A little funky, and outrageous
How a local classical group is creating new fans
Crain’s Chicago Business
By Steve Hendershot
Published October 7, 2006
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The Chicago Sinfonietta isn’t your father’s classical music group. The first concert of the 2006-07 season began with an appeal for those in the audience to turn their cell phones on for the beginning of a unique commissioned work, David Baker’s “Concertino for Cell Phones and Orchestra.” And while rival orchestras are struggling to fill seats, the Sinfonietta — now in its 20th season — is on track to post a second straight year of 12% subscriber gains, along with record single-ticket sales. We asked Executive Director Jim Hirsch and Music Director Paul Freeman how they’re creating a “funky, outrageous little orchestra.”
What are you doing to attract this growing audience?
Mr. Hirsch: We stepped out of the segment. We want to create “symphonic-based experiences,” for people who love the sound of an orchestra, who love classical music repertoire but might want something in addition to that. It’s a fresh and innovative approach to classical music. It’s fun, easy to get to, you’ll feel comfortable here and if you’re looking for something different, you’ll find it.
Mr. Freeman: It’s about diversity, top to bottom. Our primary social mission has always been to provide music for everyone — all races, all creeds. That’s manifested in our orchestra, where we have about 30% musicians of color, and in our audience, which often has 45% people of color. And it includes the music we perform — music by ethnic composers and the commissioning of unusual works like the cell phone concerto.
You’ve tapped new audiences at the Chicago Humanities Festival, Adler Planetarium and through your collaboration with the rock band Poi Dog Pondering. How are these performances winning you converts?
Mr. Hirsch: Our order of operations is first to get people in the door to try the product for the first time. Then we market back at them with something that’s relevant to them, and hopefully they will become repeat buyers. If someone is a first-time sampler at our tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., we would then go back to them with events showcasing composers or musicians of color. We converted 25 people who first sampled us at a performance with Poi Dog Pondering into repeat buyers and subscribers. We do everything we can to retain the subscribers — we offer them a fairly deep discount to renew early, we host subscriber appreciation events and even send out a coupon book. And then in year three, they become donors. We’ve learned that there’s almost 100% correlation between three-year subscribers and donors. So it’s an ascending ladder of participation.
How about the idea that a classical audience needs to be trained to appreciate the music?
Mr. Freeman: The symphony has catered to a certain class of people, but the world has changed. In order for the symphony orchestra to be viable for more people, it has to expand into more cultures. When people say they’re leery of the symphony because they don’t know how to listen, I tell them to hear whatever they want to hear.
Mr. Hirsch: In our strategic planning, I said I don’t like programs that just bus kids in and take them out. I don’t believe in hit-and-run art. Our percussionist said, “Shut up, Jim. That’s how I got involved in classical music.” Okay, I’m not stupid — we immediately created a program that opens our rehearsals to schools. We also have a program that sends musicians into schools for a six-week residency where they teach the children about classical music. It ties in history, it ties in science and each kid who participates is then invited to every concert as our guest for the entire season.
The Sinfonietta is growing, but with 1,100 subscribers, your profile is still fairly low. How do you compete for visibility?
Mr. Hirsch: We have a $150,000 marketing budget. What the Chicago Symphony Orchestra spends on advertising in a month in the Tribune is our entire season. We try to leverage our partnerships and collaborations — ABC-7 is supporting our ’06-’07 season by contributing free spots for three of our five concerts. We try to be a unique, strong, niche player in this little segment of the world that we’re carving out for ourselves. I want to create finely crafted, stunningly unique experiences. I think it’s our role to be that funky, outrageous little orchestra that people talk about.