Grant Park Music Festival
1.) Clean off my desk: Those nasty loose leaf papers, all of which represent uneasily solved problems, won’t sort or solve themselves. An hour a day, perhaps before or after regularly scheduled work hours, should do the trick. After a week, I might just have a clean desk.
2.) Deal with my phone call list: Start at the top (calls received longest ago) rather than the end.
3.) Sort through the reams of artist materials I receive weekly: Regularly scheduled listening and score reading sessions should help whittle down the stacks considerably.
4.) Hang those framed photos and posters I’ve had stacked against my office walls since we moved into our Jay Pritzker Pavilion offices in May 2004. I think it’s finally time.
5.) Organize my office CD collection and bookshelves. A simple visit to the container store to buy some organizers should help me get going. Remember, the longest journey starts with but one step, so…it’s one shelf at a time.
Happy New Year!
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I recently spent a few days in New York combining business with pleasure. On the business side I attended a meeting at the League of American Orchestras (formerly known as the American Symphony Orchestra League) with colleagues from across the country to discuss issues related to our field. I also spent the better part of three days meeting with artist managers to get caught up on artist happenings and discuss upcoming projects for the Grant Park Music Festival. These meetings are important because direct face to face contact always makes doing business so much easier the next time one finds himself haggling about fees over the phone or email.
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I recently read a fascinating article on Polyphonic.org about “growing” audiences. The marketing consultant Christopher Stager was on a conference audience development panel in London and had some practical advice about how audiences “behave.” He outlined 8 fundamental beliefs he says we should consider when trying to get people into our concert halls.
How many of us think or care about how audiences respond when we plan our seasons? How many of us ask our artistic or music directors for programs with no thought of the marketing and attendance implications?
I am on a list serve discussion group of managers who are members of the League of American Orchestras (formerly known as the American Symphony Orchestra League.) The topic we are currently debating is how music directors, marketing staff and managers should interact and eventually agree on concert programs. The practice in our field varies widely. Gone are the days when music directors turned over programs and said, “Here, go sell it.” Today market pressures require a more collaborative approach.
In my own experience, staying true to one’s institutional priorities, matching those fundamental guiding principles to artistic personnel who share them, and of course employing the art of compromise, all combine in helping achieve those objectives.
The good news as reported by Stager is that overall, repertory is more important than guest artists. That’s good news because guest artist fees, especially for the big names, have skyrocketed past our ability to recoup them at the box office. Stager says the best selling concerts are those that match a big name with a mega popular piece. Yes, Perlman playing the Tchaikovsky Concerto will pack ‘em in.
I always wonder at badly attended concerts why the marketing didn’t work. Then, I realize at all Mozart concerts or when people cram the aisles to hear Boleró that audiences are shrewd, selective consumers. People know what they like and act accordingly. Never underestimate the intelligence of your audience.
Here’s also what I find hopeful: Stager says that “an institution’s unwavering will to present interesting programs – not simply popular ones” builds audiences over time. Great, so we can have our cake and eat it, too, that is, if we do everything else right.
But, since audiences tend to select the familiar and since ticket prices are accelerating beyond inflation, “audiences are less willing to risk the investment in what they don’t know. As ticket prices increase, their trust declines.”
Stager goes on to discuss “where” and “when” we program concerts, with interesting anecdotes to support his opinions. But the most compelling thing he cites as fact is that a solid music education is the main predictor of attendance.
Ta da! Or should I say, “Duh?”
How many of us have asked that question of our audiences? And how many of us are actively marketing to community music schools, conservatory students, or collaborating with those organizations on audience development programs? I don’t do enough of that yet for my organization, certainly at the level the evidence suggests I should.
Stager’s presentation closes on a hopeful note: that Classical music is in transition, not decline. I agree and feel that while our business model may be antiquated and not yet fluid enough to respond to our audiences’ needs, there is a large and loyal market share for our music. The way to reach audiences, the solution, whatever that is, has to be found by each of us on the local level.
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Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Wed, 08/01/2007 - 4:43pm.
Michael Hirsch, age 18, is today's guest blogger. He is about to leave for college and is Jim Hirsch's son.
On Wednesday, July 18, I was having a routine day working at my law office eagerly waiting for the five o'clock hour so I could leave. Around 4:00 p.m. I got a phone call from a friend who was going to the Decemberists concert at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. I
had heard the Decemberists on the radio and seen them on the Colbert Report before, so even though I am not a die-hard fan, I am familiar with their music and do enjoy it. I was unaware that this event was even happening, but the venue was minutes away from work and it was free, so I thought why not? After I hung up the phone I found myself anxious to see the show.
I met up with my friends a half an hour before the show at 6:00 p.m., dropping by the Chicago Sinfonietta's office to say hello my dad beforehand. Once my friends and I met up we found ourselves amongst a crowd of 15,000 fans, and we struggled to find a place to sit at the back of the lawn. I picked up a program for the event and discovered that the Decemberists would not be playing alone, but rather were accompanied by the Grant Park Festival Orchestra. As an eighteen-year-old male my initial reaction was highly unfavorable. I was worried that having the Decemberists play with an orchestra would detract from their usual indie/rock/alternative sound and turn it into more of a classical show. Though I began to have doubts about the concert, I tried my hardest to keep an open mind and enjoy myself while I was there.
