Classical Music: Art in the city: ideas for Cincy?

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Art in the city: ideas for Cincy?

I'm just back from the Pacific Northwest, where cities have revitalized themselves with lots of impressive ideas. Former seedy neighborhoods, such as old warehouse districts, are now very upscale places to be and be seen in Vancouver and Portland. I especially liked Yaletown in Vancouver, with some of the hippest restaurants, boutiques and upscale markets in the city, overflowing out onto old loading docks.

Portland has an effective light rail system that cruises silently around the city and to the airport.

In Portland, I visited Art in the Pearl, a neat Labor Day festival with local artists, food booths (here it included grilled salmon)and a World Music Stage -- I heard blues and Celtic music -- in Portland's "Pearl District." OK, I love Oktoberfest. But I thought, what a great thing it would be to have an ARTS FESTIVAL on Fountain Square (currently showing somebody's soccer game over Warner Cable on the giant screen, but I digress)...

And in Seattle, I walked around the new Benaroya Hall, which has life-sized posters outside the hall for each of the Seattle Symphony's upcoming concerts (including a giant "Awadagin Pratt plays Mozart" for one in October). They were also touting a gala opening night concert with Yo-Yo Ma (sold out).

Granted, every city can't have a glamorous new concert hall smack in city center. But it said a lot about the orchestra's PRESENCE in the city to have the hall covering a whole city block, with classical music piped out to the sidewalk and giant posters all around. You couldn't ignore it.

Some idle thoughts, considering how the symphony here struggles for an audience:

1. Why not plaster the region with posters, billboards and/or bus shelters touting EACH concert?

2. Install ticket kiosks in every mall in the region, from Union Center Blvd. to Florence Mall.

3. Have a gala season opening concert with a mega-star.

4. Have a ticket kiosk in every college and university in the region, and make sure students -- and faculty members -- know about special deals.

Photo: Benaroya Hall in Seattle: Lara Swimmer

Got more ideas?

11 Comments:

at 9/05/2007 05:08:00 PM

Anonymous said...

Hi Janelle, welcome home. I too love that part of the world. I was a guest Principal in Seattle for a season in '99 I think it was. Anyway from what I hear Seattle is also having it's woe's. Artisic is the one we hear about the most but deficits are an issue as well as filling the hall----and I think that's a much larger city with a MUCH smaller hall.(rather too bright I might add)Having the hall as part of a relatively 'happening' downtown scene was exciting and being able to walk out the door to numerous coffee shops during rehearsal breaks was quite civilized (there was one Starbucks in the hall, one out the stage door and a Seattles Best across the street). Vancouver (now home of Jeff Alexander), is one the lovliest cities. It's also the home of the free needle exchange---right near all those galleries and restaurants.

Matt

at 9/05/2007 05:23:00 PM

Janelle Gelfand said...

Hi Matt, I think almost every orchestra in the country (except the Phoenix Symphony, I hear) is having financial woes. The idea is to pick the best ideas from other cities and see if they might work here. I just loved the happening atmosphere of these places, where you could walk around and see that the ARTS ARE IMPORTANT. Can you tell that by going to Fountain Square? The new hall in Seattle has Starbucks and Wolfgang Puck right inside the hall, another neat idea.

at 9/05/2007 07:52:00 PM

Anonymous said...

My idea is to wait for all the shops to move out of Tower Place, then build a concert hall inside of it, call it Symphony Towers and surround it with lofts/condos.
Matt

at 9/05/2007 10:52:00 PM

Anonymous said...

Great ideas from Janelle??our bus shelters were removed,posters would be destroyed/ripped over nite; ticket selling in kiosks can't happen, box office must be in charge to seat people into the far corners of Music hall so guests can see only the backs and feet of musicians; students are not treated as adults til they are standing in line 15 minutes before the concert. Actually the CSO is almost the 'untouchable'the cold atmosphere of Music hall is obviously taking its toll.
Opening nite with May Fest chorus does bring mom/pop/grandma to buy tickets, but they are not the crowd CSO needs to encourage; Who needs a high-priced mega artist, they cost too much. Why bother. eM=M

at 9/05/2007 11:45:00 PM

Anonymous said...

These are all good ideas, Janelle. Someone at the CSO should run with them and more. It is possible to turn things around with practical steps like you suggest. Ignore the naysayers--nothing to contribute but bad vibes.

at 9/06/2007 12:08:00 AM

Anonymous said...

Janelle, you should talk to Steve Leeper at 3CDC about more promotion of the arts around Fountain Square including the Mega TV. His board members are business people who contribute heavily to the symphony, the arts, and the Fine Arts Fund. And couldn't the new and existing downtown restaurants w CSO or 3CDC sponsor a shuttle to Music Hall so patrons only have to park once? How about a few suburban symphony shuttles? CSO board has at least one sharp P&G marketing exec and isn't there a new CSO marketing staff person? They should be driving the innovations...

at 9/06/2007 07:19:00 AM

Anonymous said...

Cincinnati lacks what Portland and Vancover both have in order to make the ideas you mention a reality....interest.

Interest from City Hall to fund the projects you mention which would take the strong arm of council to make a reality. Interest from many of the arts organizations to be part of something that is bigger than themselves and most improtantly interest from the patrons. You know better than anyone the struggles arts oragnizations face and the measures they take to get the seats filled. We have to patch the holes in the boat before we set sail.....

at 9/06/2007 09:38:00 AM

Anonymous said...

1. Why not plaster the region with posters, billboards and/or bus shelters touting EACH concert? REALLY? THIS IS NOT THE ANSWER TO WHY PEOPLE DO NOT GO TO CONCERTS. PEOPLE HAVE TO WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE PRESENTING AND NO AMOUNT OF BILLBOARD COVERAGE IS GOING TO MAKE PEOPLE APPEAR.

2. Install ticket kiosks in every mall in the region, from Union Center Blvd. to Florence Mall. WHICH TICKETING SYSTEM WOULD YOU USE AND HOW WOULD YOU DEAL WITH THE COSTS OF BREAKING CONTRACTS WITH THE DIFFERENT TICKETING SOFTWARE SYSTEMS THAT EACH VENUE USES. THE FEES FOR THIS KIND OF OPERATION WOULD BE OUTRAGEOUS. YOU WOULD HAVE A $25 TICKET AND $25 SERVICE FEES TO FACILITATE THE COSTS.

3. Have a gala season opening concert with a mega-star. ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT JUST CSO?

4. Have a ticket kiosk in every college and university in the region, and make sure students -- and faculty members -- know about special deals. AGAIN THE LOGISTIC HELLISHNESS OF THIS WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO FACILITATE.

at 9/06/2007 09:50:00 AM

Anonymous said...

Note to Anonymous 9:38- Take a deep breath.
She's just throwing some ideas out here. It's not like the world is going to spin off its axis based on what the CSO does.

at 9/06/2007 10:14:00 AM

Anonymous said...

To Anony 9:50

How about posting something that is relevant to the discussion...it is a discussion blog right?

at 9/06/2007 01:32:00 PM

Anonymous said...

Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver are cities with a lot of young people, more so than Cincinnati. But the suggestion for the CSO to reach out to area colleges and universities is a good one. Often young people feel classical music is only for the mature audience, until they are exposed to it. I remember the thrill of hearing the CSO conducted by Sir Eugene Goosens at Middletown H.S. in the 50's and I've been a classical music maven ever since.

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Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Art in the city: ideas for Cincy?

11 Comments: