With the elimination of barriers that can keep people from attending classical music performances among Chicago Sinfonietta’s goals, the orchestra created a new pay-what-you-can program.
“I often asked people why have you not been to an orchestra concert. Some of those barriers are often geographical, which of course during COVID we were really able to eliminate because we have virtual offerings. But oftentimes, of course, it is a financial barrier,” Chief Executive Officer Blake-Anthony Johnson said.
“In my own experience, in just talking to people in the community — not just in Chicago but in our country — that financial piece is really critical. Some of the pay-what-you can or underwritten concert tickets that you might have seen in the past are usually super narrow in scope.
“It’s either kids under 18, which really doesn’t help families or if they’re senior citizens, which does not address the broader population at large.”
In addition to regular ticket prices, pay-what-you-can tickets will be offered a week or two before the concert at chicagosinfonietta.org/education/pay-what-you-can where promotion codes for suggested prices of $5 and $10 will be posted. If the audience member is unable to pay one of those amounts, he or she can contact a patron service manager.
“Because this program is so new, they’re certainly not going to turn people away,” Johnson said. “The idea is for it to be as readily accessible as possible. There are suggested minimums but you’ll see as the program kind of adapts and grows each season, that may or may not stay in place.”
The new policy launches with the start of Chicago Sinfonietta’s 2021-22 season, which opens with the concert “New Folk,” which will be performed at 8 p.m. Sept. 18 at Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville and at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at Symphony Center in Chicago.
The concert, he said, will show the breadth and depth of the orchestra and feature folk-influenced pieces with “singable melodies and harmonies that will stick with you if you come to this concert.” Music Director Maestro Mei-Ann Chen will conduct.
“I am excited beyond words to welcome back live audiences by opening Chicago Sinfonietta’s 34th season concert series with an orchestral work showcasing the Sinfonietta musicians in (Franz) Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (a Sinfonietta premiere),” Chen said in a statement.
“Also on this concert is the long-awaited debut of violinist Tessa Lark in Michael Torke’s Grammy nominated ‘Sky’ with its Bluegrass and Irish reels influences (the pandemic impacted the Chicago premiere of this fun work).
“Our ‘New Folk’ program culminates with a hidden gem in the symphonic repertoire, ‘Negro Folk Symphony’ by William Dawson, which received much acclaim after its world premiere in 1934 by the Philadelphia Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, but which has been forgotten over the decades.
“In 2013, the Sinfonietta gave the Chicago premiere of this work during a severe winter storm — the concert took place, but many of our audience members couldn’t make it due to challenging road conditions,” Chen said. “It has always been my dream to repeat another performance of this rarely performed orchestral masterpiece for our new and loyal audiences.”
Johnson said the pay-what-you can ticket offering is just one of many programs the Sinfonietta is rolling out to make sure the concerts are as accessible as possible.
“In my head it was kind of a no-brainer, but it’s really nice to see the enthusiasm around it because what we want is for people to have access to everything we do on stage and everything we do offstage,” he said. “The last thing I want is for someone not to be a part of the Chicago Sinfonietta family because of price.”
For the first time the Sinfonietta will be able to issue digital tickets, which will allow the purchase of the pay-what-you-can tickets with a promotion code on the program’s launching page.
“The codes are usually shared a week or two before the concert. They would just check out like anyone else would for a ticket and use the pay what you can promo code,” he said. “We’re hoping that since it is kind of centralized folks will be able easily be able to get a ticket if they want to come to a concert.”
So far the feedback for the program has been positive. So much so, when news of the affordable ticket option received national attention, an anonymous donor stepped forward to cover the first year of the program.
“We’ve actually had a sponsor underwrite the program for this pilot season. They came in after we created the program. That’s another good sign that there’s definitely some enthusiasm behind it. So right now we actually haven’t put a limit on how many people can utilize it,” Johnson said.
“Of course we only have so many seats so the only limit is the size of the hall itself. Right now there’s not a fixed limit but we’re going to see how this year works and adjust accordingly.”
So much of what the Sinfonietta is trying to do is to make classical music part of everyone’s day-to-day lives, he said.
“I think at least for the financial barrier we have a lot of opportunities that I want to take on aggressively,” Johnson said. “So this is really just one of probably several things that you’ll see unveiled as we keep trying to further the mission along.”
‘New Folk’ Chicago Sinfonietta Concert
When: 8 p.m. Sept. 18
Where: Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville
Tickets: $49-$62 adult; $17 student; pay-what-you-can tickets available
Information: 312-284-1554; chicagosinfonietta.org
Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
