Adaptistration

Size Matters Part 4

Welcome back for part four, the final installment in this study of how an orchestra accomplishes the monumental task of building a new concert hall.  Today,  we'll hear from musicians in each of the orchestras as well as the executive directors.

Players Comments
It's the musicians that make an orchestra.  So how they feel about where they perform is directly related to the quality of the performance itself. To exclude the requirements of the players is a certain foil to future success.  Players were given the option to offer their comments anonymously so that they could speak freely.

Dayton Philharmonic
I'm not sure if musician amenities were considered a high priority in the hall design.  We were given a locker room, with lockers big enough for basses and cellos, which we were thrilled about, but it's not as useful as we thought since it's unisex.  There is no drinking fountain backstage on the hall level, but management has brought in the big water bottles for us.  The dressing rooms are definitely more oriented toward Broadway type shows and there are no practice rooms.  I feel the hall has definitely helped promote our artistic growth and is large enough for us to perform large scale works like Mahler. - Mary Davis Fetherston, cellist

The acoustics in the old hall were very dead and very dry, it did not favor the low instruments at all.  Every one was in agreement, management and musicians alike, that we needed a new hall with better acoustical properties and with better reverberation. While we did not vote on any issues, we did have input and management keep us informed on the plans.  Management told the players that amenities would be provided, but I think our attitude was "we'll believe it when we see it." However, we have a locker room in which everyone has a locker for the clothes, etc. as well as an instrument locker. We also have a large musicians' lounge with nice furniture and a kitchen area.  The hall has already promoted artistic growth and the orchestra immediately sounds better.  In the case of the brass, it is an easy hall to play in. - Steve Winteregg, Principal Tuba

To be honest, I think that the new hall serves our needs for performing larger works, but we have actually been having trouble fitting on the stage adequately. Apparently, it is more advantageous acoustically for us to be closer together, though.  As musicians our backstage facility needs were absolutely a high priority because our previous hall's facilities were so inadequate. - Jennifer Speck, Principal Bassoon

Richmond Symphony
I don't think the new hall meets any of our needs, onstage or backstage.  We were never given any surveys asking us what we wanted in a new facility and even though two players were allowed to sit in on some planning sessions, we were never allowed to have a direct vote on any issues.   I think the hall size is far too small to accommodate a full 80 piece orchestra and it will restrict our artistic growth quite a bit.  It's like they want us to be a chamber orchestra, but I remember 15 years ago someone tried to start a chamber orchestra [in Richmond] and it failed.    a member of the Richmond Symphony

This orchestra really needs a home.  Not just a place to rehearse, but a place to have a cup of coffee, get something to eat, socialize with other musicians, meet students, and practice.  I want a place that I feel welcomed and comfortable and right now I have no evidence if the new hall is going to be any of those things or not.   a member of the Richmond Symphony

Things have never been made very clear to us about the design aspects of the new hall.  Management has never sent us any surveys and they seem to have a second rate mentality when it comes to what we need to perform our best.  I'm not happy about the architect's they've selected or the fact that we're just renters.  This all makes me very concerned whether or not we'll actually have any long term benefits.    a member of the Richmond Symphony

Kansas City Symphony
This acoustician, Toyota, clearly knows what he is doing; the folks in LA Philharmonic seem very happy with Disney and he designed that hall. I'd be happy to play more concerts, and in particular more programs, if it means the entire orchestra begins playing together more than we currently do.  One subtle issue: this is a generous town, but there is only so much money to go around. Some folks predisposed to donate to the arts now have the choice of donating to the hall or to a performing ensemble like the orchestra. That choice may result in making the development task for the KCS all the more difficult.    a member of the Kansas City Symphony

I don't recall the players having any direct vote on any issues regarding the new hall.  To me, the stage appears to have a very small footprint, but it seems we're not going to get a bigger hall so we'll have to make it work.  Not having the symphony offices in the same building will be a real obstacle to work around; I'll miss having the ability to just walk across the street to talk to someone in the office about something.  In the end we're just going to have to trust that our management will work with the acoustician and architects to ensure that the new hall will fit into our strategic plan and help us grow our audience.   Janelle O'Brien, section violinist

Nashville Symphony
Everyone is extremely excited about the new hall and the quality of its acoustics have driven nearly every aspect and discussion between the musicians and management.  I've been very pleased that management has provided every back stage amenity the musicians have asked for.  An important indication of how important our input was to the design of the hall was that there is no secondary large rehearsal space.  This is important because it shows that management will not displace the orchestra to the secondary hall if they have an offer from a renter to use the space.  Having management intentionally remove that temptation of quick cash at the inconvenience of the players builds trust.   Bill Wiggins, principal timpanist (Bill assures me that is the correct spelling for timpanist).

I remember that there were always numerous surveys the musicians were encouraged to fill out regarding issues for the new hall.  I think the new hall will be a big factor in retaining good players and bring national visibility to the symphony and the artistic progress we're making here.    Christopher Farrell, violist

Executive Director Responses

Dayton Philharmonic
Many people in the orchestra world believe that a multi-purpose hall is an inherently bad idea.  I think our experience here says otherwise.  The acoustics in our hall are exceptionally good.  It's almost always busy, which obviously helps to subsidize operating costs, and yet we can still schedule the vast majority of our rehearsals on stage.  I believe that, if we had insisted on building a dedicated concert hall, we would still be fundraising and waiting to break ground.

As to whether we should be managing the hall or not, I guess that only time will tell.  The hall was built with the explicit mission of helping the orchestra (and other primary tenants) grow and succeed.  Its current management and board buy into that mission, and we have a written scheduling policy that seems to be workable for the primary tenants.  As long as this remains the case, I don't see any reason for us to take on the challenges (both financial and otherwise) of operating a facility. - Curt Long, Executive Director

Richmond Symphony
What is essential to understand about the decision in Richmond to build a 1,100-seat concert hall is the context. Firstly, the overview of existing provision: 3,500-seat Landmark Theatre, 2,050-seat Carpenter Center and various venues of 500-600 seats. Secondly, the consensus reached that new venues being built must complement existing provision. Thirdly, the real limits on space available within the Thalhimers' block to build a concert hall. Fourthly, the limit on the perceived funds available within the community towards the project; $150M was considered the maximum deliverable. Fifthly, the overwhelming momentum behind the city's leadership to deliver a City Center Regeneration Masterplan which includes the Virginia Performing Arts Center: for the Symphony to have tried to act alone to raise the funds to build its own hall, outside the Masterplan, was simply not a viable option.

The solution instead of a new 1,100-seat hall and the acoustic upgrading of our existing 2,050-seat venue - within the same new arts complex - is a great outcome for this Symphony, that places us at the heart of a revitalized city center, leaves us immeasurably better off   musically and strategically - than ever before, and positions us well for future artistic and organizational growth.   David Fisk, Executive Director

Nashville Symphony
First, I wish to thank you, Drew, for the kind comments about our plans - the degree of success we are able to achieve as a result of these plans remains to be seen when the building is completed, and we know we must remain vigilant in the pursuit of our goals between now and then. In the meantime, however, we all have a very high degree of confidence in the likelihood we will succeed. In fact, we are absolutely convinced that the strength of our planning process   from the creation of a shared vision down to the last details of our financial and design plans   were vital to our success thus far, and have helped to insulate us from recent economic conditions.

I believe our next big challenge will be ensuring that our artistic and organizational successes are understood by the entire industry   an industry with an inherent prejudice that somehow a world-class orchestral institution cannot exist in a place like Nashville. Already we have enjoyed tremendous acclaim for the success of our artistic growth: our recording projects are garnering rave reviews around the globe (including a Grammy nomination this year), we have appeared on national television on numerous occasions (including replacing the Boston Pops on A&E this past July 4th), and we have toured to critical acclaim, including a rave review from the New York Times for our Carnegie Hall debut. Despite all of that, we still see that prejudice in our dealings with artist managers and others in the industry. Pulling ourselves up into that top 10% of American orchestras will also require a Herculean public relations and education effort. It is a challenge we are prepared to meet. - Alan D. Valentine, Executive Director

So what are your opinions?  Do you think the size and design of a concert hall has much impact on the success of an orchestra?  What are your observations about the concert hall in your community?  How does if effect your concert experience?  Write an email and send it in. I think hearing from a broad range of readers will shed some unique insight to how the venue helps to shape the ensembles that use them.

Size Matters Part 3

Welcome back for part three in this study of how an orchestra accomplishes the monumental task of building a new concert hall.  In today's installment I provide my conclusions and predictions regarding how each orchestra's new hall will shape their future.  If you missed part one and part two, we covered the details of how each orchestra plans to build their new hall. 

Conclusions & Predictions

Dayton Philharmonic
Since Dayton has already moved into their new hall there is no speculation regarding its acoustical distinction   the new hall was a good idea.  The 2155 seat capacity is a big enough venue to perform the full range of orchestral repertoire and enough seats to make generating sufficient revenue possible.  If their management can find a way to increase the musician's base scale to a livable wage over the next three years, then the orchestra will become a "fast track" ensemble for success while attracting the brightest young talent in the industry. 

At that point they could begin to lobby for managerial control over the entire Schuster Performing Arts Center, providing the orchestra with de facto "ownership" of the facility. This will allow them to schedule the additional services they need to accommodate an expanded season schedule.  But I think that with the player's current level of increased artistic satisfaction, the management will opt for maintaining status quo for the next several years.

Richmond Symphony
The Richmond Symphony is in a very difficult place.  They are the only orchestra out of this group that will be completely dislodged from their regular performance venue during construction of the new facility.  Furthermore, they are the only orchestra destined to be renters that is also helping to raise all of the funds for the new concert hall   which according to several of the musicians amounts to no less than $10 million. And with no written guarantees afforded to the orchestra on any matter of their occupancy, this leads me to believe that it's not a partnership, it's indentured servitude.  Would you help a developer raise all the money to build a house, then move in just to pay them rent for the next 30 years? 

Once the new concert hall is completed, it will only be capable of accommodating chamber orchestras. When talking with the RSO executive director, he did mention that the orchestra could use the larger renovated proscenium theatre that is located adjacent to the new hall.  Although this does increase the hall size, it's not designed for optimum orchestral acoustics.  And when you talk about orchestras, it's all about the sound.  Even the best orchestras sound bad in an acoustically inadequate hall. 

Although I believe that the opening of their new hall in 2007 in result in initially increased interest in the orchestra, the decision to make the modest 1,100 seat hall their primary performance venue will significantly restrict the orchestra's ability to perform the larger, popular orchestral works, such as Strauss and Mahler, on a regular basis.  Additionally, they will have a very difficult time attracting a new audience and maintaining their core audience as ticket prices will increase exponentially in order to generate sufficient revenue.   

Measured against the other orchestras, their failure to solicit as much direct musician input regarding player facilities is another factor that will lead to ongoing long term problems.  In the initial design of the performing arts facility, the orchestra was not even considered a primary tenant. So it seems that providing the backstage facilities afforded to the musicians at the other three orchestras will not be as much of a priority at Richmond.  This will make the musicians feel more like paying guests rather than "partners" in the new hall.

Out of the four orchestras in this study, Richmond has the smallest potential for future growth and their situation will actually grow unstable. Given the limited opportunity to perform on a large stage, the orchestra's artistic potential will be severely hobbled by having few concerts to perform together as a full orchestra. Unfortunately, I see the organization having to either officially restructure as a chamber orchestra or continue down a path of steady player turnover, financial limitations, and mediocre artistic achievement.

So is a new hall good in Richmond's case? Not with the plan they have. It's a bad business deal that they should back out of as soon as possible.  On the bright side, since the orchestra has no written commitment or obligation to become a tenant in the new Performing Arts Center, they still have the opportunity to follow Nashville's lead and build their own hall. Richmond is a terrific town with tremendous potential and just as much money as Nashville; the orchestra's management and board simply need to figure out how to tap into it.

