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Euan Kerr
St. Paul, Minn.

SPCO lowers ticket prices thanks to balanced budget

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The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra announced Wednesday that it balanced its budget last year and it is cutting ticket prices for shows at the Ordway and Ted Mann Concert Hall.

This is the 15th time in 16 years the SPCO has been in the black. SPCO President Sarah Lutman said the price cut is a continuation of the orchestra's policy to make concerts as accessible as possible for the public.

"The ticket prices will be $10, $25, and a small number at $40 at the Ordway and Ted Mann," Lutman said. "And yes, it is a reduction in price and that's the whole point. If you want a lot of people to come, why not make it easy for them? And that is our objective."

Lutman said the price reduction will increase audience size without an impact on the SPCO's bottom line.

"Actually it's neutral to the budget, because what we have learned is that when tickets are affordable people come with less marketing effort," she said." So we have been able to reduce our overall marketing costs while having more people come to our concerts"

Currently the top ticket is $59. The SPCO balanced its budget of roughly $13 million in part through trimming expenses, including a reduction in administrative staff earlier this year