The symphony review, and a frosty usher
This week, I went to the CSO on Sunday afternoon, and was pleased to see a fair-sized crowd with lots of families and children. So, after intermission, I remarked to an usher that there seemed to be many children there, and she said, "Yes, are they bothering you?"
I was rather taken aback that she would assume I was bothered by them! Is there a disconnect here? Don't we want children at concerts? I was just glad to see them ...
Here's my take on the concert. What did you think -- of the concert or the usher?
posted by Janelle Gelfand at 12:35 PM
21 Comments:
at 1/14/2008 03:03:00 PM 
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Post a Comment*A friend I went to the concert on Saturday and found it above average from the normal weekly fare of the series, but then we are hearing exceptional performaces as the norm these days aren't we.
As for your observation about the ushers response to the children, I would like to share another "disconnect". We had decided at the last minute to attend the New Year's Eve concert. As my friend and others were waiting in line at the ticket office the morning before the concert one of the CSO musicians announced that he was not here to buy those discounted Ziptix but was buying a musicians ticket (which is discounted to $8.00 for best available ticket I believe) and was not going to wait in line as he moved to the front.
He bought his ticket much to the chagrin of the people in line that he charged in front of.
The reason my friend was waiting in line was the ticket seller told her that if she waited a few minutes the Ziptix would be on sale shortly "...we really don't promote them..."-Ziptix that is.
I guess that counts for two disconnects. One is CSO employee biting the hands that feed them by rudely charging to the front of the line while the other lost an opportunity to spread a little marketing goodwill news about the discount program to perhaps encourage more return visits. And they wonder why the attendance is down!
I apologize on behalf of my colleague, whomever he was. We rehearsed for that concert that afternoon and he could have waited until then, or another time that the line was smaller. We absolutely do not want to be promoting any more reasons to stay away from concerts!!
Perhaps we need to translate the preconcert admonition about cell phones into a few languages other than English. One of the soft passages in the last movement of the Neilsen was marred by the ringing of one of these devices Saturday night. To the people sitting with the offender:no, it wasn't funny at all.
Speaking of children, it was a delight to watch and listen to the children who were playing on the balcony before Sunday's concert. Four of them were very young. The group name may have been the Allegro String Ensemble; perhaps someone will correct or confirm that.
Janelle - It sounds to me like your usher was just doing his job. He is there to make sure that you are a satisfied patron. I'm sure he was as pleased to see children as you were, but it is still courteous to ask.
I think the point is that the good Usher could well have responded to Janelle's question about the children in attendance in a positive manner to begin the conversation.
Sorry--but the usher is to get you to your proper seat before the lights go down. Some do not even do that properly, we have seen patrons asked to leave their seats in the WRONG section, like sec 3 or 2 on orch floor, cause no one showed them to their correct seats. Often that is so embarrassing.
The ushers have nothing to do with the performance, many do not even stay for the music, they do not want to hear it at all. It's a job!
Watch this happen next time you go to a concert, we do, and laugh about it all the time. Truly unproductive.
No usher should have asked anyone if they are unhappy. (sorry)
Re: anon 2:41PM
Wow, what an indictment of ushers. Know that all ushers are volunteers who give of their free time for the love of the CSO and Music Hall...
Try to hold the poisonous sarcasm when folks work for free.
When is the last time YOU volunteered YOUR time to help at the concerts?!
And by the way, many folks won't let ushers show them to their seats, as they KNOW where they sit--often having to be moved at great inconvenience to the patrons around them.
Watch this happen next time you go to a concert, we do, and laugh about it all the time. Truly unproductive
WOW, TO SIT AND LAUGH AT PEOPLE WHO GIVE OF THEIR TIME FOR THE CSO IS.... WELL, I'LL JUST BITE MY LIP.
BUT I HAVE AN IDEA--CERTAINLY THE TRAILER PARK MUST HAVE CARD GAMES THAT YOU COULD PARTICIPATE IN SO AS NOT TO SUFFER SO AT MUSIC HALL.
rms-
I think it's funny you decide to post how horrible it is to make fun of people and then do that very thing with the trailer park comment....grow up.
Many (not all) of the ushers at music hall have this attitude that they own the place, many are so old they can't see or hear and are grumpy as can be. Why do they volunteer? Mostly because they get to see the performances for free....
I said: don't make fun of people who volunteer. I can make fun of those who make fun of volunteers.
Need glasses?
Grow up.
Hey Rick,
Making fun of anyone shows just how classy you really are buddy. Keep talking........
What would you like me to say?
I apologize; I lost control. But the idea of someone entertaining themselves by laughing at, and making fun of, ushers just brought out the worst in me....
I again have full grasp of my senses.
As a kinda-regular CSO attendant (about 5 or 6 concerts in a season), I wanna chip in on the ushers. First of all, I understand and appreciate that they are volunteers. That said, why is it that we here in Cincinnati seem to specialize in havig old, grumpy ushers? Is being 65 yrs old a minimum requirement? Why can't we have some younger, and while we're at it: more professional, ushers? Seriously. (Incidentally, the very same issue of ushers is also true at the Reds' games.)
Whoah, I just gotta come out in favor of the ushers. I know many of them and love them dearly.
I'm sure they would enjoy young blood. I do in fact see numerous young adults ushering.
The CSO has a hard time getting young blood to attend; how much harder must it be to get young blood to show up and work all night--for free!
The ushers show up a couple of hours before the performance; they leave after you are in your car and tooling comfortably home.
Whether anyone believes it or not, this is a tall order to fill, night after night after night; weekend after weekend after weekend.
So let's cut these folks some slack and appreciate that they do a difficult job, with long hours and no pay.
And perhaps if any develop a bit of crankiness occasionally, they might just be forgiven.
Who knew ushers would be such a hot topic. The ushers are a reflection of music hall and whatever organization is performing that night. They are the front lines making a statement in how they treat people. If just a handful of ushers on any given night are rude, cranky, unknowledgable or unhelpful, it becomes a customer service issue. People may decide not to return because of the experience. No one can afford to lose patrons because an usher is cranky or sat a patron in the wrong seats and they have to endure the embarrasment of moving two minuets before curtain. While they are volunteers they play a vital role for these organizations.
So very true... And now that it has been so hard to lure patrons, the customer-service folks of all stripes and their handling of patrons is ultra critical.
Emotions run deep when it comes to the arts, even as it concerns ushers.
I think this is good.....
What bothers me more is audience members' holier-than-thou attitudes. I've been verbally attacked for "being rude" because I yelled bravo! and woo hoo! after an amazing performance. Then the same person coughs throughout the second half of the concert. Is there something wrong with going to a concert and enjoying yourself? I would never be rude or cause a distraction, but I do like to enjoy myself. I just see so many people who don't seem to be there to enjoy themselves, but to be nasty and judgemental toward others.
To the last poster:
My deah, those are "cultcha vultchas." Don't you know that status is conferred by appreciation of the music of dead European men? This could also be why the CSO's attendance is down. We will be attending the Adams concert on Feb. 23rd and hope to see more like it.
As to children, perhaps this intersects the age of the ushers as well, when people understood that children by their nature are unruly - they are young and inexperienced and loud. Who wants that at a concert? It's not anti-child, it's that at one time, children had a particular place in society until they were of an age to truly appreciate something along with the adults. Now, we want our culture to be infantile to match the youngest among us. I think the usher's question was incredibly considerate.
Thank you.
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