Kansas City Symphony
Of the four orchestras selected for this study, I've always had a soft spot for Kansas City.  Both Nashville and Kansas City have recovered from bankruptcy to become artistically sound orchestras that rose from the ashes.  Kansas City's situation will decidedly improve by finally having one dedicated performance venue as opposed to the several they now utilize.  Having some dedicated backstage facilities for the players and a single location for the majority of their performances will add some stability to a historically unstable group.

I feel that their true potential will have artificial limitations due to the new hall's relatively small size, if for no other reason than the fact that ticket prices will remain prohibitively high.  Of all the orchestras in this group I believe that Kansas City has the greatest potential, it just needs the right spark. Hopefully, the orchestra board will find a way to bring some additional funds to the project, and soon, in order to increase the size of the hall to at least 1,600 seats and find space for the symphony offices on-site. This will allow them the catalyst they need to move from being a good orchestra to becoming a magnificent orchestra.   If they don't, they'll look back in10 years and wish they had.

Nashville Symphony
Of all the orchestras in this study I believe Nashville has the best laid plan for constructing their hall and the brightest future.  Once completed, they have every tool at their disposal to enter the top 10% of America's orchestras, in both artistic quality and job satisfaction.  I am impressed at the level of detail regarding their financial plan to fund their building project and the guarantee of funds for its completion.  They have also demonstrated that even in the "bad economy" it's possible to thrive and grow.  No excuses of a mini stock market crash, no whining about how 9/11 hurt the economy; just hard work and vision coupled with the most fiscally sound long term strategic plan I've seen come from an orchestra (due to the exceptional financial prowess of Steven Bronfenbrenner of B Squared Consulting).  Look for this economic plan to become a benchmark for how future orchestras will fund capital projects. 

They have a building that is designed to serve their needs and facilitate the orchestra's growth for generations. It ample size will allow them to perform every imaginable piece of the standard orchestra repertoire (including organ works) as well as contemporary compositions while still allowing for a good profit margin on ticket sales.  By securing a successful experienced acoustician, they are nearly assured a top notch sounding hall.

By including education facilities that allow the local schools to afford bringing children to the hall, they will increase their standing in the community as well as providing the foundation for a top notch youth orchestra program.  This will allow the orchestra to constantly build their future audience as well as bring in parents that would otherwise not have a connection to the organization.

Nashville also seemed to have the greatest amount of direct musician and music director input regarding the acoustic quality and backstage amenities.  The management has demonstrated that they honestly believe in a partnership with the musicians and have shown this through their actions.

In the end, this hall is a good idea for Nashville and it will be well suited to help the orchestra reach it's true artistic potential.  They will own and operate a dedicated symphony hall that is theirs. Simply put, they will control their own destiny.  Their success or failure will be entirely their own.

 

I invite you to return tomorrow for the final installment, where the players from each orchestra get to voice their opinions about the building process.  Additionally, the executive director's will have an opportunity to respond to my conclusions and predictions.

Size Matters Part 2

Welcome back for part two in this study of how an orchestra accomplishes the monumental task of building a new concert hall.  In today's installment we will learn how the Kansas City Symphony and the Nashville symphony plan to build their halls.  In part one we heard from Dayton Philharmonic and the Richmond (VA) Symphony.  You can find that installment here.

Kansas City Symphony

• Annual Budget: $8.8 million
• Length of Season: 42 weeks
• Proposed Venue: Kansas City Performing Arts Center
• Executive Director: Frank Byrne
• Acoustician: Yasuhisa Toyota 

Executives from the Kansas City Symphony declined to comment on the planned Performing Arts Center.  Answers to these questions were provided by Kansas City Symphony musicians and information collected from articles by Paul Horsley in the Kansas City Star.

Question 1: Will your organization own or rent your planned concert hall?
Answer: Rent

Question 2: What organization will operate the concert hall facilities?
Answer: the Kansas City Performing Arts Center

Question 3: What is the overall cost and what is your organization's financial commitment to the new concert hall?
Answer:  The overall cost of the entire Performing Arts Center is approximately $304 million.  The orchestra is not contributing cash or development resources to the hall.  However, our board president and vice president are on the executive committee for the new hall.

Questions 4: Do you plan to relocate the symphony administrative offices in the same building as the concert hall?
Answer: No, the main symphony offices will locate elsewhere, although some essential facilities such as the music library and room for stage crew will be on-site.

Question 5: What is your annual rent for use of the concert hall facilities?
Answer: We will pay rent, but that amount is as of yet undetermined.

Question 6: Which other cultural arts organizations will share this facility as regular tenants along with the orchestra, and do any receive 'first pick" rights?
Answer: The facility has been described to us as "ours"; the message is that we have first rights of refusal and will be given preference for scheduling. However, there is no official guarantee in writing. The proscenium venue will feature the ballet, opera, and Broadway shows, so there isn't really a large potential for conflict with dates since those groups won't use our hall.

Question 7: Did the orchestra music director and/or player's committee have final say regarding acoustical aspects of the proposed concert hall?
Answer: We have some input into the acoustics in conversations with Mr. Toyota, the acoustician.

Question 8: Does the concert hall have provisions for dedicated educational/outreach facilities?
Answer: That has not been finalized yet.

Question 9: What are the proposed concert hall technical specifications: seating and stage size?
Answer: The proposed dedicated symphony hall will have 1200 seats.  Although there are plans to include 150 additional choir seats that can be used to generate ticket revenue when the orchestra doesn't use the chorus.

Question 10: How did you organization decide to either own or rent your proposed concert hall?
Answer:  Owning our own hall was financially beyond our means.  "We think we can make it work," the symphony executive director, Frank Byrne was quoted as saying. "We have played very successfully in a venue around that size, and our sales there are quite good." 

Additional comments: Last spring, it looked like the PAC might only have one multi purpose hall instead of two separate dedicated facilities, and there was much consternation among the musicians. Folks are happier now, but the fact that the hall is going to happen at all is diverting angst about its size.

Nashville Symphony

• Annual Budget: $10.5 million
• Length of Season: 41 weeks
• Proposed Venue: Schermerhorn Symphony Center
• Executive Director: Alan Valentine
• Acoustician: Akustiks, Inc.

Out of the four orchestras selected for this study, the Nashville Symphony is the only organization planning to own their own hall.

Question 1: Will your organization own or rent your planned concert hall?
Answer: The Nashville Symphony will own Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Question 2: What organization will operate the concert hall facilities?
Answer: The Nashville Symphony will also operate the building and Ted Dedee, a career performing arts venue manager be the building's first managing director, employed by the NSO.

Question 3: What is the overall cost and what is your organization's financial commitment to the new concert hall?
Answer:  The total cost of the project, including financing costs, is $135 million. Construction is being financed by the combination of a $102 million tax-exempt revenue bond issuance, backed by a Letter of Credit from Bank of America, to be repaid entirely by the Symphony; a $10 million subordinated private placement series of tax-exempt bonds, and up to $20 million of direct contributions to the project mostly from the public sector. I would also like to add that the city of Nashville generously donated 2.58 acres in city property for the new hall.
In addition, we are engaged in a major campaign to increase our endowment by $120 million, in order to expand our financial capacity to operate the building, and to achieve our shared vision of building the orchestra into one of the finest in the U.S.   artistically and organizationally. In just over two years, we have raised more than $100 million. The Symphony is entirely responsible for the costs of the building, with the exception of the $20 million of mostly public sector direct support.  We do not anticipate cost overruns, as we are using the construction manager model with a "Guaranteed Maximum Price" contract. The building is now designed and bid, and every step of the way thus far, we have stayed on-budget and on-time. I honestly believe that our project has been the model of efficiency and solid planning, and our consultants and design team agree.

Questions 4: Do you plan to relocate the symphony administrative offices in the same building as the concert hall?
Answer: Yes.

Question 5 & 6 were not applicable since the Nashville Symphony plans to own their new hall.

