The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA) recently announced its third consecutive year of record-breaking fundraising, with ticket sales at an all-time high for the 2013 fiscal year.
Ticket sales totaled $22.3 million for 305 CSOA-presented events at Symphony Center, a 4.5% increase over last year's record amount of $21.4 million. And single-ticket revenue from CSO subscription series was up 15.7% from the previous year, with concerts at 82% paid capacity.
The CSOA raised $29.8 million in annual support--a 6% increase above last year's total of $28.2 million. Overall, fundraising totaled $52 million for FY '13.
Chicago's charismatic maestro, Riccardo Muti, has no doubt had a huge impact on the numbers; all three seasons of his tenure have been record ones for both sales and fundraising.
CSOA president Deborah Rutter named some of the artistic successes that bolstered such positive numbers, including season-opening performances by Muti and the CSO on tour at Carnegie Hall, as well as two cities in Mexico that saw CSO debuts (Guanajuato and Mexico City, respectively).
Muti's Chicago concerts have also garnered excellent reviews, bringing tens of thousands to Orchestra Hall...including 10,000 for four performances of Bach's B Minor Mass, alone.
And lest we forget, there was that performance of Verdi's Requiem Mass on October 10, which was streamed live on 40 websites in more than 12 countries. Within 72 hours of the last "Libera Me," some 60,000 people had listened to the concert online.
Unfortunately, Muti's series of fall concerts has come to an end, but a number of prominent guest conductors will lead the CSO in the coming weeks.
So, for more information about those performances at Symphony Center, do check out cso.org.
