BSO seems to have become a soap opera

[tofu]

https://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-ent ... h-nelsons/

[donn]

Or yet another episode of the corporatization of everything. We had to destroy BSO to save it. We had many meetings and workshops so that everyone's voice could be heard - but ignored, of course, because we have made our plans. Listen to our bold, innovative plans to turn off anyone who used to be with us!

Sometimes it works, and an institution continues on under the name.

[gocsick]

We had to destroy BSO to save it.... Listen to our bold, innovative plans to turn off anyone who used to be with us!

They were also playing to half empty halls for their concerts... even the Tanglewood residency was losing money.. They were running operational deficits that were tapping into the endowment.

So yeah they had to shake things up. LA Phil has done a really good job of connecting with audiences and rebuilding that org. Pops concerts and special events featuring diverse programming put butts in seats... the typical masterworks concerts don't.

Didn't get me wrong... I am not necessarily siding with the board here... I think a huge part of the problem is that orchestra boards are made up of old rich white people who still buy into the idea that a city should have a symphony orchestra to show off his sophisticated and cultured it is.... and more importantly it allows other old rich people to feel good about themselves because they get to talk about how they "support the arts" because they purchase subscriptions and make token donations.

The Knight Foundation did a study of orchestra audiences.
People who listen regularly to classical music (radio, streaming, and physical media) are not automatically orchestra attendees. In fact, the market is much larger than the concert audience. Roughly 10–15% of Americans have a close relationship with classical music, while only a fraction of those listeners attend orchestral concerts with any regularity. On the other hand, A lot of people who have subscriptions don't actually regularly listen to classical music.

So yeah they pissed off the musicians and they pissed off the small number of regular attendees who actually are invested in music ... but in the grand scheme of things neither of those groups were paying the bills..

[bloke]

The level of societal sophistication in the US is considerably lower than it was in the 1970's (though which I lived, and which was arguably the peek era of popularity of American symphony orchestras.
Quite a few of the high-profile older players - from that era - stayed on - rather than retiring - as the pay scales (certainly adjusted for 2026 inflation) nearly skyrocketed, in some cities.

High art only thrives when there's a high level of civilization.
As a person born in the US in the mid-1950's, clearly American cities are less "civil" as compared to earlier in my own lifespan.
I'm aware that my views are a bit skewed - as I live near one of the least civilized and most dangerous cities in America, but all American cities (regardless of whether any particular individual has the long-term points of reference that some of us have) are less sophisticated culturally, and either somewhat-to-extremely more dangerous, societally.

Subtle signs are
- architecturally-beautiful and structurally-sound buildings being routinely raised and replaced with either brutalist public architecture or garbage-structures, such as fast-food joints
- (though whitewashed over with auto-spoken comments such as "art is a matter of taste") just plain and inarguably ugly (if not depressing) art displayed in public places. Even newly-erected statues of admired historical figures appear to have been created by juveniles (EVEN THOUGH we have AI, which - theoretically - could come to the rescue).
a local-to-me example: https://static.standard.co.uk/2025/10/0 ... &width=960

Besides high art finding itself difficult to thrive where - overwhelming - lowbrow art is produced and consumed, high art itself is morphing into low brow.
Rather than with a classic overture, it has seemingly become the "new tradition" for symphony orchestra concerts to begin with a piece that (again: "brutalist") tends to assault the patrons (rather than inspire or even entertain), and typically being acknowledged with tepid/polite applause.

My son-in-law (Pittsburgh Symphony) grabbed us some comp. tickets (when we visited for a grandkid's Eagle Scout award ceremony, which was that weekend), as they were playing Tchaik 5 when we were up there.
I looked over the program, asked him if the first piece on the program is "good", he made an odd facial expression and answered, "I really have no idea" (even though he played on that piece).

...so symphony orchestra concerts are now often begun with brutalist/assaulting pieces (or mediocre works, based on their origins), as well as (as the culture and civilization continues to decline) not only resorting to several (if not now 100% - with some orchestras in smaller cities - "pops" fare) but - additionally - gimmick concerts, such as playing along with the soundtracks of old movies and video game sound affects. (Pops concerts are "fun" - and fun for the musicians - but (as everyone openly admits) the revenue from the "lowbrow" (pops/movie-playalongs/video game tunes) concerts is what financially enables the production of the classical concerts.

yes...
SOME cities continue to fill up their classical concerts' seats.
Most of the concerts' I've attended in Pittsburgh continue to seem to mostly be sold (well, they're just so *damn good - which is obvious to even the most casual listener...The violinists are so strong and their pitch is so sure that they can actually - if requested by the music itself - make themselves sound like a very large TRUMPET section. ), but - local-to-me - I've rarely witnessed a sold-out symphony concert - at least, not with the "classical" concerts (and back in the 70's - this same orchestra offered a [1] Friday night concert, [2] a Saturday night concert, and [3] a Sunday matinee. Today, only a few of the local-to-me concerts are both offered on Saturday and Sunday. (It seems as though four or five rehearsals should result in at LEAST two or three shows, yes?)
--------------------------------------
*and hey: Thankfully, they've NOT bulldozed their gorgeous/amazing (Heinz) Hall - replacing it with some spartan/brutalist "scientifically-designed-by-a-renowned-acoustician" hall, as - admitted - Heinz Hall itself is part of the experience.

bloke always posts "political" stuff, and stuff that's just plain wrong.

ok...Show me (above) "political" and show me (above) "plain wrong".

[donn]

They were also playing to half empty halls for their concerts... even the Tanglewood residency was losing money.. They were running operational deficits that were tapping into the endowment.

From the article:

Indeed, they point out that much of the nontraditional programming that Smith, and before him Samuel, put in place has not been commercially successful. The “E Pluribus Unum” festival last season was moderately attended, while the “Voices of Loss, Reckoning and Hope” festival from the season before was “the worst-selling three weeks I’ve ever seen at the BSO,” says one veteran musician. In contrast, the Beethoven cycle from that same season was a sellout.

Who knows, maybe it will work out there continues to be a Boston Symphony Orchestra, but something is being lost about that institution that can't be distilled out of executive buzz words.

[Schlitzz]

https://thomaswdinsmore.substack.com/

Applied stats guy analyzes the financial disclosures. Their finances are fine.

[bloke]

https://thomaswdinsmore.substack.com/

Applied stats guy analyzes the financial disclosures. Their finances are fine.

Huge seemingly bankruptcy-proof endowments and concert attendance numbers don't have a ton to do with each other.
Only a small portion of orchestras' revenues are the results of ticket sales...

... at least, not until they started playing along with the soundtracks of old mediocre movies and video games.