Question 7: Did the orchestra music director and/or player's committee have final say regarding acoustical aspects of the proposed concert hall?
Answer: We have involved the music director and a committee of musicians in EVERY decision about the building, and we also appointed two musicians (chosen by the orchestra) to the board's building committee from the outset. In addition, our acoustician, Paul Scarbrough of Akustiks, has had several meetings with the full orchestra throughout the process. Having said that, however, I would add that we work for consensus among all parties, and it has served us well. The board, staff and I have all had significant input into the process and I can happily report that the consensus approach has served us well, and has resulted in no compromises to the acoustics. The acoustician also worked directly for us, rather than as a sub-consultant to the architect, putting us in the position of being the final arbiter of any design disputes that might compromise the acoustics.  We had developed a shared vision for the project and were extraordinarily clear about what we wanted from the start   a single purpose symphony hall with acoustics like no other   one that might rank among the best in the world. And NO compromises to the acoustics question were ever permitted in design process.

Question 8: Does the concert hall have provisions for dedicated educational/outreach facilities?
Answer: Yes   the building will contain a 3,000 + sq. ft. music education center, and provisions are being made to easily accommodate school buses around the site, as our goal is to double the number of students we now serve from 80,000 per year to 160,000 per year at no charge to the students or schools. Our education center does not contain any of the technological devices or gimmicks (other than multimedia equipment for group presentations) that some other halls have attempted. We, instead, consciously chose to focus on what we do best   playing great music in a great setting   for the students. The expanded Youth Concert schedule will all take place in the main hall, with informal smaller group activities taking place in the education center.
In addition, we have forged a partnership with Vanderbilt University, with the help of a generous donor, pop/country record executive Mike Curb, to create the Curb Youth Symphony which will provide performance opportunities for students in the new venue. Among other new programs we plan to implement in the new education center facility, are continuing education opportunities for adults (i.e. after work discussion and lecture-demonstration type performance series followed by social interaction opportunities), pre-concert lectures, and up-close and personal discussions with guest artists for both students and adults. We also hope to make the venue available for minimal cost each year on a limited basis to the public schools for city wide band, orchestra and choral festivals and contests.

Question 9: What are the proposed concert hall technical specifications: seating and stage size?
Answer: The Laura Turner concert Hall, as the interior hall of the  Schermerhorn Symphony Center will be known, will have 1,900 seats on three levels, all with excellent sight lines. Located behind the stage is a 146-seat choral loft that is available for public seating during non-choral performances. The stage will accommodate 115 musicians and an automated system of moveable banners and panels can adjust the acoustics for various types of performances, including amplified music.  Over 100 computerized lights can rapidly, and in synchronization, focus, change color and direct their beams to any part of the concert hall, while a state-of-the art sound system for speech and high-level amplified music will complement the hall's natural acoustics.
Other unique features include a motorized system which can remove the tiered seats on the orchestra level to reveal a flat 5,400-square-foot hardwood ballroom floor, allowing the orchestra to present some concerts in an informal "cabaret" style seating arrangement with tables and food and drinks available. Thirty soundproof windows will allow natural light to enter the hall.  A magnificent concert organ custom-built by Schoenstein & Co. of San Francisco will be available for all performances.

Question 10: How did you organization decide to either own or rent your proposed concert hall?
Answer:  We were absolutely convinced that we HAD to control our own destiny to achieve our goals, and we knew that the process would enrich the organization in unimaginable ways. 

Additional comments: Currently we perform in a multipurpose facility that really does not meet the needs of our organization.  And although our average attendance is currently lower than the planned number of seats, I'm confident that we will not only fill the hall to capacity, but we'll expand our earned income revenue by adding additional concerts to most series. 

I invite you to return tomorrow for part three, where I will analyze each orchestras situation and offer my predictions for their future.

Size Matters

Building a new concert hall seems to all the rage these days.  Recently Philadelphia, Detroit, and L.A. have moved into spectacular new digs.  Carnegie Hall opened up a new stage, and Miami is building a giant performing arts center for no one in particular (since both the symphonic and chamber orchestras have gone out of business).  For most orchestras, a new hall is another step toward artistic excellence and a long term assurance toward serving their communities.

