Classical music

Marianne Lockwood
President and executive director, Orchestra of St. Luke’s

What do you think is going to happen with this economic downturn?
There will be a substantial impact, and most organizations will have to retrench financially. But always in times of stress, the essential spirit of the arts asserts itself and most artists and arts organizations find a way to continue working, to continue providing their programs to the public.

What do you think will be the impact on St. Luke’s?
Over the past 34 years, it’s proven itself remarkably resilient. It has continued on a trajectory of stable growth, even in times of economic stress, and over the recent past has been able to strengthen its financial position by building an endowment. Essentially, its operating model, which rests on zero-based budgeting, responds to economic ups and downs in a timely and prudent manner. This has served the organization well in the past, and I’m confident it will enable us to weather the current storm. One could argue theoretically that economic downturns force organizations to reassess and find ways of operating more efficiently, and, to some degree, that’s true. Nonetheless, going through that process is difficult and inevitably puts strain on the organization. Is the hypothetical benefit worth the actual cost? That’s a really tough question.

Will there be an impact on the audience?
Inevitably, economic downturns affect audience size negatively. I think we will see fewer people attending performances over the next year or so, but we have to understand this not as a threat but a challenge. Yes, it’s difficult economically, but at least for us, our tickets have always been inexpensive by market standards, and we intend to maintain that policy, which I think helps us in times of economic downturn.

Any sense of what lies ahead?
Since St. Luke’s was formed in 1974, we’ve weathered three economic downturns, and throughout that whole period, we’ve continued to grow. Right now, it’s too early to know the full magnitude of this crisis. St. Luke’s is more stable financially than it’s ever been; that’s a big plus. But if this crisis evolves badly, and we end up in a long economic decline, it’s going to be terribly difficult, perhaps more challenging than anything we’ve had to face up to this point.

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