representatives of 50 to 100 companies in Europe, said Suzi Pegg, vice president for global marketing. So-called baton diplomacy isn’t unique to Pittsburgh. The New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra also try boosting business in their cities, said Judith Kurnick, spokeswoman for the New York City-based League of American Orchestras. … [the] tour Aug. 26 to Sept. 12 will hit nine cities, including London, Paris, Berlin and Bonn. The regional alliance won’t say which companies it will meet with during the tour, but it typically arranges six to eight business meetings in each city; some musicians attend events before or after PSO concerts.”
Posted July 29, 2011
