CSO Ticket Revenues Increase; but attendance levels decline
By Mary Ellyn Hutton
Cincinnati Post, August 17, 2005
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is reporting mixed financial results from its just completed 2004-05 season.
The good news is ticket revenues were up and, unlike most American orchestras, the CSO is debt-free and with a balanced budget.
The bad news is that, though revenue from ticket sales grew 9 percent for the CSO and 11 percent for the Cincinnati Pops, it came from fewer customers.
Average attendance at CSO Music Hall concerts was 1,707, down 12 percent from last year. For the Pops, attendance averaged 2,296, down 8 percent from the year earlier, although the Pops remained the best-attended musical groups in the U.S.
There were 6,887 CSO subscriptions sold, down 10 percent from 2003-04. The Pops sold 5,406 subscriptions, a decline of 14 percent over the year before.
The fall in ticket sales was anticipated, said CSO president Steven Monder, because of higher ticket prices for the 2004-05 season. CSO and Pops ticket prices were raised by 25 and 20 percent, respectively.
"It was a correction that had to be made," Monder said. "Our prices were way low."
Attendance at orchestra concerts nationwide has fallen in recent years, though it tends to look more drastic at Music Hall, which, with 3,516 seats, is the nation's largest concert hall.
Attendance was up 15.5 percent for the CSO and Pops 2005 Riverbend season, bucking a trend for many orchestras at their summertime venues. Net revenue was up.
Monder ascribed the increase to a combination of good weather and successful programming.
Riverbend is owned by the CSO.
The most popular CSO concerts were May 7 with music director Paavo Jarvi and pianist Alexander Toradze, and April 30, with Jarvi and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
Monder said several initiatives are under way for the orchestra. Conductor Erich Kunzel and the Pops will tour China in October, with the idea of raising the profile of the orchestra.
The CSO is going slow on plans to downsize Music Hall, Monder said, chiefly out of concern for preserving its superior acoustics. Under discussion have been moving the stage forward and removing seats from beneath the balcony.
The CSO made some belt-tightening moves this year, including canceling is "Home for the Holidays" show, its summer chamber orchestra series and its "Jammin' on Main" festival downtown.
The CSO players took a two-year salary freeze as part of their contract renewal last fall; the CSO administration also agreed to a salary freeze.
Artistically, it was a red letter year for Jarvi and the CSO, with a highly praised tour of Europe last fall and some critically acclaimed recordings.
Cincinnati Post, August 17, 2005
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is reporting mixed financial results from its just completed 2004-05 season.
The good news is ticket revenues were up and, unlike most American orchestras, the CSO is debt-free and with a balanced budget.
The bad news is that, though revenue from ticket sales grew 9 percent for the CSO and 11 percent for the Cincinnati Pops, it came from fewer customers.
Average attendance at CSO Music Hall concerts was 1,707, down 12 percent from last year. For the Pops, attendance averaged 2,296, down 8 percent from the year earlier, although the Pops remained the best-attended musical groups in the U.S.
There were 6,887 CSO subscriptions sold, down 10 percent from 2003-04. The Pops sold 5,406 subscriptions, a decline of 14 percent over the year before.
The fall in ticket sales was anticipated, said CSO president Steven Monder, because of higher ticket prices for the 2004-05 season. CSO and Pops ticket prices were raised by 25 and 20 percent, respectively.
"It was a correction that had to be made," Monder said. "Our prices were way low."
Attendance at orchestra concerts nationwide has fallen in recent years, though it tends to look more drastic at Music Hall, which, with 3,516 seats, is the nation's largest concert hall.
Attendance was up 15.5 percent for the CSO and Pops 2005 Riverbend season, bucking a trend for many orchestras at their summertime venues. Net revenue was up.
Monder ascribed the increase to a combination of good weather and successful programming.
Riverbend is owned by the CSO.
The most popular CSO concerts were May 7 with music director Paavo Jarvi and pianist Alexander Toradze, and April 30, with Jarvi and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
Monder said several initiatives are under way for the orchestra. Conductor Erich Kunzel and the Pops will tour China in October, with the idea of raising the profile of the orchestra.
The CSO is going slow on plans to downsize Music Hall, Monder said, chiefly out of concern for preserving its superior acoustics. Under discussion have been moving the stage forward and removing seats from beneath the balcony.
The CSO made some belt-tightening moves this year, including canceling is "Home for the Holidays" show, its summer chamber orchestra series and its "Jammin' on Main" festival downtown.
The CSO players took a two-year salary freeze as part of their contract renewal last fall; the CSO administration also agreed to a salary freeze.
Artistically, it was a red letter year for Jarvi and the CSO, with a highly praised tour of Europe last fall and some critically acclaimed recordings.
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