Is a new concert hall always good for an orchestra?  If so, does the size of the hall really promote or restrict an orchestra's artistic potential?  These are the questions which sparked this analysis.  With so many new halls being constructed, I decided to narrow the field down to four relatively similar orchestras. Given their unique nature, I excluded the big boys and decided to focus this analysis on "growing orchestras", which are organizations that have annual budgets around $10 million or less.  It is these orchestras that collectively reach the largest number of patrons across America and therefore I feel best represent the future of classical music in this country.

The orchestras selected were Dayton Philharmonic, Richmond (VA) Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and Nashville Symphony.  I then sent each orchestra a questionnaire and spoke with representatives from every ensemble about their respective building projects.  I'll share the results from my examination over several installments and present my conclusions and predictions for each orchestra's future at the end. 

We'll also hear from players in each of these orchestras to find out how they view these developments that influence their artistic satisfaction as professional musicians.  Additionally, the executive director from each orchestra will be allowed to comment on my conclusions and predictions.

Introduction
Building a new concert hall is a defining event for any orchestra.  Most orchestras stay in their concert hall for decades (if not generations), so there is no way you can underestimate the importance of a new performance venue.  A well designed hall with ideal acoustical properties, a convenient location, and ample patron facilities will shape the perception of the ensemble in the eyes of the community and the rest of the world.  There are two basic ways to go about obtaining a new concert hall:

1. An orchestra can design, build, and own their own hall.
2. An orchestra can become a resident ensemble and rent the use of a concert hall.

Within the context of those two scenarios there is much variation regarding the process an orchestra decides to follow.  In the following installments, you'll be able to see how each of these organizations are going about this process and plan to achieve their goals.

I would like to thank all of the participating orchestra representatives for giving their time to fill out the questionnaires and allow telephone and email interviews.

 

Dayton Philharmonic

• Annual Budget: $4.8 million
• Length of Season: 35 Weeks   per service
• Venue: Schuster Performing Arts Center
• Executive Director: Curt Long
• Acoustician: Jaffe Holden Acoustics.  Paul Scarborough (currently with Akustiks, Inc.) did much of the acoustic design while still affiliated with Jaffe Holden.

Among all of the organizations examined in this study, the Dayton Philharmonic is the only organization that has already moved into their new hall.  This gives them a unique ability to answer the following questions with retrospect compared to the other orchestras.

Question 1: Will your organization own or rent your planned concert hall?
Answer: Rent

Question 2: What organization will operate the concert hall facilities?
Answer: The Arts Center Foundation, a private non-profit that already owned the Victoria theatre.

Question 3: What is the overall cost and what is your organization's financial commitment to the new concert hall?
Answer:  Approximately $80 million (out of the overall project costs of $121 million) was for the performing arts center portion of the complex.  The orchestra had no formal financial commitment (but we played a significant role in the fundraising). The center was completed on time and did not run over budget. 

Questions 4: Do you plan to relocate the symphony administrative offices in the same building as the concert hall?
Answer: Yes, we pay about $30,000 per year in rent which includes offices, library, the musician locker room, and orchestra dedicated storage space.

Question 5: What is your annual rent for use of the concert hall facilities?
Answer: $171,000 hall rental for rehearsals and performances only.

Question 6: Which other cultural arts organizations will share this facility as regular tenants along with the orchestra, and do any receive 'first pick" rights?
Answer: The Dayton Opera, the Broadway presenter, and Dayton Ballet.  We meet about 2 years before the start of a season to allocate available weeks among the four resident companies, and have established a fairly predictable rhythm of which organizations get which weeks over the course of the season. 

Question 7: Did the orchestra music director and/or player's committee have final say regarding acoustical aspects of the proposed concert hall?
Answer: No, but we put 100% of our influence on the hall process into pushing for no compromises on acoustics.

Question 8: Does the concert hall have provisions for dedicated educational/outreach facilities?
Answer: Not as dedicated spaces, but we use the main concert hall for educational and family performances on a regular basis.

