Symphonies going silent: Can it happen here?

The financial squeeze that forced the Philadelphia Orchestra to declare bankruptcy last month — and prompted a strike earlier this year in Detroit — also is being felt in Youngstown.

And though no such drastic actions are imminent for the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, the pressure is forcing it to reassess its business model.

The same factors causing problems for orchestras across the country are being cited here: deep cuts in government grants and private donations; recession-weary patrons with fewer dollars and less leisure time; and a general shift in entertainment spending trends.

The problems are daunting. And solutions remain elusive.

“We have come to a point where our [revenue is] being outpaced by our expenses,” Patricia Syak, executive director of the Youngstown Symphony Society, said last week.

Ticket sales never have accounted for more than 50 percent of income, with grants and contributions making up the rest. But those sources have sharply fallen.

To stay afloat, the YSO has delved into the principal of its endowment in the past few years. “That’s disturbing,” said Syak. “We are using [our endowment] at a greater rate than it is increasing. We don’t want to continue like this, but we will have to.”

So the YSO is in the same leaky boat as other orchestras. But what’s it doing about it?

Quite a bit, according to Syak.

She and music director Randall Craig Fleischer have been experimenting with new programming that will lure new customers while hopefully not alienating the old ones. Last month’s Cirque de la Symphonie was a good example, and the Rock Fusion concert in the 2011-12 season will be another.

Rentals are another obvious source of income. The YSO owns the DeYor Performing Arts Center, which includes Powers Auditorium and Ford Family Recital Hall, Flad Pavilion and Overture restaurant. Syak is trying to increase use of those facilities by outside organizations.

“The hall is both a godsend and an albatross,” said Syak. “When rentals and Overture are doing well, great. Otherwise, it’s a drain on resources. Half of our expenses are for the facility.” The Youngstown Symphony Society has an annual budget of $2.2 million.

Collaborations with other arts groups draw new fans, and the YSO occasionally includes local dance, vocal and theater troupes in its concerts.

Thinking long-term, the YSO is taking part in an interesting effort to re-introduce symphonic music in the classrooms. It will begin this year, and it might pay dividends in the future.

The program, called Arts in the Classroom, will see local performing artists — including members of the YSO — going to elementary schools to enhance core curriculums.

“Children are not learning about music in school because of cutbacks,” said Syak. “We need to broaden young people’s exposure, and Arts in the Classroom can to do that. ... Levies aren’t passing, faculty is shrinking, and time spent on arts dwindles. We can help these teachers and maybe reintroduce the arts to children.”

But short-term solutions, such as boosting attendance, also are urgent.

The YSO is in the middle of its annual subscription drive, and renewals are down. It is shooting for 800 subscribers but is still a few hundred away from that goal. As a result, discounts are being offered as incentives for the first time.

“Attendance is sluggish at best, and it’s hard to predict how many will turn out [for each concert],” said Syak.

The YSO averaged between 1,000 and 1,100 for most shows in the 2010-11 season, a significant decline from 2009-10, which saw average houses of 1,400 to 1,600. Powers holds 2,300.

Cirque de la Symphonie was a bright spot, drawing 1,400.

Like all symphonies, labor costs are also a major expense for the YSO. The orchestra has 52 musicians under contract, represented by the American Federation of Musicians, and occasionally hires more on a per-concert basis as the program requires.

The first year of a two-year contract with AFM Local 86224 just ended.

“We have a great relationship with the musicians, and they understand the situation,” said Syak. “We’ve not asked for concessions but have given no extreme advances, either. I would never want to promise a player an advance only to later tell him we can’t do it.”