An engaged, enthusiastic, and diverse audience is one of the strongest standards for justifying an orchestra’s value. During my years as a violinist in various orchestras around the country, I have witnessed audiences lose their enthusiasm for live concerts and turn their backs to orchestras as the result of behavior from those inside the ensemble.
The last two months I covered how music directors and musicians alienate audiences, and this month’s article will focus on managers. Unlike the previous two groups, managers are somewhat different in that they are not as visible to concert goers. However, they just as much if not more influence on how audience members experience a concert so out-of-sight, out-of-mind doesn’t really apply here. As such, here’s a step-by-step guide managers can use to identify the problems along with some practical advice on how to avoid the traps.
