Tanglewood Attendance Drop

Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass. – the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra – had a 9 percent drop in attendance this season and it’s attributed to having fewer comp tickets and even less Tanglewood.

Tanglewood drew 375,776 patrons last summer and had 50 percent more complimentary tickets because of its 75th anniversary celebration, according to the Berkshire Eagle.

This year’s 50 percent reduction in comps “represents an effort to bring the comps program back in line with the industry standard,” according to BSO managing director Mark Volpe. “Before this year, comp ticket usage was calculated by way of random concert samplings throughout the season.”

Now, a new ticket-scanning system tracks comp tickets and Tanglewood staff and orchestra passes.

Also hurting attendance was the lack of James Taylor, who drew 54,385 people to his three performances during last year’s July 4 holiday. Taylor has taken 2013 off from touring altogether.

BSO was also forced to cancel four Symphony Hall performances because of the Boston Marathon bombing and lost a potential $1 million in revenue.

“This has probably been the toughest year of my 16-year tenure, financially,” Volpe said.

Daily Pulse