The Virginia Symphony Orchestra has established a popular tradition in its CommUNITY Play-In and Sing-Along, an “annual event that embraces our community’s cultural richness and diversity, uniting people of all ages, faiths, and backgrounds through participation in music, dance, and spoken word.” It is held at Norfolk State University, a historically Black institution. People of …
Composer, pianist, and teacher Helen Hagan premiered her Piano Concerto with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra in 1912. In that same year, she became the first Black woman to graduate from Yale when she received a degree from the Yale School of Music. Hagan grew up in New Haven; she began her studies at Yale …
Is it extra work to engage new audiences creatively and authentically? Joe Loehnis, CEO of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, rejects the framing of the question. “This is the work,” he insists. “If you’re not doing this, what are you doing? If you’re a board with fiduciary responsibility, a staff with a business to run, or …
The concept of the “third space,” a communal space apart from work and the home, has taken hold as a way of making orchestra halls more inviting to new and especially younger audiences. New and renovated hall lobbies, like Disney Hall in Los Angeles and David Geffen Hall in New York, have become destinations in …
Donna Walker-Kuhne asks “How can you make your venue warm and inviting? It comes from the heart, from the work you’re presenting, from how you’re training your staff. Make things fun for people coming in and be creative: your venue should be a playground.” In that spirit, some orchestras now have staff positions devoted to …
Marketing officers regularly refer to the “patron journey” that takes a prospect and moves them from initial sale to subscription. The journey may look different for new audience segments and may aim for engagement over ticket revenue or contributions. Once a first ticket has been purchased, Tori Fusinaz’s team at the Jacksonville Symphony activates an …
Recent research from WolfBrown, in partnership with the League, indicates the importance to Black, Latinx, women, and younger audience members of effective communication about the orchestra’s work in equity, diversity, and inclusion. And yet most current audience members report being unaware of their orchestra’s work to build an inclusive experience for all audience members. Demonstrating …
Research shows that, when it comes to retaining new audiences of color, diversity of representation is not enough. For existing audiences of color, programming undertaken with and for BIPOC communities is more important, and the process underpinning this work is at least as important as the resulting performance. A mutual partnership entails respect. “The community is …
“Ask the constituency you’re interested in connecting with what they’re interested in, then do that,” to quote New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s Katie Bonner Russo. Different demographic segments look for different offerings and ways to feel welcome. For example, as Donna Walker-Kuhne notes, older audience members typically look for comfort and kindness, whereas younger audience members …
After establishing institutional alignment, the number one strategy colleagues across the U.S. name for drawing in new audiences is to feature compositions and artists from diverse demographic backgrounds onstage. “It’s essential to be authentic. You can’t target a community without anyone onstage representing that community,” says Terell Johnson, Executive Director of the Chicago Philharmonic. Elias …