We asked Judit Körmendy-Ékes, President of the Foundation of the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra (FLCO), about the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the orchestra, the ongoing process of rebranding, the need for repositioning and image building, and the results of the past three years. About past, present and future.
– You took over as President of the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra Foundation in 2020. What was your motivation?
– As a member of the Supervising Board, I had already followed the work of the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra and was familiar with the operation of the Foundation. I believed that the FLCO’s artistic performance has enormous potential that could be realised with some changes and a new management approach, but this would require a parity with the artistic work and recognition that the ensemble has achieved. I have made a commitment with the Presidency to put aside my other work and concentrate only on the FLCO.
– The last three years have seen some major changes in the orchestra, in terms of composition, image, and focus, but why were these changes necessary?
– Simply put, the orchestra’s market performance was significantly below the artistic standard they otherwise represented, and I wanted to change that. In recent years, the market environment has changed fundamentally, and we need to adapt, not only in terms of financing strategies, but also in terms of branding.
– What exactly do you mean by this?
– In terms of repositioning, we started with market research, competitor mapping, and business planning, following the generally accepted rules of business, and ran hybrid campaigns that were different from industry trends. These are all tools that can take effect relatively quickly.
– You did all this during the Covid-19 pandemic in a financial environment where public exposure is particularly high, and the Anglo-Saxon sponsorship system seems to be struggling to get a foothold.
– Both statements are correct. Apart from Great Britain, this is the case across the continent, although the situation varies from country to country. As long as the purchasing power is low and you cannot work with real ticket prices, state subsidies will be necessary. Sponsorship is indeed weak, and ticket revenues have also been down recently, as life has practically stopped during Covid, but the latter has also given us time to think about our goals and the artistic and business strategies to match them.
– Are the results already measurable? Was the effect that quick?
– In the short term, I can say that not only have our concert numbers recovered, but they are growing significantly, and we are playing to sold-out audiences not only at home but abroad as well. Our replenishment programme is operational, our school concerts, our play activities, and our drawing competition are popular, and it is very important that we reach our realistic targets in terms of revenue. The next step is for the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra to become one of Hungary’s leading cultural export articles in the long run, and we are probably not that far away from that.
– How much has the profile changed, by the way?
– Market research has shown that, while maintaining the traditions of the last sixty years, we need to open to functioning as a kind of smaller symphony orchestra. This will give us the opportunity to expand our repertoire and to play new and bigger venues, especially in the Asian markets we are targeting. So we need to expand both in numbers and in repertoire, which can be very well connected with our replenishment programme, in the framework of which we regularly supplement our concerts with music academy students and future colleagues.
– In addition to the rebranding, a special anniversary season has also been put together, as the orchestra celebrates the 60th anniversary of its founding. Does everything fit together?
– This anniversary is about moving on. It’s about celebrating the founders and what they created, how we got here and what possibilities the current situation holds for us. A shared history that not only has a past, but also an established future.
