Innovative Joint Venture is ‘Just the Ticket’ for Philadelphia Audiences
Orchestra and RPAC Join Forces to Provide Outstanding Customer Service
May 17, 2001
The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Regional Performing Arts Center (RPAC) announced today the Joint Ticketing Services Venture - to be known as Ticket Philadelphia - a groundbreaking partnership built on a shared commitment to superior service for The Kimmel Center and Academy of Music audiences. Beginning July 1, 2001, Ticket Philadelphia will manage subscription and single-ticket sales and information for all Orchestra and RPAC presentations, and single-ticket sales for all other events, including performances by seven other companies resident in the Academy of Music and The Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall and Perelman Theater: Pennsylvania Ballet, Opera Company of Philadelphia, American Theater Arts for Youth, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Peter Nero and the Philly Pops®, PHILADANCO, and The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society (these Resident Companies will continue to operate their subscription sales independently).
Subscription sales for The Philadelphia Orchestra are currently well ahead of last year as excitement builds about its move into Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The renewal rate for returning subscribers is at over 85%, a 10% increase over last year at this time, and is approaching a record breaking level. Though early in the sales cycle, new subscribers to the Orchestra are up over 38%. Several series and sections are at or near sold-out status. RPAC, which is presenting its Inaugural Season beginning in December, has already reached 82% of its subscription goal for the Great Orchestras on Tour series, with the Jazz and Great Artists series nearly 50% sold. Single-ticket sales for these and additional performances will begin in early September. Ticket Philadelphia is projected to sell 1.25 million tickets annually by the 2003-2004 season.
"The Joint Venture is an extension of the Orchestra’s long-established dedication to customer service, which was first formally realized in 1995 with the establishment of the Patron Services division," said Richard L. Smoot, Chairman of The Philadelphia Orchestra Association. "Now, combined resources, streamlined efforts, and our established expertise and experience will allow the Orchestra and RPAC to secure the most advanced computer and technical systems, resulting in efficiently processed orders, and readily available and quickly disseminated information for the many activities taking place at The Kimmel Center and the Academy. By virtue of its size, Ticket Philadelphia will also be well positioned to retain and recruit knowledgeable and responsive staff."
RPAC will administer day-to-day operations of Ticket Philadelphia under the direction of Matthew Cooper, who joined RPAC in 2000 following five years in ticketing operations at Carnegie Hall. An Advisory Board composed of representatives of the Orchestra and RPAC will provide ongoing oversight. "Gearing up for calls about the new Kimmel Center, the expansion of programs at the Academy of Music, and all the exciting things happening on the Avenue of the Arts is our top priority right now," commented Mr. Cooper.
RPAC Chairman Willard G. Rouse III noted, "With two landmark sites, three spectacular venues, the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra and seven other preeminent Resident Companies, and a commitment to bring the very best in music, dance, and theater from around the world, RPAC has ‘broken the mold.’ There is simply no other place like it! Ticket Philadelphia is further evidence of visionary collaboration yielding outstanding benefits for Philadelphia audiences. Thanks to this Joint Venture, tickets and information for all events in all of our venues will be available through a unified Box Office, Telephone Service, and website."
When operating at capacity, The Kimmel Center and the Academy of Music will host more than 700 performances annually. With some 120 performances per season, The Philadelphia Orchestra will be the single largest presenter within the RPAC facilities.
Founded in 1900, The Philadelphia Orchestra has distinguished itself as one of the world’s leading orchestras throughout a century of acclaimed performances, historic international tours, and best-selling recordings - which together touch the lives of more than a million music lovers annually. Led by Music Director Wolfgang Sawallisch since 1993, the Orchestra recently announced that German-born conductor and pianist Christoph Eschenbach will succeed Mr. Sawallisch starting in the 2003-2004 season.
Opening in December 2001, the 450,000-square-foot Kimmel Center is located at Broad and Spruce Streets along Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. Designed by internationally acclaimed architect Rafael Viñoly, The Kimmel Center joins the historic Academy of Music to become one of the nation’s largest performing arts complexes. The Kimmel Center features 2,500-seat Verizon Hall, a state-of-the-art concert hall with acoustics designed by Russell Johnson for The Philadelphia Orchestra, and 650-seat Perelman Theater.
Philadelphia Orchestra contact: Ed Cambron at (215) 893-1967.
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