Liz will be surprised that I'm posting this link. She doesn't think I ever read the NY Times. I don't, usually, but this evening I came across this article in the Magazine about the current state of the New York Philharmonic, America's oldest orchestra. At first, it's a discussion of the organization's financial status and recent changes in the subscription concert sales policies, but the orchestra's music director, Lorin Maazel, and the future of the orchestra also come into focus. It's seven pages online, but for me it was a quick read. Basically, the NY Phil is in much better shape financially than many other American orchestras, but they're struggling to find ways to attract and retain patrons like other artistic institutions.
Liz and I would love to purchase season tickets, but we would have a hard time affording even a small package of a few concerts a year. We had season tickets to the National Symphony Orchestra when we lived in Washington, DC, and I really miss the concerts. While listening to classical music on CD, MP3, or radio is excellent, it's no substitute for a live performance. Now, as typical New Yorkers, we look forward to the annual concerts in Central Park as our chance to hear the NY Philharmonic for free. This year, we're going on July 19, when the orchestra performs Smetana's Overture to The Bartered Bride, Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, and my all-time favorite piece of orchestral music, Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.
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