The Philadelphia Orchestra has spent more than a century establishing itself as one of America’s leading orchestras. But I wonder how many Philadelphians have actually heard them perform.
On October 8, the orchestra presented another Orchestra After 5 concert, featuring violinist Gil Shaham and conductor Dalia Stasevska. The concert series offers shorter performances, earlier starting times and a more relaxed atmosphere.
I like the idea. Classical concerts don’t need to be formal occasions, and making them less intimidating is worthwhile. But I doubt that changing the atmosphere inside a concert hall will persuade everyone to walk through its doors. Some people have simply never had an opportunity to discover whether they enjoy classical music.
What happens after the first lesson?
According to 6abc, Philadelphia Orchestra & Ensemble Arts reaches approximately 40,000 students annually through its educational programs. Its partnership with the School District of Philadelphia aims to give every student at least three encounters with the organization during their school years. The Mann Center also hosts the All City Orchestra Summer Academy, where young musicians receive free instrumental instruction.
I have spent years teaching violin and piano. Some children arrive convinced they have no musical ability. Watching them gradually become comfortable with an instrument can be more satisfying than preparing someone for an examination. But I also know what happens when lessons become unaffordable. Sometimes a child stops playing altogether.
That is why I would be interested in following these students. How many are still playing a year later? Can their families afford continued tuition? The orchestra’s educational reach is impressive. I’d like to know what happens afterwards.
A city and its patrons
In my research into 19th-century musical patronage, I regularly encounter wealthy individuals who supported musicians for reasons beyond enjoying their performances. Patronage brought musicians financial security and patrons social prestige.
In 1924, Mary Louise Curtis Bok founded the Curtis Institute of Music, demonstrating how private wealth could support artistic excellence while removing tuition costs for a select group of young musicians.
The Philadelphia Orchestra likewise benefited from philanthropy that helped establish its international reputation. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. But I wonder whether institutional prestige sometimes overshadows the question of who actually gets to experience the music.
Earlier this year, Temple University announced a partnership with Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts to expand educational opportunities along Broad Street. I welcome such partnerships. But another development has stayed with me.
The concerts Philadelphia lost
In May, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the orchestra had suspended its free neighborhood concerts because of rising costs and insufficient funding. When the program began in 2000, a single performance reportedly cost approximately $80,000. That figure has since climbed above $225,000.
Those numbers are difficult to ignore. An orchestra cannot perform without paying its musicians or covering the considerable expense of moving instruments and equipment. Still, I find it sad that these concerts have disappeared.
I keep thinking about the people who might have encountered the orchestra simply because it was performing near their homes. Perhaps a resident who had never purchased a classical concert ticket would have stopped to listen, without knowing anything about Beethoven or orchestral traditions. That, to me, is what made the neighborhood concerts valuable.
A performance at the Kimmel Center, however welcoming, asks people to make a deliberate decision to attend. A neighborhood concert gives them the chance to discover the music without planning an evening around it.
Who pays for access?
Private philanthropy has sustained U.S. orchestras for generations, and I wouldn’t dismiss the generosity that makes their work possible. But donors have preferences. A famous soloist or an ambitious concert program may appeal to a benefactor more readily than a free performance in a local community.
I also hesitate to suggest that taxpayers should automatically cover the difference. Philadelphia has competing financial priorities, and cultural organizations should be prepared to explain what public support achieves. Yet I think the loss of these free concerts deserves more attention in that discussion.
The orchestra opened its 127th season with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the American premiere of Joe Hisaishi’s Orbis. There is plenty to celebrate in that programming. But the achievement I would most like to see in the coming years is rather different: finding a way for Philadelphians who have never attended an orchestral concert to hear their city’s musicians.
Philadelphia has long ago proven that it could build a world-class orchestra. I hope it can also find a way to bring that orchestra closer to the people who call the city home.
Stacy Olive Jarvis is a UK-based music historian and freelance cultural journalist specialising in nineteenth-century musical culture, patronage and the relationship between music and society. Her writing has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Conversation, The Strad and other international publications.
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