Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Offers ‘Embedded Reporter’ Fellowship

In an unusual move for an arts organization, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has created a yearlong “embedded reporter” fellowship to help tell patrons and potential supporters about its work.

The group recently underwent a website redesign and was encouraged by new board member Amy Webb, head of Webbmedia Group, a Baltimore digital-strategy consultant, to develop more “self-generated content as a way to better engage our patrons,” says Eileen Andrews, the orchestra’s vice president for marketing and communications.

The orchestra’s patrons, she says, have consistently ranked stories about musicians’ offstage lives as the most interesting content in the group’s performance programs, so providing more stories in this vein is intended to drive interest and web traffic.

As part of the website redesign, the group developed a story feed that is updated regularly with content related to the orchestra, such as a post about pop songs that feature classical musicians.

“It’s not sales-focused, it’s not stories about concerts that are coming up and we’re trying to get you to buy a ticket. It’s interesting content first and foremost,” says Ms. Andrews. “We’re meeting our audience on new terms and often their terms.”

Ultimately, though, she hopes the effort will help the organization’s bottom line.

Lists and Quizzes

The embedded reporter, slated to begin working this summer, will develop feature stories and lighthearted content such as lists and quizzes. Ms. Andrews says she hopes that the fellow’s work will be picked up by news-media outlets—where, she says, “arts coverage has taken a hit.”

The fellow will be paid a stipend of $38,000 plus benefits.

The orchestra, which operated this season under a $27-million budget, is seeking to secure funds to keep the program operating in future years.

Ms. Andrews says the fellowship is one sign that the economic outlook is improving for the orchestra, which has suffered budget deficits in recent years and had to drastically cut its musicians’ wages in 2010 due to the economic crisis. Pay cuts were largely restored in September as part of a new three-year contract.

“We worked together as an organization to ride the tide,” says Ms. Andrews. “I know we’re on track to balance our budget for this year. I think everyone feels better about the economy.”

The application deadline for the fellowship is May 2.