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Robert Spano was promoted to the role of music director for Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in April 2021. His contract was extended for him to stay through 2031. (Courtesy photo | Karen Almond)<\/p>\nWhen Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra president and CEO Keith Cerny brought music director Robert Spano on board in 2021, he wanted someone who could help him build the organization\u2019s audience engagement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Fort Worth orchestra had been successful in attracting audiences to its concerts, Cerny said, but the organization wanted to appeal to a diverse and younger demographic as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The duo came up with a shared artistic vision that has elevated the symphony orchestra\u2019s visual and contextual elements in recent years: Theater of a Concert.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra has seen a 25% increase in new patrons year over year since the inception of the concept. Theater of a Concert weekends typically see twice as many single ticket sales as a standard symphonic concert, according to the organization.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The goal has been to encourage audiences to think differently about what a symphony concert is and what it can be, but not control the experience, Spano said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not delivering something to manipulate or dictate an experience to the perceiver, I\u2019m putting something out there knowing that everyone\u2019s going to participate in their own way, which is a much more complex and beautiful perspective,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s up to me to deliver and it\u2019s up to everyone else to react.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert Spano was promoted to the role of music director for Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in April 2021. His contract was extended for him to stay through 2031. (Courtesy photo | Karen Almond)<\/p>\n
Reimagining concerts with fresh perspectives<\/strong><\/p>\n In October 2023, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra started incorporating visual projections and images into its concert series, specifically puppetry. The organization invited The Old Trout Puppet Workshop, a Canadian company, to create a visual show during performances of Prokofiev\u2019s \u201cPeter and the Wolf<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The Canadian company crafted large-scale puppets representing the characters of Peter, the wolf and other animals that assembled on stage like a pop-up book or jigsaw puzzle. The illustrations completed the musical narrative and provided a fresh perspective, Cerny said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe had our most age-diverse audience, I think we\u2019ve ever had on anything,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had people bringing babies in arms to see this and it in no way diminished the quality of the musicians playing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra has incorporated singers into its concert series, notably during performances of \u201cHaydn: The Creation<\/a>,\u201d where singers moved around on stage while images related to the song\u2019s lyrics projected on screens. An English translation was provided above the stage.<\/p>\n The orchestra also expanded its collaborations with North Texas-based artistic groups, including Texas Ballet Theater, to create hybrid performances where dance occurs on stage in front of the musicians.\u00a0<\/p>\n The orchestra presented \u201cFirebird<\/a>\u201d with the dance company in April 2023 as part of an initiative to explore Russian composer Igor Stravinsky\u2019s ballet scores through different lenses, Cerny said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was really, really moving choreography that had our orchestra think of it differently when they went back and played that piece,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n New visual elements on the way<\/strong><\/p>\n As audience members prepare to take their seats for the upcoming 2025-26 season<\/a>, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra is serving up new elements to keep listeners engaged.\u00a0<\/p>\n The orchestra\u2019s early spring 2026 production of \u201cShakespeare at the Symphony<\/a>\u201d will mark the first time actors are intertwined with the music. Members of the Dallas Theater Center will take center stage during selections from \u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream\u201d and \u201cRomeo and Juliet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re creating a tapestry of scenes and music that was written for those plays,\u201d said Spano, who will conduct the concerts.\u00a0<\/p>\n If successful, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra plans to continue incorporating actors into its concerts, Spano added.<\/p>\n Interested in attending a Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra concert?<\/strong><\/p>\n The orchestra\u2019s 2025-26 season kicks off Aug. 20 and ends May 24, 2026. The season is broken up into different series: Symphonic Series, Pop Series, Chamber Series, Family Series and Specials. For more information click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The orchestra is also launching a Spanish program incorporating iconic paintings from the Kimbell Art Museum\u2019s collection as the first part of a three-year collaboration.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSpanish Masters: An Evening of Music and Art<\/a>\u201d at Bass Performance Hall in late April 2026 will feature projections of some of the museum\u2019s Spanish masterpieces during the concerts.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have capitalized on the things that are so spectacular in (the Kimbell\u2019s) collection and also things that their expertise is curating for artistic enhancement,\u201d Spano said. \u201cIt\u2019s a great grab bag of possibilities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Guests can expect other fun surprises during other 2025-26 season performances, including \u201cSymphonic Stories: Alice\u2019s Adventures in Wonderland<\/a>\u201d in September and \u201cWild West Rodeo<\/a>\u201d in collaboration with the Sid Richardson Museum in January 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n As Cerny and Spano continue planning the 2026-27 season and beyond, the orchestra leaders know there are more ways to elevate the Theater of a Concert concept.\u00a0<\/p>\n Do they know what those new elements are yet? No, but it is a continual exploration, Spano said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s certainly going further in terms of diversification, because there\u2019s so many things that I\u2019m sure we haven\u2019t even thought of yet, but we will.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
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