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THE LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA

By Terry Gray

Following are three excerpts from the Letters to the Editor of Thursday’s Courier-Journal.

“…So we can say we have a ‘top-notch orchestra’ to attract more CEOs and their companies.”

“…If they choose to file bankruptcy, it is the failure of the leadership of this community…”

“… We cannot begin to be a world-class city until we can save our cultural institutions from dying slow and sure deaths.”

I seriously doubt that this conversation has ever taken place: 

          “Sir, you moved your company here and opened jobs to the community and you pay into the tax base and help boost our local economy.   What made you decide to come to Louisville, Kentucky of all places?”

“To simply answer your question Mr. Reporter, The Louisville Orchestra of course.”

Silly, isn’t it?  Well, it’s about as silly as blaming the leadership of the community for the failure of a business.  The Orchestra is a business and as such needs to be solvent in order to survive.  Then comes the attitude that we can’t be a world-class city without an orchestra.  I also heard that about the Extreme Park.

Obviously, people are not patronizing the orchestra.  There is not sufficient  demand to support the orchestra in its current configuration.  This logic follows the suggestions of the above 3 quotes.

In order to attract new businesses to Louisville, the leaders of our community need to institute mandatory sophistication classes directed at orchestral appreciation.  With the new found education of the citizens of the community, the orchestra would flourish, new businesses would locate here, and we would become world-class.

Interesting.  I think that the people who want an orchestra should buy some tickets.

I do support the musicians.  The orchestra is obviously mismanaged.  However, I also believe that the orchestra as an entertainment medium is all but dead.  The majority of people who enjoy that type of music are dying off.  The “slow and sure death” is a matter of attrition.  And I’m sorry; an orchestra doesn’t make a city world-class any more than dressing an idiot in a tux makes him refined.

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