The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University

Open Wide the Doors: "We’re Here for Everyone"

As a child growing up in England, Paul Meecham dreamed of becoming a pro-fessional pianist and violinist. He studied both instruments before what he good-naturedly calls his college realization: that no one would be foolish enough to pay to hear him play. Meecham focused instead on other aspects of the music industry. His nearly three decades of impressive achievements in music publishing and orchestra management in both the United Kingdom and the United States are a dream come true for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO).
 

A year ago, the BSO named Meecham as its president and CEO. He joins Marin Alsop, the BSO’s renowned music director now in her first full season, to usher in what the orchestra hopes will be a new era of packed houses, vibrant partnerships, and broader community outreach.

It’s a tall order, but industry-insider Meecham is up to the challenge. He earned his chops as general manager at two of the world’s greatest orchestras: the New York Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony. Most recently, he was executive director of the Seattle Symphony, leading that organization in creating its first-ever national radio broadcast series, restructuring its finances, and increasing family and community programming. Prior to coming to the States in 1997, he was managing director of the London Sinfonietta. Meecham admits that his own violin hasn’t been out of its case for quite a while, but he is more than happy to live a life surrounded by great musicians. We talked with him about building audiences and community—issues as vital to the BSO as they are to the Peabody Institute—and about the timeless appeal of a particular building: the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

Q: How do you build an audience for live symphonic music in the 21st century?

A: There’s no magic bullet. We have to move on many different fronts. We can no longer make the assumption that music education was a standard part of someone’s education or that they had a piano in the home. Music shouldn’t be in a language just for people with music education, so orchestras have to communicate with an audience and demystify the experience. We need to make music much more accessible and approachable, but without dumbing it down—absolutely not!

Also, we’re very focused on using technology to reach new audiences who aren’t drawing on traditional media for their news and entertainment. Our January 2007 concert with the Peabody Conservatory musicians, which featured Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Richard Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony [to celebrate Peabody’s 150th anniversary], was released as an iTunes download. People aren’t buying CDs as much as they used to. The Internet is a powerful, vital tool, so we’ve completely revamped our website (www.baltimoresymphony.org).

Q: What are the BSO’s particular challenges in attracting and keeping new audiences?

A: The BSO is one of only 17 full-time orchestras in the country, and it’s the only orchestra in the country with two homes: the Meyerhoff and the Music Center at Strathmore in Montgomery County. We’ve got a world-class orchestra in a community that is very diverse. How do you reach the full spectrum of our community? Our partnership with Soulful Symphony has been very successful in drawing an African-American audience. Every one of these concerts has been sold out. This is a way of building some confidence in a different part of our community about what we do at the BSO.

We’re doing more and more partnerships with Peabody, the Baltimore School for the Arts, and Morgan State. [Ticket] pricing is a sensitive issue, too. Partly, it’s perception. We’ve always had $25 tickets, but we have $78 tickets, too. We’re trying to remove price as a barrier with our [one-time] $25 subscription offer this season. With Marin Alsop coming on board with her own style of warmth, it’s opening up the orchestra to many in the community. Both the timing of the subscription offer and Marin’s appointment send a powerful message that we’re here for everyone.

Q: What role does the BSO play in creating a vibrant cultural community?

A: A world-class orchestra can act as a major quality-of-life attraction…but an orchestra has to be about a lot more than giving concerts. We should be involved with education and in partnerships with other cultural and educational organizations. The BSO is a resource. Actually, we’re 92 resources with each individual musician and orchestral leader. That’s a great talent pool. When I lived in New York, most of the cab drivers would tell you how great the New York Philharmonic was. If you asked them if they’d been to a concert, most would say “No,” but they were just as proud of the Philharmonic. Baltimoreans feel a great sense of pride [in the BSO], too.

Q: This season marks the 25th anniversary of the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. What has the Meyerhoff meant to Baltimore’s cultural and physical landscape?

A: The whole midtown area is in the middle of a renaissance. What has happened in Mount Vernon is spreading to Mount Royal. The Meyerhoff is part of a mix of residential and educational communities. The building is in the tradition of forward-looking buildings along with MICA’s Brown Center and the University of Baltimore’s Student Center. The Meyerhoff still feels modern 25 years later and will live as an architectural landmark.

Interview by Sarah Achenbach