Contact:
Carl Herko
Vice President, Media & Public Relations
503-416-6347
cherko@orsymphony.org
February 17, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OREGON SYMPHONY REACHES A MILESTONE:
TICKET SALES SURPASS TOTAL FOR ALL OF LAST SEASON
(PORTLAND, Ore.) – Does music have extra appeal in a sputtering economy? Are more Portlanders staying closer to home? Is it simply that word of the orchestra’s high artistic quality is spreading? Whatever the reason, something big is happening at the Oregon Symphony: Amid daily reports of worsening economic conditions, ticket sales this season at Portland’s largest performing-arts organization are actually up – way up.
The orchestra crossed a significant threshold over the weekend when it sold its 136,431st ticket so far this concert season, exceeding the total number of tickets it sold all of last season, even though more than a third of this year’s performances are still to come.
Total ticket sales for the season have passed $6.1 million, more than $458,000 higher than they were for all of last season.
The latest milestone means a trend of substantially increased ticket sales that began last year is continuing unabated. Two seasons ago, the orchestra completed its concert calendar with $4.88 million in ticket sales, representing 54.4 percent of the total available capacity at its concert venue, the 2,780-seat Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland. In 2007/08 that figure climbed to $5.64 million, 62.4 percent of capacity. So far this season the orchestra has sold nearly 65 percent of all available seats for its 78 concerts, with a goal of reaching 70 percent by the time the season ends June 1.
The orchestra has increased sales by offering ticket buyers much greater flexibility and more subscription options than in past years. Next season, for example, a wide variety of subscription packages will enable ticket-buyers to subscribe for as few as three or as many as 19 concerts. The Oregonian’s music critic, David Stabler, took notice of the many options when he wrote recently that “Portland’s largest performing-arts organization has turned ticket flexibility into an art form.”
“Keeping audiences coming means finding the right mix of programs and artists, offering a broad range of prices and packages, listening and addressing concerns, and making sure that everyone who attends a performance goes away happy,” said Oregon Symphony Association President Elaine Calder.
“We’ve had some great moments in the Schnitz this season, with audiences leaping to their feet, clapping and cheering our musicians and guest artists. We love those moments when we’re all sharing in the joy of great music, brilliantly played.”
Among the crowd-pleasers so far this season were an October sold-out concert with the Chinese wunderkind pianist Lang Lang; season-opening performances of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, which filled the Schnitz to 93 percent of capacity; Johnny Mathis, 89 percent; a holiday Pops concert with the Von Trapp Children, 87 percent; Gospel Christmas, 82 percent; and a Classical program at which Pink Martini front man Thomas Lauderdale performed as piano soloist in George Gershwin’s Concerto in F, 79 percent.
Still to come this season are several other performances sure to draw very large crowds to the Schnitz, including concerts with violin virtuosos Itzhak Perlman Feb. 28-Mar. 2 and Joshua Bell May 16-18. The Oregon Symphony’s 2008/09 season wraps up May 31 and June 1 with the orchestra and Pink Martini sharing the stage in concerts that will be recorded for a live album.
Complete information on the Oregon Symphony’s remaining concerts this season, and subscription options for its 2009/10 season, can be found on the orchestra’s web site, orsymphony.org.
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CONTACT:
Carl Herko
Vice President, Media & Public Relations
(503) 416-6347
cherko@orsymphony.org