More responses to symphony executive story

Here are more thoughts from readers about the search for a new president of the CSO, and challenges the orchestra faces:

From Dr. Diane Babcock: Enjoyed your article this weekend on the challenges facing the Symphony and agree with your suggestions. The decrease in musical education for young people in our school systems is dismaying. As a result, young people have no appreciation of classical music. Art has also been removed from the curriculum and the visits to the art museum are down as a result. Perhaps the museums and symphony could finance the costs of the class trips since the school budget cannot?

We attend the Pops and Opera, but not the regular Symphony. On thinking about it, the main reason is that we need visual stimulation as well as the music. The Pops has dancers, cirque du soleil performers, etc., which accompanies and enhances the musical experience. Opera has magnificant sets and costumes. Symphony only has the conductor and musicians to watch. The majority of humans are dominantly visual not auditory, I'm told. Perhaps this is the cause. The young people are used to lots of visual stimulae on TV, computers etc. Perhaps the Symphony could show a visual representation of the music as well and give the audiance something to look at.

We support the Pops and Opera and hope the symphony can survive this difficult time.

And this from Carl Schmidt: This article is an even-handed description of CSO operation. Being a 25-plus year subscriber, I can say that there is no way I know of that this organization could treat me better. Having listened to this orchestra since age 13 and having listened to other orchestras in this country and around the world during my adulthood, I tell everyone that our present musical situation is the best I have experienced: it couldn't be better. A minor suggestion would be to have more frequent pre-concert performances in the lobby or balcony by young musicians, who usually bring along proud family members.

I would expect the new CEO to analyze data for the complete music spectrum in developing plans - CSO (regular and summer), Pops, CCM, opera - plus "outside job" openings for CSO musicians such as teaching. Many CSO musicians recognize that the total job package is primary to their career goals, so long as the CSO maintains its musical excellence.

Diverging: As Paavo noted, it would be good to have downtown "late-night"
eateries for after concerts. I know that this has been tried unsuccessfully several times (e.g. Grammers), but coordination of such efforts with publicity tied in to the CSO Program, Enquirer, and City, should be revisited frequently. It would even be a favor to concert-goes to give FREE program advertising space to after-hours eateries such as Myra's on Calhoun, where we usually go. TEMPORARY subsidies might even be offered for start-up of extended hours at established businesses (e.g.) Panera, Washington Platform.

As more young people move into the area, we just might outgrow the Old Cincinnati perspective that "It failed once, so let's not try it again."

Footnote: Carl says he sang at Music Hall with the Hughes Choir under Bob McSpadden during the "golden age" of Cincinnati high school choral music, in a concert conducted by the CSO's Thor Johnson. Carl's grandmother had a bakery in Over-the-Rhine, and his mother remembered sitting on the bar at Grammer's when she was a little girl.

Now that Grammer's is re-opening soon - "I hope their hours accommodate the symphony crowd, and that this is reflected in a CSO program ad."