American Idol Gives the Symphony an Idea

Skwoosh, long a supporter of the fine arts, was mildly shocked to learn that certain symphonies and museums are integrating cell phones into their repertoire. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, for example, asks the audience to text message their vote, American Idol-style, for the encore. An attempt to reach a more youthful audience, it also supports efforts aimed at increasing audience participation.

We’ll leave the question of whether Hayden, Mozart et al truly intended for the audience to have any type of say in the matter to another post. However if arts institutions would like to broaden their appeal, may we suggest starting with something a little more basic – the seating. It is almost as if concert halls take the whole “suffering for your art” adage literally. Why not use our stadium seat to make the entire experience a more comfortable one? Designed for sitting on bleacher seats, our stadium cushion can nonetheless be taken upscale and would appreciate a day at the opera or symphony. Our gel cushions can even be imprinted with the organization’s logo, a great way to appeal to today’s label-obsessed youth.