PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — After announcing in November this would be their last season, the show may go on for the Philly POPS, but there is still some heavy lifting that must be done to keep the music playing.
Philly POPS had a tremendous Christmas season, according to President and CEO Frank Giordano. He said their 10 “Philly POPS Christmas: Spectacular Sounds of the Season” shows were all sellouts.
“During the concerts, the audience was chanting 'Save the POPS!'” Giordano said. “I want to save the POPS.”
Giordano says that inspiration led Philly POPS leadership to look at ways to keep the orchestra afloat.
“There’s also an outpouring from our current donors and hopefully from potential donors, organizations in the city — including the City of Philadelphia itself — and state funding,” he said.
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Giordano said they ran into financial problems after their pandemic reopening.
“We had a little over 25% of our patrons not come back,” he said, reflecting on how the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically affected arts funding. The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance estimated the city’s arts and culture sector lost $371 million between March 2020 and 2021.
Giordano added they must raise $2 million by July to keep the Philly POPS in business, as well as change their business model by shifting from a heavy focus on concert-related income to a donation-centered budget.
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“Recently we had a board meeting and were presented with a new set of facts going forward. We think it’s possible if we could raise funds, rely a little more on contributed income,” Giordano explained.
“There may be less concerts. Instead of three in a weekend, there may be two.”
Giordano said this is also welcome news to many of the musicians in the Philly POPS, who recently resolved issues with the musicians’ union. He adds they will not move forward without consulting the union.
Tim Jimenez contributed to this report.