Financing the next 100 years 

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This year, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is celebrating a century of existence — and ensuring the cultural institution’s legacy for the next 100 years is now a top priority.

Questions of financial health and survival loom large, not only for the RPO, but for American orchestras as a whole. In 2016, the League of American Orchestras (LAO) reported that these groups were now receiving more income from donations than from ticket sales. Ticket sales have continued to be an issue since the pandemic, with orchestra ticket sales plummeting 67 percent between November 2020 and October 2021, according to a report by the data and analytics firms TRG Arts and Purple Seven.

And while a forthcoming TRG Arts study in conjunction with the LAO finds that ticket sales have returned to pre-pandemic levels and individual donations made to American orchestras this year are up 12 percent, the revenue from individual donations has decreased four percent since 2019.

RPO CEO Curt Long believes a proactive approach is needed to maintain support in the community. “American orchestras are used to thinking we can take it for granted that we are one of the pillars of the community,” he said, “and people are going to give us money just because they think having a great orchestra is a sign of a great city.”

Long added that perspective is antiquated. “If all we do is serve affluent, educated, suburban, old, white audiences, the case for philanthropic support for many philanthropists is not as compelling as other pressing needs of the community,” he said.
Donations are integral to the vitality of the RPO, enabling the orchestra to present concerts and programs that don’t bring in as much revenue from ticket sales, including community events, educational initiatives, and bolder Philharmonics concerts.

RPO Vice President of Development Rob Dermody agreed donors can’t be taken for granted. Donations are less certain than they were even a decade ago, and Dermody said fewer American households give philanthropically after the pandemic, with orchestra subscriptions also on the decline.

And while top donors are important, Dermody said they comprise only 12 percent of the orchestra’s 4,000 donors on the rolls. It’s vital to maintain a broad donor base and convince those who make $100 contributions to invest in the RPO.

But securing investments is about cultivating long-term relationships that begin with ticket purchases. Zuza Kwon, a 41-year-old RPO board member who is also a donor, said people between the ages of 20 and 40 are typically raising families or actively pursuing their careers and are not ready to make major donations. But it’s not too early to reach out to them.

“I think it's most important to make those people audience members, to make them appreciate and realize what an incredible thing the RPO is in the community,” Kwon said. “And as they become subscribers or as they just become frequent ticket buyers, that’s when you grab them as a larger donor in the future, when they’re in a position to give more to the RPO financially.”
The RPO is also creating a young professionals group, which will hold its first event in November. The RPO’s donors, who account for 60 percent of its revenues, have seen a gradual net increase each season since 2021.

And to that end, Dermody remains optimistic. “It's long been the story that the orchestra — it's old people, they're dying, the orchestra is going to go away,” he said. “Well, for 100 years it's been said. It was in a Time magazine, in the ’50s, that exact story. And here we are, 75 years later. You look at 9/11, you look at the 2008 market crash, you look at COVID, we're still here.”

[NOTE: This article has been updated to include Dermody's correct title and to accurately reflect the number of RPO donors.]

Daniel J. Kushner is an arts writer at CITY. He can be reached at [email protected].