Attendance at Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concerts continues to rise, according to figures just released by the CSO for its 2003-04 Music Hall season. Average attendance for '03-04 was 1,935, up 2 percent from 2002-03.
And despite having fewer concerts to sell -- there were 22 concerts in '03-04 rather than 24 because of the orchestra's fall tour of Japan -- the CSO actually sold more seats than the year before.
Subscriptions were up for the season, too, with 7,627 sold, an increase of 4 percent from the previous year.
The biggest jump in subscribers was for the CSO's new Sunday afternoon matinee series, which grew by 15 percent. The Thursday night buffet series, which includes complimentary buffet dinner in the cost of admission, continued to be popular, growing by 11 percent.
The Classic Choice option, packages of vouchers redeemable for best available seating at any CSO Music Hall concert, showed an increase of 13 percent.
Single tickets, an increasingly large portion of CSO sales, accounted for 34 percent of total seats sold, with the highest growth for students (up 20 percent) and groups (11 percent).
In another trend reflecting changing lifestyles, online ticket sales were 12 percent higher than in 2002-03, accounting for 15 percent of the CSO's total single ticket sales
College Nites, a marketing initiative begun when Paavo Järvi became music director in 2001, grew by a whopping 37 percent, drawing students from more than 22 regional colleges. For $10, students get a concert ticket and a party afterward in Music Hall's Corbett Tower.
The five highest attended concerts of the season, all conducted by Järvi, were:
• Feb. 19-21. Violinist Midori (Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto). Stravinsky, "The Rite of Spring." 8,309.
• April 30, May 1-2. Pianist Andre Watts (Beethoven "Emperor" Concerto). Schumann, Symphony No. 2. 7,369.
• May 6-8. Pianist Yefim Bronfman (Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 2). Beethoven, Symphony No. 7. 6,412.
• Oct. 30-31, Nov. 1. Pianist Garrick Ohlsson (Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major). Sibelius, Symphony No. 2. 5,657.
• March 18-20. Flutist Emmanuel Pahud (Nielsen, Flute Concerto). Mozart, Symphony No. 35. Prokofiev, Symphony No. 5. 5,553.
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