Rush Hour Concerts at St. James Cathedral
An “Out of the Box” Approach
The mission of Rush Hour Concerts at St. James Cathedral (Rush Hour) is to provide a classical music experience for audiences of all walks of life in a way that is accessible and accommodates our contemporary lifestyles. To accomplish its mission, Rush Hour has ventured outside of the traditional concert music mold to engage exciting and diverse audiences.
In honor of Rush Hour’s eleventh season, it seems fitting to take a close look at the ten “out of the box” strategies Rush Hour has developed to promote its mission. Every one of these strategies is a departure from the traditional arts organization model and has successfully begun transforming the way classical music reaches people today. In fact, arts organizations are looking to Rush Hour’s model as they begin to adopt and implement similar concepts.
All of Rush Hour’s unique strategies are designed to put the listener/audience member first. Rather than a “come to us” mentality based on ticket sales and the “bottom line,” Rush Hour was founded in a “go to them” paradigm: study what our contemporary culture needs, ask people what they need and design something to meet that need. The result is a contemporary, user-friendly format designed exclusively with the audience in mind.
Rush Hour Concerts at St. James Cathedral – Out of the Box:
1. FREE!
Phenomenal musical programming, world-class musicians – no charge?!
2. 30-minute music format
Audience members tell us they are more engaged and they listen better when they have one piece of music to listen to – or several small ones – lasting 30 minutes. It fits their lifestyle.
3. Complimentary wine and tasty, free treats- BEFORE the concert
Makes the concert sweeter, and it’s meant for everyone to enjoy–not just a privileged few. It includes special foods, as well as wine and Argo Tea.
4. No barrier between performers and audience
The artists come to mingle with the audience BEFORE the concert. This is VERY out-of-the box since in most series, artists are only available to “mingle” after the concert and sometimes to only a select group. They may “present” a talk about the concert beforehand, but usually don’t “mingle.”
5. Emerging artists given equal billing as Chicago’s well-established classical artists
There are veteran, nationally known artists paired with younger, “up and coming” artists. Recruiting a diverse group of musicians provides an opportunity to perform a very diverse program.
6. Diverse programming to engage audiences in unique ways
Not only does the programming allow for audiences to experience rarely heard musical masterpieces, but where else would you hear an eclectic combination of an organ and saxophone duo perform a thrilling sound experience? Additional unusual programming partnerships include the Poetry Foundation and diplomatic consulates within the course of the season’s arc.
7. Bite-sized program notes, weekly podcasts, interactive blog-style website
Rush Hour records podcasts WEEKLY during the summer, with not only Artistic Director Deborah Sobol and the artists performing each week, but also with additional interviews led by other members of the Rush Hour team creating a rich “behind the scenes” information base for Rush Hour’s website, rushhour.org. A fair number of arts organizations produce podcasts, but they are not regular and do not have the same scope. Most arts organizations have a fairly static website, updated only with events or special news. Rush Hour maintains an active blog of its activities year-round, including concert recaps, recommendations for other cultural events happening in the city from the Artistic Director, and special essays from board members, advisors, artists, and other members of the Rush Hour team. It has an active, engaged readership.
8. In-A-Flash program
Loved the concert? Take it home with you! Launched in 2008, this gives the audience the opportunity to take the concert they have just heard home with them on a flash drive, to be downloaded to their computers or iPods, so they can relive not just the music, but the entire EXPERIENCE again. If they have missed a concert, they can purchase the download of that concert on their flash drive at Rush Hour any week. (Concerts available for purchase depend on copyright/royalty restrictions and artist sign-off. Rush Hour generally is able to provide half of the season’s concerts on flash drive.) This is a groundbreaking concept in the classical music world, which has only been seen executed infrequently at rock concerts.
9. Historic, culturally significant yet welcoming venue
St. James Cathedral, celebrating its 176th anniversary in 2010, is a historic icon and the site where Abe Lincoln worshiped after the announcement of his presidential nomination in 1860, provides a warm and welcoming environment for Rush Hour. Hosting Rush Hour fits well within the Cathedral’s mission to connect people from all socio-economic backgrounds through the shared experience of hospitality and culture.
10. Rush Hour has changed the COMMUTING habits of more than 400 people each Tuesday throughout the summer in Chicago
Offering an antidote to the stresses of the 9-to-5 weekday, people stay downtown after work and access GREAT MUSIC FOR BUSY LIVES. For some who have always had music in their lives, this meets their busy lifestyle needs and provides both an economically feasible and soul enriching, brief respite in the middle of their week. For others, the concert events are an opportunity to experience real, classical music in a diverse format, without sacrificing time or money to try the experience. And the audience returns again and again. An audience that began with 39 people in 2000 has grown to 475 in 2008.
And….Rush Hour’s AUDIENCE IS OUT OF THE BOX!
Rush Hour has classical music aficionados sitting next to first-time initiates, people who are generational supporters of the fine arts sitting next to those for whom attendance at a classical music concert is simply cost-prohibitive. And they are each and all equally engaged in listening to live music in performance. Rush Hour artists often comment on how quiet the audience is, and how they can feel the audience’s engaged listening in the process. This phenomenon is due to a couple of things: the format of the event (time, length, music, distinguished caliber of musicians on the roster), and the extensive amount of enhancement material available on the Rush Hour website and in the weekly program booklet and the generous access to its performing artists. Additionally, 20 percent of Rush Hour’s weekly audience is under the age of 40 – an enviable statistic for most arts organizations, particularly classical music arts organizations. In 2008, Rush Hour created and opportunity for that demographic to become philanthropic with the help of the Irving Harris Foundation and the creation of the “Under-40 Challenge.” The results were stunning: nearly 100 percent of this demographic responded to the challenge, helping Rush Hour to exceed the matching grant. (You can see more statistics about this program here.)
