In the Arts: Philadelphia Orchestra Bracing for Change with Strategic Review

With a new leadership team in place, the financially struggling Philadelphia Orchestra is undergoing a comprehensive strategic review that could bring major changes to the prestigious 110-year-old ensemble, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The new plan seeks to reverse the flow of red ink and declining ticket sales that have plagued the organization for years but could also profoundly effect its size and standing as a full-time, global orchestra.

In other arts news, Northern California’s Healdsburg Jazz Festival has ousted its co-founder and canceled next year’s edition as it grapples with chronic losses, the San Francisco Chronicle says.

The festival’s board eliminated the artistic director position held by Jessica Felix, who helped start Healdsburg 12 years ago and is credited with bringing big names such as McCoy Tyner, Dave Brubeck, and Joshua Redman to the relatively small event.

Pat Templin, the board president, said the June festival has run $30,000 deficits in recent years on a $350,000 budget. “It’s not responsible for us to continue in this direction,” she said.

And Michael M. Kaiser, president of the John F. Kennedy Center, and arts administrators he visited on his 50-state “Arts in Crisis” tour talk to The Washington Post about the trip, the recession’s effects on cultural institutions, and Mr. Kaiser’s strategies for meeting economic challenges.

(Free registration is required to read the Post article.)