Music Hall: a delicate balance
What to preserve? What to enhance?
October 2009
Thom Mariner
Co-publisher, Express Cincinnati & EXP/arts
It appears that decisions are pending regarding the future of Music Hall and how the building may or may not be altered to suit the needs and requirements of its tenants. This topic has been on-again/off-again for years, but seems to have been revived this year, either in spite of, or because of, the economic meltdown.
All historical buildings face the possibility of becoming obsolete or outdated. This is certainly not the first time that Music Hall has encountered re-evaluation over its 130+ year history. It has evolved several times to meet the needs of the city it serves. Still, the issues and challenges being faced now are complex and worth revisiting. A cherished landmark and symbol of Cincinnati’s history, Music Hall stands at a crossroads.
A caveat: There is little, if any, current public conversation about these issues. I present them from my own varied perspectives: having performed with all of the above organizations during my 32 years in Cincinnati, as a marketing consultant to corporations and arts organizations, and as a passionate advocate and patron.
Below are the organizations involved, what roles they play in the use and maintenance of Music Hall and the challenges such a grand and unique structure presents for them:
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra & Pops
ROLE: Primary tenant since 1936, they now occupy the auditorium over 30 weeks each year. Their offices are in the South Wing of the Music Hall complex.
ISSUES: Times have changed and mass media have become a greater part of our lives; live performances of all kinds have been affected. Music Hall’s Springer Auditorium is simply larger than the CSO can fill on a regular basis. At 3516 seats, Music Hall holds nearly 1,000 more spectators than Orchestra Hall in Chicago at 2522.
If Cincinnati and Chicago both draw 2500 seats to a concert (not uncommon), our venue looks and feels half empty, while Chicago benefits from the excitement, chemistry and positive PR of a sold-out house (a la the recent CSO opener with Lang Lang). Chicago sells 7000+ seats per weekend in a region of 8.1 million people vs. our 4-5000 seats in an area of 2.1 million. (On a per capita basis, I’d say we do OK.)
Posted: September 29th, 2009 under EXP commentary.
Comment from gibson60
Time October 2, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Express deserves applause for Thom Mariner’s timely column on the future of Music Hall. It’s a well-organized and easy-to-understand rundown of an extremely complicated and important issue. The column needs to be read by anyone who cares about Greater Cincinnati – arts fan or not – and I hope that happens.
Many of us remember in the 1960s, when conservative Cincinnati confronted a high-stakes, far-reaching choice about the need for a new sports stadium on the riverfront. Since then, it seems that every generation has had to face the same fundamental question: do we want to remain a “big league” city? Do we, and can we, try to keep pace with “large market” cities when they raise the ante with bigger and better arenas, stadiums and performance venues?
Factor in our aesthetic, civic and historic responsibility to maintain Music Hall – our “secular cathedral,” as Thom so aptly put it – and things get REALLY complicated!
Today’s harsh economy underscores the fact that there are plenty of worthwhile ways to spend our money. But the discussion has to start somewhere and must include Music Hall.