The Holidays Just Keep Getting Harder at the Bellevue Philharmonic
Categories: Classical Music
As if a vicious labor dispute between orchestra players and management wasn't enough to deal with (the comments section of the blog post breaking news of the dispute, featuring some strong opinions is available here), the Bellevue Philharmonic sent an e-mail to musicians yesterday saying the Dec. 19 concert of holiday-themed classics at First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue will be canceled due to low ticket sales.
As of yesterday the BPO had sold about 50 tickets, many to members of the Board of Directors. The full e-mail from Board President Dale Miller is below the jump.
This was obviously not an easy decision for many reasons, among them that we know this is short notice for the you, the artists who were scheduled to perform. While we were hoping the numbers would improve with some additional marketing and word of mouth, unfortunately total ticket sales to date as of Monday were just over fifty, a significant portion of which were accounted for by the board members who were present at the meeting. The BPO would need to sell many multiples of that in order to be able to begin to approach the direct expenses for the event. To do otherwise would endanger the orchestra's viability in the current environment, and unfortunately in this case the decision was clear due to the tickets sold to date.
This is an exceptionally challenging time for all arts organizations. As you probably know, like similar orchestral groups, our larger ensemble concerts have always been mostly paid for (subsidized) by individual and corporate donations, with only a small fraction of the direct costs for each performance covered by ticket sales. Our ticket sales, like others across the nation, have declined this year as fewer patrons attend the performing arts due to economic conditions. Added to this, previously pledged funds from foundations, corporations, and individuals have in some cases been cancelled or significantly reduced in recent months as the focus of charitable giving has changed. Thus, we have to make difficult choices about which performances and services we can still provide in our community in a fiscally responsible way.
I am obviously sorry to bear this news. The current economic conditions will eventually pass, and in the meantime we are working very hard to gain new patrons and donors, while developing a roadmap to sustainability.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Respectfully,
Dale T. Miller
BPO Board of Directors
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