Question 9: What are the proposed concert hall technical specifications: seating and stage size?
Answer: In its symphonic configuration the multipurpose concert hall seats 2155, which is a number we're very happy with.  We felt that anything less than 1800 seats would have severely reduced our ability to generate sufficient ticket sales income.  The stage is approximately 116'w x 50'd so there is more than sufficient room for our concerts that utilize an 83 piece orchestra.

Question 10: How did you organization decide to either own or rent your proposed concert hall?
Answer:  Owning our own hall was determined to be beyond our financial or fundraising capacity.  We did consider pursuing an option of managing the new hall, but decided against it.

 

Richmond (VA) Symphony

• Annual Budget: $4.07 million
• Length of Season: 38 Weeks
• Proposed Venue: Virginia Performing Arts Center Concert Hall
• Executive Director: David Fisk
• Architect: Wilson Butler Lodge, Inc.

In the case of the Richmond Symphony, some of the questions were directed to representatives from the Virginia Performing Arts Foundation as the Symphony does not have control over those specific issues.  Richmond is unique in that they are the only orchestra in this study that will be without a permanent concert hall for at least three years while this new facility is being constructed. 

Question 1: Will your organization own or rent your planned concert hall?
Answer: Rent

Question 2: What organization will own & operate the concert hall facilities?
Answer: The Virginia Performing Arts Foundation

Question 3: What is the overall cost and what is your organization's financial commitment to the new concert hall?
Answer:  The overall cost of the VAPAF project is $150 million, which includes construction costs for the entire center in addition to establishing an endowment to help subsidize operating expenses. The Symphony has undertaken to help VAPAF raise all the funds to build the new Music Hall but has not committed to delivering any particular sum.

Questions 4: Do you plan to relocate the symphony administrative offices in the same building as the concert hall?
Answer: Yes.

Question 5: What is your annual rent for use of the concert hall facilities?
Answer: We're still in the process of determining that amount.

Question 6: Which other cultural arts organizations will share this facility as regular tenants along with the orchestra, and do any receive 'first pick" rights?
Answer: The Richmond Ballet, Virginia Opera, Elegba Folklore Society, Richmond Jazz Society, and touring Broadway shows.  Scheduling priority will be given to the local performing arts organizations, with consideration for the needs of the community audiences and for the financial health of the Performing Arts Foundation.

Question 7: Did the orchestra music director and/or player's committee have final say regarding acoustical aspects of the proposed concert hall?
Answer: Not a final say, but our two musicians' representatives and Music Director are closely involved in discussions and that consultation process will continue.  We are happy with the level of consultation being undertaken with Jaffe Holden, the acousticians for this project.

Question 8: Does the concert hall have provisions for dedicated educational/outreach facilities?
Answer: Yes, on-site and in the associated plans for an additional off-site theatre to host a performing arts educational facility.

Question 9: What are the proposed concert hall technical specifications: seating and stage size?
Answer: The new multipurpose concert hall will have 1,100 seats.  Although this does place some restrictions on available repertoire for our Masterworks Series concerts, I'm not sure the orchestra wants to move into a larger size hall.  We are keen to use the smaller hall for most of our concerts where we can bring the audience closer to the orchestra and break down barriers.  We also intend to use the renovated 2,050 seat Carpenter Center within the same complex to perform major symphonic works and Pops concerts.

Question 10: How did you organization decide to either own or rent your proposed concert hall?
Answer:  It was determined that building our own facility was financially beyond our means.  Early in the VAPAF planning stage the orchestra was to receive a dedicated hall, but that later evolved into the current multipurpose design.  Our board of directors also decided the best course for the organization was to become a member of the Alliance for the Performing Arts and contribute our resources to the new Virginia Performing Arts Center.

Additional comments:  During our telephone conversation, David pointed out that the new 1,100 seat concert hall will be their primary performance venue.  He went on to say that this new hall will accommodate the orchestra's current chamber 'core' configuration so it will not need to grow past that current size.

I invite you to return tomorrow for part two where we will learn about the new concert halls in Kansas City and Nashville.