Editorial Staff, Tampa Bay Times, 6th January 2017
Thanks to a state grant, the Florida Orchestra is embarking on new outreach efforts that will extend its reach across the state and bring its music to underserved audiences. Florida’s largest professional orchestra is a longtime cultural asset in Tampa Bay. By embracing a mission of service and outreach, the orchestra is expanding its legacy and helping secure its own future.
In dire financial straits just a few years ago, the orchestra has seen its fortunes lift. That’s no accident. In 2010, it lowered ticket prices and promptly saw its attendance jump. Its concert offerings include a happy hour series, a rock series and even music created for video games — all efforts to attract new fans beyond the Beethoven crowd. (Ludwig still gets his due; his Symphony No. 2 will be performed in February.)
Under the leadership of music director Michael Francis, the orchestra is making community service one of its core objectives. A $700,000 state cultural grant is funding concerts in schools and alongside community orchestras in Volusia, Highlands and Alachua counties. Locally, the orchestra will stage Sunday pay-what-you-can concerts at the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum in south St. Petersburg. Florida Orchestra musicians already pair with high school students in Tampa Bay for rehearsals and performances. And last year, the orchestra performed more than a dozen free concerts at domestic violence shelters, hospitals and other places that need the uplift of live music.
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