CBSO celebrates a record season as audience numbers grow
Jul 14 2010 by Kat Keogh, Birmingham Post
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is celebrating a record-breaking season after audience numbers swelled to 115,000.
The CBSO has seen average attendances increase by 3.5 per cent in the past 12 months amid a period of uncertainty for the arts community in the West Midlands.
The region is bracing itself for impending funding cuts from central and local Government, and the CBSO has already seen £11,700 shaved off its annual Arts Council England funding of £2,340,830.
But despite the recent recession, audiences are still flocking to the Symphony Hall in what is the fourth rise in consecutive years for the orchestra.
CBSO chief executive Stephen Maddock said: “It can be tough for the arts because when money is tight it’s sometimes the first thing that people feel they have to lose from their lives.
“But this seems to not be the case in Birmingham, where the demand for our main concert season has once again exceeded expectations.
“Not only is it great for the CBSO but also for the local economy and for people’s overall quality of life during a difficult period.”
The organisation, which is core funded by Arts Council England and Birmingham City Council, will be hoping forthcoming celebrations to mark its 90th year will increase ticket sales even further.
It will be marking the anniversary with a season of concerts which will pay tribute to names who have made a contribution to the success of the orchestra, including Simon Rattle, Sakari Oramo and Sir Edward Elgar, who conducted the inagural concert at Birmingham Town Hall in November 1920.
Mr Maddock added: “As an ambassador for the city and for the UK as a whole, through our significant worldwide reputation and touring programme, we’re always striving to ensure that we are at the forefront of new music and of shaping the future for symphony orchestras in the 21st century.
“We are firmly committed to the future of music, as demonstrated by our choral and educational programme, the largest of any orchestra in the country”.
