Symphony Aims to Boost Attendance

December 20, 2010

News Release

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra announced today that Eli Lilly & Company Foundation has granted the organization $500,000 to support initiatives aimed at building and sustaining new audiences to its concerts and programs. The five-year gift is presented in addition to the Foundation’s annual gift in support of the Orchestra’s Lilly Classical Series, the ISO’s 20 weekends of classical music concerts.

In 2009, the ISO began the critical work of transforming its business model in order to attract new patrons to its concerts while retaining its fixed-seat subscription audience. Generated from an audience analysis study over a three-year period, the ISO’s new business model reflects a greater emphasis on increasing single ticket purchasing; creating flexible subscription and concert packaging and pricing; using new technologies for communication and transactions; and presenting a new concert experience for newcomers to symphonic programs. With this additional gift from the Lilly Foundation, the ISO will continue development of these initiatives:

A new concert format. Introduced in the 2009-2010 season, the Symphonic Hits powered by Lilly series featured emerging and premiere artists such as Time for Three, pianist Garrick Ohlsson and violinist Vadim Gluzman, and popular classical masterworks like Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony and Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony. These six Symphony Hits concerts presented new interactive pre- and post-concert opportunities and were offered at lower price points in order to broaden the audience base. At the conclusion of the series last year, 17% of the Symphonic Hits audience was new to the ISO.

A partnership with Time for Three. With its blend of classical, bluegrass, country western and jazz styles, the string trio Time for Three—with members Zach De Pue, Nick Kendall and Ranaan Meyer—helped attract record audiences to the ISO’s Stella Artois Happy Hour at the Symphony series in 2009-2010. As the ISO’s first ensemble-in-residence, the group also performed to large crowds at Marsh Symphony on the Prairie, presented master classes and workshops with two local high schools and played in many other venues around central Indiana. In this season and next, the group plans to partner with other soloists and members of the orchestra to present a diverse mix of programming.

Technology and flexible ticket packaging. Through use of social media platforms, strategic email distribution and text messaging, mobile marketing and customized iPhone and Android applications, the ISO is reaching beyond traditional channels of communication in order to attract new and younger audiences to symphonic music. In addition, the ISO has recognized the shift from a traditional “subscriber economy” to a “single ticket economy” and has responded by offering multiple, flexible purchase options for patrons. In the 2010-2011 season, flexible subscription purchasing grew 38%.

The Eli Lilly and Company Foundation is the title sponsor of the ISO’s Lilly Classical Series. Over a 25-year period, the Foundation has donated more than $8 million to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, including gifts to fund the Orchestra’s European tour in 1997, radio broadcasts on stations throughout the country, and several annual fund and audience development campaigns.

“We are most grateful to the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation for its farsighted and generous support of our Orchestra over many years,” said Simon Crookall, President and CEO of the ISO. “With this new gift, the Lilly Foundation is investing in the ISO’s future by helping us to reach new audiences for our concerts, programs and events.”

Source: Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra