National Philharmonic to Close - Thanks to MoCo County Council!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have a lot more support for the orchestra, and would have loved to have gone to see them, if I had ever known they existed!

Do you have kids in school in MCPS?

The 2nd grade trip to see them is always a hit.

No I do not have kids in school.

It was a mistake to only reach out to second graders; I mean, that's great, but they also needed to reach out to adults who could have supported them.

They did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should switch the style of music so more people would come. Bluegrass, blues, rock or R&B would get more interest from public.

They have diversified -- this is from the 2019-20 season promotional materials:

Special Performances: Relive the musical and movie Mamma Mia as ABBA performs the group’s greatest hits, including Dancing Queen and Fernando! Experience the moving work for solo voices, chorus and orchestra Voices of Light, which accompanies the classic silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc; join us for our special fun and festive Holiday Singin’ Pops and our popular performances of Handel’s Messiah. Attend an evening dedicated to black classical music pioneers, featuring works by Wynton Marsalis, George Walker and William Grant Still, and a concert exploring the connection between music and the written word, showcasing Henry Dehlinger’s Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Michael Daughtery’s Tales of Hemingway.

And they had a jazz trumpeter from New Orleans last year doing a Louis Armstrong tribute. There were probably other examples. I mean, they are a symphony orchestra, so I wouldn't expect them to do Pink Floyd. Strathmore itself regularly hosts other types of music, but the Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should switch the style of music so more people would come. Bluegrass, blues, rock or R&B would get more interest from public.

So, the orchestra should stop being an orchestra?

An orchestra plays orchestral music - you know, the kind played by an orchestra. What would orchestral bluegrass even be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Disastrous for Strathmore. We’re regulars there. How sad.

strathmore is nice but way overpriced, Been here once and not going back. Poor location too. We go to 10 shows a year too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should switch the style of music so more people would come. Bluegrass, blues, rock or R&B would get more interest from public.

So, the orchestra should stop being an orchestra?

An orchestra plays orchestral music - you know, the kind played by an orchestra. What would orchestral bluegrass even be?

LOL! Entertaining, I guess.

[Anonymous]

The WaPo had an article on this, noting that people complain when orchestras close, but those same people don't actually go see the orchestra, or even read reviews of their music. People like the idea of having a symphony, but they don't support it. It's like people complaining that indie bookstores are closing, when they never buy books there (but sometimes use the bookstore to browse and then buy stuff on Amazon). If people want arts organizations to exist, they really should put their money and their time where their mouths are. How many people lamenting the loss of the NPO ever saw a performance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The WaPo had an article on this, noting that people complain when orchestras close, but those same people don't actually go see the orchestra, or even read reviews of their music. People like the idea of having a symphony, but they don't support it. It's like people complaining that indie bookstores are closing, when they never buy books there (but sometimes use the bookstore to browse and then buy stuff on Amazon). If people want arts organizations to exist, they really should put their money and their time where their mouths are. How many people lamenting the loss of the NPO ever saw a performance?

+1000

Everyone has the option to donate. The county has to make responsible decisions about handing out taxpayer money to financially unsustainable organizations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Folks, if you wanted the NSO to survive so you could attend their concerts, perhaps you could have reached into your considerably deep pockets and donated money to this organization that you claim to care so much about. Whining about how taxpayers are not funding your evenings out at the symphony is pathetic.

Whining about how taxpayers are not funding the symphony concerts you didn't go to - is more accurate.

+1
I do feel badly for the people who actually regularly attended performances, but who lacked the financial means to make substantial donations. And the kids who enjoyed the field trips and whatever other musical education the NPO provided. But people bitching about losing a cultural resource they themselves rarely or never used (meaning they were not interested in its work, or were unwilling to pay for it)? Nah.

Here's the WaPo article, BTW, written by the paper's classical music critic.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/people-are-upset-when-an-orchestra-closes-if-only-they-went-to-the-concerts/2019/07/19/67b2d188-a983-11e9-9214-246e594de5d5_story.html?utm_term=.13767b8e162d

[Anonymous]

They have a site now to donate to generate the remaining funding:

https://squareup.com/store/save-the-national-philharmonic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They have a site now to donate to generate the remaining funding:

https://squareup.com/store/save-the-national-philharmonic

with a deadline of July 31st

[Anonymous]

I just donated, I hope that they can make their deadline. I do wish that they had started this in June.

[Anonymous]

And they raised the money without relying on the largesse of the county. See what organizations can do when necessary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And they raised the money without relying on the largesse of the county. See what organizations can do when necessary?

They should consider this model for many of the other things the County funds. Hopefully this will lead to a trend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have a site now to donate to generate the remaining funding:

https://squareup.com/store/save-the-national-philharmonic

with a deadline of July 31st

They achieved their goal. Any orchestra that isn't capable of raising $100K is going to end up closing at some point.

Save the National Philharmonic
As of July 30, 2019, we have exceeded our goal. We have saved the National Philharmonic, but don't let that stop you! Your continuing generosity supports our mission to provide excellent classical music performances for years to come.