Seeking to generate revenue and further develop the classical music audience in the northern suburbs, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2008 opened up the $35 million Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta.
After an inaugural season of nine classical and pops concerts at its summer home, ASO management dropped all-classical concerts following its second season, having averaged attendance of less than 2,500 for them (exceeding Symphony Hall's capacity but sparse in the 12,000-seat amphitheater).
ASO Players Association president Daniel Laufer said greater patience by the cash-strapped ASO would have paid dividends.
"Whenever you try something new, as with any product being introduced, you want to make sure you offer it enough so that people come more, and you build a following," the cellist said. "We don't think that [the ASO at] Verizon has been given a fair shot." The orchestra drew between 5,000 and 6,000 for four pops concerts at the outdoor facility last summer. That gave management the sense that it is "moving in the right direction" in terms of building a northern metro audience for the orchestra, ASO president Stanley Romanstein said.
Meanwhile, Verizon bookings such as this season's Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the Eagles, which the ASO co-presents with rock promoters, prosper by comparison. Those well-drawing shows help make the amphitheater "a positive contributor to our balance sheet, not a drain," Romanstein said.
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