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June 20, 2016 Q&A

Collins hopes summer, fall aid HSO’s revival

Steve Collins Hartford Symphony Orchestra PHOTO | Contributed Steve Collins, executive director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra
By Joe Cooper

It's been a time of change for the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in 2016. It settled a contentious contract dispute with its musicians in January and then entered into a new operating agreement with The Bushnell, which had been a point of conflict with the union due to concerns over the performance venue's oversight. The symphony also named Steve Collins its new executive director in March. Here's what Collins had to say in a recent interview.

Q: The end of winter was a tumultuous time for the Hartford Symphony. How are things looking now that the contract negotiations are behind you?

A: Things are looking fantastic. It was really important to move forward into the spring season. The first week of April really marked some important changes. We announced our new relationship with The Bushnell, I was named executive director, and we had our annual gala. It was the most successful gala we had in years. It was a real testament and show of belief in the Hartford Symphony Orchestra moving forward. Since the spring, there has been great box-office success.

Q: HSO also has a new, renegotiated four-year management services contract with The Bushnell that returns overall management responsibilities to the HSO administrative staff. Does that have any impact on what the audience will see in terms of performances?

A: The changing relationship was all part of a plan. We first entered into an alliance with The Bushnell about two years ago. It was intended to be temporary. This change was always part of the plan, to redefine the management services to a lessor role and name an executive director.

Nothing done in all of this is directly attributable to what the public sees. There will be changes to performances related to changes with the symphony, in terms of how I see the symphony evolving. We need to find ways to reach out to diversify our audience.

Q: How has attendance been for performances? What steps are being taken to improve attendance going forward? What about Millennials?

A: Virtually every orchestra in the country has the same challenges in terms of improving attendance and diversity. Younger audience members are an important group to understand their buying habits and what they're looking for in their entertainment experience.

We will experiment with different kinds of concerts aimed at folks not involved with the orchestra now. Concerts will be designed to meet the uninitiated on their own terms. They will be presented in a much more casual and social format.

It's key to communicate what's unique and exciting about those concerts in a way we don't normally. There will be more reliance on social media.

Q: The summer season is upon us and with it your Talcott Mountain Music Series. How important is the Simsbury venue to HSO?

A: The Talcott Mountain Music Series with its five performances is an important concert series for us. The Simsbury Performing Arts Center is a unique combination of small town charm, great venue and some important stars. Talcott Mountain is an opportunity to reach a different audience that is family friendly. Last year 26,000 attended it.

It's important to stretch, too, in terms of musical genre. For example, this summer we have a concert featuring the music of Ray Charles and Motown. It's a different experience for people. It's important to show orchestral music is more than 200 year old music.

Our total audience is typically about 90,000 for the year including Talcott, which accounts for 20 to 25 percent of our total attendance.

Q. How do you stay competitive against free summer concerts?

What's unique about our summer concert offering is there is nothing like it in Connecticut. We offer a combination of breadth of musical genres and a spectacular fireworks program on July 1.

There isn't much out there that has that impact of full orchestras with world-class artists. I think we occupy a unique slice of the summer market place.

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