The Decemberists played about ten songs and the show lasted a little under two hours. And in case you were wondering how the band sounded with the orchestra, it was extraordinary. I could not have 
been more wrong about how the band incorporated the orchestra's sounds into the music. The orchestra did not dominate the groove of their sound, but rather enhanced it, and in my opinion made many of the songs more epic and dramatic. I can honestly say that I think I would have enjoyed the show less had the orchestra not been a part of the set. It was a truly unique and distinctive sound that is not captured on their albums, and it was nice to hear a new variation of familiar music.
I guess you could say I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed the orchestra with the band, thus learning that I must have some sort of interest and appreciation for classical music. When classical music is mentioned I immediately picture myself sitting in a venue not being able to talk or clap until designated times. That generally is not the type of atmosphere teenagers like to be in, especially when going to a concert. Therefore, I think making efforts to combine mainstream pop music with orchestras is a really effective way to open young adults to the classical music world. Listening to the orchestra play with music I enjoy helped me to recognize how powerful classical music can be. The concert was a definite success in my eyes considering I left the concert a bigger Decemberists fan than when I had arrived.
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Amy Iwano. I was on a Southwest Airlines flight the other day, off to attend to some family business in Ohio before the Grant Park Music Festival is scheduled to swing into action later this week. Leafing through Spirit Magazine, the Southwest Publication designed to keep our minds off turbulence and on happy, interesting thoughts, I happened upon an article featuring the Chicago Chamber Musicians’ own Amy Iwano.
The subtitle reads, “A musician (and mother) picks the best classical albums for kids.” Since Amy is an expert on chamber music AND kids, I urge you to pick up a copy this month to see what she has to say. If you don’t have access to a Southwest flight this month, check out the article online by clicking here. Go Amy.
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I guess I shouldn’t be offended. Someone named Nunpuncher posted a strange and funny blog on Tiny Mix Tapes NEWS about The Decemberists upcoming orchestral tour, one concert which is here at Millennium Park with the Grant Park Orchestra. It seems that Mr. or Ms. Nunpuncher thinks the band’s orchestral tour is a serious problem, and worse, next they’ll be abusing cocaine. 
The blog blends genuine criticism with tongue and cheek humor, and actually is fun to read, but really, explain WHY you think concerts with orchestras are insanity. You even had to whisper the word “orchestra”, it seemed so offensive.
And lastly, I know it must be a generational thing, but really, the name Nunpuncher? As a product of 12 years of Catholic education, I’d never say or do it! Sisters, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
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Ever wonder what it would be like to DJ at a classical music station? Just ask me sometime after Tuesday, May 22 when I “sit in” as guest host at 98.7 WFMT from 3-7 p.m. with Kerry Frumkin.
OK, I think that must be the coolest job in the universe: playing all the music you 
love the most for people who want to hear it. Speaking with my colleagues at WFMT, I was advised to pick music about which I was passionate, sticking to the repertory and artists I find exciting and meaningful. Too bad I don’t have a week.
Last weekend I went through stacks from my own personal CD collection, thinking about the wonderful morsels I would offer. I wish I could give you some hints, but I will say that there are some old favorites, novel works with great artists, some of whom you know from the Grant Park Music Festival, and some performances many of you never have heard. Tune in, Tuesday, May 22 from 3-7 p.m. and please let me know how I did. Happy listening.
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The other day, there appeared in the Dcist an article about how Jeff Beam went to the orchestra for (nearly) the first time. The whole experience really was about taking the “orchestra challenge” Drew McManus set up on his Adaptistration blog site through the April Take a Friend to Orchestra month. Yours truly and a month’s worth of other music professionals wrote pieces about how “ordinary people who love classical music can invite a friend who does not regularly go to hear live music to a concert.” 
The DCist's Jeff Beam, who writes on sports, urban planning and other Washington DC city issues, attended a concert of the Australian Chamber Orchestra on tour. The article goes on to chronicle Jeff’s impressions of the concert.
Arts professionals, take note. I would wager to say that Jeff’s views aren’t so unusual. How we respond is vital to our collective future.
1.) Jeff wasn’t in the mood to go. He didn’t want a “stuffy” Friday evening after a hard week. “I just wanted a drink, a distraction, and my bed, in that order.” Stuffy? Yes, I guess we are a lot of the time, and on top of that, people make choices about how to spend their time, whatever the activity. Cocooning on a Friday night is a very strong temptation. I suggest examining why we present Friday night concerts. At Grant Park, it’s our lightest attended night. The most popular for us is Wednesday. They say Thursday is the new Friday. How many of us would risk the change?
2.) Jeff likes classical music Ok, but was “intimidated by the fact that an aficionado like Charles would be enjoying the concerto at such a sophisticated level while I tried to recall the differences between the viola and the violin.” There we go again, we intimidate people, smart people, who just don’t happen to “get” classical music. So, we need to find ways to make the experience more inviting, relaxed and welcoming. Let’s all re-read Take a Friend to Orchestra.
