Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Taking the Symphony Out of Utica . . .

I was looking forward to seeing our Utica Symphony at our newly renovated Stanley Center for the Arts in Downtown Utica . . . Well, I guess I will just have to keep looking...

The 2008-2009 Utica Symphony schedule is now posted, and out of 5 concerts, the orchestra will perform only the Holiday concert at the Stanley. All the other performances will be at the Clinton Performing Arts Center.

What's this all about?

Maybe it's just me, but I think that most people who donate to the Utica Symphony expect to be able to hear more than just a holiday concert in Utica. . . . And I think that most people who donate to the Stanley expect the theater to host the community's symphony more than once during the season.

I don't know who is running these institutions, but they need to think twice about what they are doing. Both institutions depend on public support. The public purse is only so deep. It should not be too much to expect both to support each other, especially when personal budgets are being stretched to the limit. If the Stanley hosted the Symphony more often, the publics' donations to either effectively go farther.

If these institutions do not support each other, they run the risk of losing the publics' support as well.

1 comment:

mensign said...

The Stanley no longer has an accoustic shell. The Symphony can not play there without one.