The revival of the Glendale Symphony Orchestra Association in the 2005-06 season: an internship report

Building audiences has become an increasingly critical issue for symphony orchestras in recent years. Classical music has to find new ways to approach its audience. People need to be persuaded that the experience of attending classical music concerts is worthy, and it cannot be achieved without a marketing strategy. The Glendale Symphony Orchestra Association (GSOA) in Glendale, California, like most of its peers, struggles with reduced numbers of patrons, which eventually results in loss of funding.

This dissertation is an internship report. The author did a six-month internship at the GSOA from September 2005 to February 2006, primarily to work in the business of marketing and audience development. During this internship, a series of e-marketing campaigns were developed, including publishing e-newsletters, conducting e-survey, and designing web site. The assignments of this internship project also included executing the Final Rehearsal educational outreach program evaluation survey and processing the George Washington Quartet Debut Concert. The historic George Washington Quartet instruments were chosen as marketing tools in order to promote the public image of the GSOA. By the end of this internship, the stage of analysis of the GSOA strategic marketing plan was developed, and it was based on the author¡'s observation and experience during this internship.