Riccardo Muti
During its 2015-2016 fiscal year (in fact the last concert season), Riccardo Muti’s Chicago Symphony Orchestra registered record ticket revenues for its CSO Main series of performances, and record single-ticket sales for that series. At the same time, records do not mean profit, since the CSO announces a $1.1 million operating deficit, with operating revenues totalling $71.9 million and operating expenses, $73 million.
The main figures comprise ticket sales of $22.2 million for a total of 218 concerts. According to the orchestra, the subscription renewal rate for the series was 90 percent, up from 89 percent for the season 2014/15. According to CSO management, this is one of the highest renewal rates for any major U.S. orchestra.
