Page 714 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book

Since then, program notes have grown to include not just information on the music and its
greater context but also player biographies, donor information, and season promotions. But
that’s not to say the format or content are static—many organizations are beginning to rethink
both. When the first Rotterdam International Conducting Competition put together its
program book last year, instead of conventional resumé-type biographies of the six finalists,
it used 300–400 word excerpts of half-hour interviews. The brief provided by director Rob
Hilberink was “to add more depth than just dry biography bullets by helping to define the
individual character of each musician.” The difference was dramatic. It was designed to
extend and amplify the audience experience. The pull quote for winner Bertie Baigent’s bio
read: “You feel like you are on a train that’s unstoppable.”

In order to find out whether this was happening anywhere except Rotterdam, I spoke to
representatives of the Los Angeles, Berlin, and Royal Liverpool philharmonics; the Saint
Paul Chamber Orchestra; the Nashville Symphony; the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra; the
Manchester Collective, White Snake Projects, Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall; and
InsideGuide. Improving artist bios turned out to be a trend everywhere—to one extent or
another—and reflective of an industry that is retooling not just artists’ bios but the traditional
printed program book itself. As major orchestras migrate online, where many of their
audience members are now attending performances, they are addressing the issues and
opportunities surrounding digital program platforms more and less enthusiastically and at
their own pace.

The Berlin Philharmonic’s head of editorial Tobias Möller expresses the general consensus
that printed programs are still relevant “as part of our overall communications.” As to the
relevance of program books, printed or digital, Möller says, “They contribute to an intense
concert experience by giving the context of a concert and how the composers and musicians
reflect our own lives.”

In Berlin’s case, most content is not produced exclusively for printed programs but also for
its online channels. And in its biographies, Möller says, “we avoid the usual listings of
competitions and orchestras an artist has worked with. Instead, we try to convey an idea of
his or her personal and artistic identity.”

The Los Angeles Philharmonic uses a Q&A format similar to the Rotterdam model in place
of bios for its Symphonies for Youth concerts. The main LA Phil program books, however,
use traditional bios. Either way, “program books are an important part of the experience,”
says publicist Holly Wallace, “and we get a lot of feedback from our audience that shows
people still enjoy getting to read about the music—important for an organization that presents
so much new and contemporary music—and the detail involved is often easier to read in print
than on a phone. While we are always looking to improve our digital offerings, particularly to
audiences who want that, we also recognize that the glow of a digital screen is not welcomed
by all in a concert hall.”

The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, according to director of public relations Jen
Luzzo, was among the first of the major presenters not to renew with Playbill and instead put
their program information entirely online. The Kennedy Center still provides printed
programs for theater and opera because of a contractual agreement with the national trade
association Broadway League. For concerts and chamber music, however, it’s all digital,
although they do provide a one-page sheet with the basics.