An Old Take For New Orchestra Entertainment

The Philadelphia Orchestra is filing for bankruptcy, another example of the many Orchestras and Symphonies falling on hard financial times. There are many reasons for this trend, but mainly there is not enough demand for this kind of premium entertainment. And I say premium for both the quality of the music as well as the cost. It’s not cheap to assemble a 30-piece orchestra.

It’s unfortunate, because I think this form of entertainment can adapt and cater to wider audiences. But there is this perception out there that this is boring music reserved for the upper class.

One way I think orchestras can reach out to new audiences, is to contemporize something they once use to do many years ago: perform live scores to films. Back in the day, orchestras would perform musical scores to accommodate cartoons and news reels.

My idea would be to create a set list composed of classical cartoons (Bugs Bunny and the like) and popular film and television themes. Musicians would play the music in sync to film clips. Wherever possible, the music score in the clips would be removed, allowing the live music to star.

The key to this kind of program is variety. While watching classic Roadrunner cartoons set to an orchestra has it’s appeal, a 2-hour program this does not make. Mixing it up with films and TV, like playing the James Bond theme or a tracks from (Bear McCreary’s) Battlestar Galactica would complete the programming.

To make this show even more commercially viable, other revenue streams like a food concession should be considered.

I know purists may not like the idea, reducing a formal event into a ‘jeans and popcorn’ outing, but if it means keeping these institutions afloat financially, it’s worth a shot. I don’t think the black tie affairs will ever go away.

There is some precedent, such as Video Games Live and Star Wars In Concert. Video Games Live is a touring show, which ‘borrows’ the local symphony on each tour stop to perform songs from a large catalog of video games. Star Wars In Concert plays music from their namesake films, and appears to be parked in Los Angeles as of this writing.