Last year's season, starting with the inaugural concerts of music director Louis Langrée and guest narrator Maya Angelou, have been a steady crescendo of growing audiences, groundbreaking initiatives and increased donations. And behind the scenes, the orchestra is close to erasing a nagging structural deficit.
Even as many American orchestras around the country are struggling, tens of thousands of people flocked to Music Hall last year to hear Brahms, Beethoven and Boyz II Men. Cincinnati is the smallest city in the nation that still supports a full-time, 52-week orchestra. The nation's fifth oldest orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony is one of just 14 year-round orchestras in America.
"We're on a roll. Attendance is up, contributions are up and our educational initiatives are expanding," said the orchestra's president, Trey Devey. "I think that the orchestra is in great shape with Louis and (Pops conductor) John Morris Russell. Our supporters are energized, our audiences are energized. The success we had last season is another example of the community rallying around the orchestra."
by Janelle Gelfand, [email protected] @Cincinnati.com