03/06/2002
The world renowned Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) recently became the latest licensee of Tessitura Arts Enterprise Software. Tessitura is a proven enterprise-wide, fully graphical and fully integrated software management system in use by major North American arts organizations. Tessitura seamlessly handles all ticketing, fund raising, marketing and customer care and service needs of arts organizations.
The activities of the BSO include performances by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra in Boston's Symphony Hall as well as performances at Tanglewood, the BSO's summer music festival located in Lenox, Massachusetts in the Berkshire mountains.
Bob Bell, Director of Information Technology for the BSO, commented, "The demonstration of Tessitura wowed everyone. When we learned that our current system, which we have used for 16 years, had met its end of life, we feared that we would be forced to go through a painful conversion only to wind up with a system that did not really meet our needs. After seeing Tessitura, then carefully evaluating the software features and database structure and conducting intense due diligence with current users, we realized that a powerful system for the arts had been developed in recent years and was proven by demanding organizations. We are excited about the opportunities that Tessitura will provide."
Tessitura, originally developed by The Metropolitan Opera for its own use, was implemented in 1998 and replaced multiple separate systems that handled ticketing functions, fund raising, marketing, customer care and performance reporting. A Metropolitan Opera subsidiary, Impresario, L.L.C. was established to license the product to other arts organizations with the Santa Fe Opera being the first to implement the software in 2000. They were followed by the San Francisco Symphony, the Kennedy Center, Seattle Opera, and the Chicago Lyric Opera. Other major arts organizations, such as the Houston Ballet and City Center of New York, are currently in the installation process.
Jack Rubin, business and marketing director for Tessitura, commented, "The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an extremely significant addition to the Tessitura network of users. They asked many questions before reaching their decision and we are thrilled they selected Tessitura. We are finding that most arts organizations are very concerned about achieving true integration between their ticketing, development and customer service functions in order to offer the highest level of service to all constituent groups and increase the customer retention rates, ticket sales and fund raising efforts. Tessitura was designed in recent years just for that purpose and enables significant productivity improvement as well."
Mr. Rubin added, "Like our other licensees, the Boston Symphony Orchestra was also looking for a software solution that enables web sales and all other transactions to take place without dealing with a vendor who bases their business on transaction fees that go on forever. The Tessitura business model involves a perpetual site license with a one-time license fee. We are finding great acceptance in the arts community to both the power of our software and the simplicity of our business approach."
About Tessitura
Tessitura is an enterprise software application that enables an integrated approach to "constituent management" for arts organizations. Using a single database of information, the system empowers the user organization to record, track and manage all contacts with its constituents, conduct highly targeted and cost-efficient marketing and fund raising appeals, handle all ticketing and membership transactions and provide detailed and flexible performance reports. Besides seamlessly providing efficient business, ticketing and development department operations, a key benefit of the system is its ability for relationship managers to have a full view of each constituent - their history, preferences and all contacts with the institution. Tessitura is owned by Impresario, L.L.C. which is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Metropolitan Opera.
About Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra recently opened its 121st season, Seiji Ozawa's 29th and final season as Music Director. The orchestra gave its inaugural concert on October 22, 1881, and has continued to uphold the vision of its founder, the philanthropist, Civil War veteran, and amateur musician Henry Lee Higginson, for more than a century. The Boston Symphony Orchestra has performed throughout the United States, as well as in Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, China, and South America, and reaches audiences numbering in the millions through its performances on radio, television, and recordings. It plays an active role in commissioning new works from today's most important composers; its summer season at Tanglewood is regarded as one of the world's most important music festivals; it helps develop the audience of the future through BSO Youth Concerts and through a variety of outreach programs involving the entire Boston community; and, during the Tanglewood season, it sponsors the Tanglewood Music Center, one of the world's most important training grounds for young composers, conductors, instrumentalists, and vocalists. The orchestra's virtuosity is reflected in the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, the world's only permanent chamber ensemble made up of a major symphony orchestra's principal players. The Boston Pops Orchestra has established an international standard for the performance of lighter kinds of music, giving over 100 concerts annually in Symphony Hall, on the Charles River Esplanade, and around the country though an extensive touring schedule. Overall, the mission of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is to foster and maintain an organization dedicated to the making of music consonant with the highest aspirations of musical art, creating performances and providing educational and training programs at the highest level of excellence. This is accomplished with the continued support of its audiences, governmental assistance on both the federal and local levels, and through the generosity of many foundations, businesses, and individuals.
Tessitura Software Contact:
Jack Rubin
214.265.1908
jrubin@tessiturasoftware.com
Boston Symphony Orchestra Contact:
Bernadette Horgan
617.638.9285
bhorgan@bso.org