Posted by Joseph Felton on September 25, 2000 at 14:26:07:
Among my many other pusuits it just so happens that I also work with the KC Symphony subscription office. Our classical series is about to start in just over a week and I feel the need to give people a heads up. Folks that just read the paper don't know about this stuff.
First off, Itzak Perlman is heading up our concert season October 4th-5th. This is a big deal! He is considered a free benefit to those that subscribe to a classical series and subscribing is the only way to get to see him! He just signed a three year guest conducting contract with Detroit. It would appear that he is trying to develop a reputation as a conductor and this *may* be the last time we will be able to see him in KC as a violinist. As of today we have, at the most, 15 pairs of seats left between the two nights. We seat people into one of these two nights based on the order that the subscription is submitted and once these seats are gone it will be too late. This is very urgent! He *will* sell out!
Other reasons for buying a series:
-You save as much as 30% vs. buying the same number of tickets individually. Many KC area employers will pay as much as 50% of your subscription for you. Full time students get a 50% price cut and teachers get 10% off. It's easy to find something that you can afford but when you take into consideration that less than half of our budget is covered by ticket sales it is difficult complain about price. Great way to save money.
-Priority seating: We are 33% ahead of where we were last year in terms of ticket sales. The box office did $17,000 in sales in one day last week. People that have gotten in the habit of buying single tickets just before the concert and getting decent seats are going to be disappointed this year. Period. Even though single tickets are available now we are still holding back the best seats for people that subscribe. This is the only way to get the best seats possible.
-Most liberal exchance policy of any arts organization in Kansas City: Once you have your tickets you can call up the box office at anytime, up to two hours before a concert, to exchange them for other concerts. There are tons of options. We have a very ecclectic season this year so it is easy to find lots of concerts that would interest you. Classical concerts are Friday, and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Pops are Friday and Saturaday night. You can exchange into any of these willy-nilly in order to fit your schedule and interests. Also, because we are so close to the start of the season I can note changes on the order form and essentially create a custom series for you!
If you don't feel comfortable committing to the whole season you can also subscribe to a half season. If you enjoy classical music at all it is easy to find six concerts(plus Perlman) that you would like to see. This is a no brainer! We are bringing in several big name musicians as well as Que from Star Trek. There are very few good reasons not to subscribe and most of those revolve around death or dying. ;b
Also, if you have small children and are concerned about time/finding a sitter. You may consider our three concert family series. These concerts are on Sunday afternoon, geared towards small kids, and incorporate mime, dance, and sing-a-longs. This series is *very* reasonably priced.
To secure your seats for Perlman call the subscription office at (816)843-9468. I am available 6pm-9:30pm MWRF but one of my managers will also be more than happy to help you. If you get a machine just leave a message and I'll call back ASAP. Please mention my name so that they know where you learned to call from. Although I can give you a lot more information and flesh things out for you better, you can also look over our season on the web. This is a great way to check out dates and plot ahead before you call. It is possible to order from the web but I would discourage it because you won't get exact seating and there is a strong danger that you will request a section that is essentially sold out and end up in the back row somewhere. If you talk with me I can give you the exact seats you will sit in and most likely find you better seats that are cheaper! Our web page is http://www.kcsymphony.org.
For those that have heard the Kansas City Symphony in the past and were slightly underwhelmed please note that we *are* getting better. This is our second year with a new music director and she has really turned things around. Apparently she had the novel idea that everyone should start at the same time. ;b
And just to make this tuba related. Steve Seward is our principal tubist and those of you that have heard him will agree that he is a master technician on his 5/4 Rudy.
Thanks for your indulgance,
Joseph Felton