Tour dollars

It looks like the Philadelphia Orchestra will be able to go on tour after all. You see, earlier in the week the famed orchestra announced the cancellation of their tour plans due to the lack of a sponsor. However, Target Stores has now stepped in and saved the day.

The first thing that popped into my head when I heard about the canceled tour was, "Gee. Too bad. Most orchestras only dream of touring." It just isn't in the budget of small to medium sized orchestras to spend money on touring. After all, it is pretty expensive. There is the cost of transportation for 50-100 people, meals, hotels, etc. Add to that the cost of producing the concerts and you are in the thousands of dollars. Then a bigger issue arose: What if this is a sign of decreasing support for the arts, due to the current state of the economy?

Most economists agree that the United States' economy is in for some rough times. As businesses plan for bumps in the road, one cannot help but worry that the first things to be cut are sponsorship dollars for arts organizations. Then there's the affect on audience members. Will high gas prices make a difference in the number of people who go out for entertainment? Will audiences have disposable income for "extras" like orchestra concerts? All of this can cause orchestra leaders to worry plenty.

Then it occurred to me. If arts organizations have been doing their job all along, their patrons will not permit them to disappear. The arts are too important to the quality of life of a community. What would NYC be without Broadway? How about London without their orchestras? (If memory serves me, I believe there are seven major orchestras in that city!) Sure. We may be in for tough times like everyone else; but if we really make a difference in the communities in which we serve, we needn't worry. In assessing whether they make an important difference, orchestra leaders should ask themselves these questions and others: Are we consumer-oriented? Do we bore people or do we make them a little better after one of our performances? Would a huge hole be left if we did not exist? In short, would anybody really care if we disappeared off of the face of the earth?

Let's just say that the orchestra industry may be getting one huge wake up call.