3.) By the middle movement of the concerto, Jeff remembered “the transformative power that music – any great music – has in a live setting.” I guess once people come, and all the other factors fall nicely into place, it is possible to capture them. I am relieved Jeff warmed up to the experience but wonder, how can we get that message across so more people actually want to attend a concert on their own?
4.) When the concert ended, Jeff promised himself “(again) that I absolutely must do this sort of thing more often.” Awesome! Opportunity is calling, but of course “this sort of thing” might be a play, a poetry reading, or any other art related event. How do we connect with first timers to make sure they are asked back to our institutions?
The article goes on to critique the concert, which is of less interest to me. Jeff, his maiden experience as a “non attender” and how we can grab people like him for the future, interests me much more.
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The other day, Mike Williams in the Atlanta Constitution wrote an article called Beethoven in the Barrios about the amazing national music education program in Venezuela. For over 30 years, the program, simply called "The System," begun by conductor Jose Antonio Abreu, is showing the rest of us that this part of the third world is doing great things when it comes to educating its youth in classical music.
Even more importantly, the program is changing lives, creating hope for at risk kids, helping to mold better citizens, and opening countless doors to professional careers for aspiring musicians.
Some 85 percent of the kids involved come from poor or working class families. “The first goal is not to create professional musicians,” explains Xavier Moreno, secretary of “The System.” “The goal is to rescue the children."
Over 500,000 participants later, the remarkable success of “El Sistema” has been followed by the active particpation of a stream of international artists and conductors like Claudio Abbado and Simon Rattle, both of whom are mentoring the organization and its 
performing ensembles. In fact, the CSO is being lead this week by the program’s most famous graduate, the exciting young conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who leads the orchestra in a varied program of works by Castellanos, Bruch and Mahler.Click here for more information.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flatery, and more than 20 other countries have started their own programs to duplicate Venezuela's. A source of national pride, the program employs 15,000 music teachers and has become intensely competitive. “Centers hold auditions for hundreds, sometimes thousands of kids, who are evaluated for their musical abilities. Those judged most promising are accepted, and all the centers have waiting lists, some with several hundred names,” says Williams.
Venezuela is now full of orchestras and symphonic music, thanks to “El Sistema.” The country only had two professional orchestras when Abreu opened his first training center in the 1970s and now boasts nearly 200 orchestras, with at least one professional group in each of the country’s 22 states. With a total population of just over 27,000,000 people, Venzuela has quite an impressive track record, one to which we should look as a shining beacon for the future of the art form.
Addendum: Re-reading this in the editing process, I couldn’t help but think of Jim Hirsch’s recent blog about the participation of under-represented populations in our nation’s symphony orchestras. As the debate ranges on about why African American and Latino populations in the US aren’t better represented in our orchestras, and after having read about Venezuela’s flourishing “sistema,” I wonder, can you make any assumptions or correlations?
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Putting a concert season together is a bit like making a meal. It’s about assembling the right ingredients, combining them in an interesting and enjoyable way, and timing it all just so. Add a pinch of spice and hopefully a generous amount of inspiration and, well, maybe then you can create something special.
Today the Grant Park Music Festival's 2007 season – the 73rd – was unveiled in both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times. At times like these I can sit back, relax for just a second, and give thanks for having such a cool job. Getting there isn’t always so easy, but on days like today I am so glad I “do what I do.” and
I feel privileged to work with great conductors like Carlos Kalmar and Christopher Bell. They translate the artistic vision we all share into the great music you hear night after night. And then there is the virtuoso orchestra and chorus, filled with great musicians who come from all over the country to make Chicago their musical home.
What can you expect this summer? For starters, all four of Beethoven’s even-numbered Symphonies - not as often heard as their odd (numbered, that is) counterparts but full of wonderful surprises. How can you go wrong with Beethoven?
What else? Great pianists like Marc-Andre Hamelin
opening the season with Brahms’ second piano concerto, Valentina Lisitsa performing both of Shostakovich’s powerful piano concertos in Orchestra Hall, and newcomer Ingrid Fliter playing Chopin. By the way, Ingrid appears in recital at the esteemed University of Chicago Presents series on Tuesday, April 24. Don’t miss it – she’s the real deal.
I’m excited about some of the out of the ordinary concerts, one featuring music from Asian composers; another, called the Devil’s Fiddler with the amazing Hungarian violinist Roby Lakatos; Flamenco guitar and dancing, and some great choral works like Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Duruflé’s Requiem, Poulenc’s Gloria and Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem.
There are fantastic singers, too, including Chicago’s own Jennie Larmore singing and recording Ravel’s Sheherazade for Cedille Records; one of my favorites, the remarkable Karina Gauvin singing Poulenc and Debussy; and the equally wonderful Nathan Gunn singing John Adams and Vaughan Williams.
Finally, there’s a big Leonard Bernstein Broadway celebration – but I’ll fill you in on that plus a surprise or two sometime later this spring. Stay tuned.
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