Contact:
Carl Herko
Vice President, Media & Public Relations
503-416-6347
cherko@orsymphony.org

January 30, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OREGON SYMPHONY EXCEEDS $5 MILLION IN TICKET SALES

Average concert attendance climbs more than 20 percent as orchestra continues to rebound at the box office

(PORTLAND, Ore.) — The Oregon Symphony today passed a significant milestone – the $5 million mark in ticket sales for the current concert season – amid continued signs that the orchestra is doing significantly better at the box office than it has in recent years.

As of today, the orchestra has sold just over $5 million worth of tickets for the current concert season, which started in September and concludes in May.  This is a significant sign of success for three reasons:

1. It represents an increase of more than $461,000 in ticket sales over the same time last season;
2. With nearly four months remaining in the current concert season, it means the orchestra has already exceeded the amount of ticket revenue it earned all of last season;
3. Most important, it guarantees that the orchestra will end the current season with a year-to-year increase in ticket revenue for the first time since 2001-02, putting a halt to five consecutive years of declining ticket sales.

The last time the Oregon Symphony exceeded $5 million in ticket sales was in the final days of the 2003-04 concert season.

While the encouraging figures are crucial to the orchestra’s bottom line, equally important is the fact that they also represent more people in the audience as well. For the 43 Oregon Symphony performances in Portland’s Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall so far this season, the average paid attendance has been 1,662, an increase of 20.5 percent over last season’s average crowd of 1,379. That represents an additional 283 people in the audience at each concert.

“The greatest measure of an orchestra’s relevance to its community is the number of people attending its performances,” said Oregon Symphony Association President Elaine Calder.  “We have a great orchestra giving superb concerts, week after week, playing a wide range of symphonic music. Music Director Carlos Kalmar and I want the same thing: happy audiences delighted with the programming and the quality of the performances.  We’re growing increasingly confident that this year’s target of $5.3 million in ticket sales will be met – and that will be another ‘first’ in several years.”

Tickets are on sale now for all 35 remaining performances in the 2007-08 season. Complete information on programs, conductors, guest artists, dates, times – and how to buy tickets – is available on the orchestra’s web site, www.orsymphony.org.