It seems that some orchestras are trying creative ways to reach audiences. The New World Symphony, a training orchestra in South Beach, Miami is no exception. For $2.50, pocket change that would barely cover the price of the wash and dry cycle at a local laundromat, or a latte at some coffee emporiums, the symphony offered mini concerts in November and April. Wonder why they picked those months?
Each concert ran 20 to 30 minutes and listeners heard a reduced version of the orchestra in the form of a clarinet quintet that played Mozart, Handel and Brahms and Bartok in the symphony's Lincoln Theatre home. Dress was casual, so patrons in flip-flops and shorts could attend a concert without the fear of being turned away or forced to wear a rental jacket.
What a wonderful idea but what does this do for the symphony? Hopefully, it will encourage some of these patrons to reconsider their musical choices.
April's concert brought in more than 900 listeners.
"We intend to lower the threshold for everyone who passes our theater," says Howard Herring, president of the New World Symphony orchestra academy.
Certainly musicians need to look at new ways of reaching audiences. Hope that this works.
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