A great story from Sunday’s Columbus Dispatch. Columbus Symphony president and chief executive Roland Valliere wants to reach out in new ways with technology:
The new leader of the Columbus Symphony has seen the future of classical music — and it’s streaming live on the Internet and through his iPhone.
Roland Valliere, president and chief executive officer since Aug. 3, is convinced that technology is the ticket for orchestras seeking to extend their reach beyond the concert hall.
“Orchestras have traditionally thought of themselves as being in the content- production business, but we’re actually in the content-distribution business,” he said during a recent walk-through of the Ohio Theatre, the orchestra’s home. “Our product has been delivered live and here in the concert hall, but, in my view, that’s too narrow a definition of who we are,” said the former percussionist and music entrepreneur.
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Because today’s iPhones, Palms and BlackBerrys are capable of functioning much the same way as the Concert Companion, the need for a rental device has lessened, Valliere said. Now he’s collaborating with a start-up company in San Diego, InstantEncore, to develop software applications for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch devices.
Valliere said the Columbus Symphony will be the first orchestra in the country to offer all the services InstantEncore is developing: downloadable concert notes and programs, sample music and the ability to buy music through Apple’s online iTunes store, pre-concert lectures by WOSU (89.7 FM) radio host Christopher Purdy and user blogs and chat.
Starting this month, he said, people will be able to download the applications to their mobile devices free, or use the service on a computer, with some content limited to ticket buyers.
