Page 24 - BusinessWest May 29, 2023

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra, boasting 67 musicians, is the largest symphony in Massachusetts outside of Boston.
Photo by Chris Marion Photography
“As I talked to folks out in
the business community, so many people
said to me, ‘the first time I ever heard a symphony orchestra, I was in fourth grade ... I remember going to that concert, and it changed how
I looked at the symphony.”
>>
ers, and will continue to present chamber-music concerts, including the long-standing Longmeadow Chamber Series.
Performances like these, Lambert said, will help build a larger audience pool. “They allow new people to come in, who, perhaps, have not listened to the music on a regular basis, and will be exposed to the symphony orchestra and say, ‘wow, this is beautiful. I didn’t know they played this.’”
He and Welty noted that the new season of full-orchestra per- formance at Symphony Hall, and seasons to follow, will feature a healthy mix of what might be called ‘the classics’ and newer works by more recent composers.
“People love the classics, but you have to bring in living compos- ers and composers of color and women composers, and represent
everyone at concerts,” Welty said. “We really started to do that this season. It was more diverse and inclusive. In terms of the reper- toire we’re doing next year, it’ll be the same type of year; we’re really excited about that programming, which is going to be more diverse and interesting. We’re still going to do a good dose of the classics — we’re not abandoning them — but we are combining them with stuff that was written in our lifetime.”
Lambert was also excited about this broadening of choices. “We want to certainly maintain and nurture our core audience, the folks who have grown up with us
for many years, the subscribers and
the bedrock of our audience who SSO
24 MAY 29, 2023 << CREATIVE ECONOMY >>
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love the classic repertoire of classi-
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