The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-12-12
NO FESTIVAL NEXT YEAR
THE CANVASS FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS
WAS NOT FRUITFUL.
At Meeting Of the Directors 1t IL
Decided to Discontinue Their Eff
forts-Secretary's Statement.

There will be no May music festival in In
dianapolis next spring. This was decided
at a meeting of the directors Of the Music
Festival Association at the Denison House
yesterday afternoon. The action taken
was embodied in the following. which was
unanimously adopted:
THE records of this association show
that the average receipts OF the Indianapo-
lis May musical festival for the past ten
years have been about sll000. Recent cor
respondence with musical directors and
managers Of orchestras and artists
has developed the fact that 1t will
not be possible to give a festival next
year, with capable musical director, an
adequate orchestra, first-class artists and
with programmes up TO the standard OF
previous years at an expense within the
average receipts of past years.
THE movement begun month ago by
the Commercial Club to secure subscrip-
tons for season tickets for next years fes-
tival has not been productive of sufficient
subscriptions to guarantee its financial sue
cess. There is. apparently. so far as the
board is able to ascertain, no general de-
mand on the part of the people OF this city
for a continuation of the festivals. Since
the festivals were begun the financial bur-
den OF their support has been borne by
comparatively few public-spirited citizens.
and these same gentlemen are now willing
to continue guarantors. The board be-
lieves that such thing as the music fes-
tival should be supported on its merits and
by the public generally. and. as this sup
port does not seem to be forthcoming. and
the expense of a festival will necessarily
be In excess OF prospective receipts. the
board Is not willing to undertake II, with
almost a certainty of loss and, therefore,
abandons any further attempt to give a
festival next year."
SECRETARY JOHNSON TALKS.
o. R. Johnson, who has been secretary OF
the board for five years. said last night, in
explaining the action taken: 1.-The present
board would like to have the festivals con-
tinue. believing they are an excellent thing
for the city. but the directors felt that they
should be relieved Of the work and others
should take 1t up During the past two
months many business men and others
have como written to US insisting that
we should give a festival next year and
promising to give us all the support, finan-
cial and otherwise, possible. When the
Commercial Club sent solicitors around TO
some of these men and others who are
greatly benefited in a financial way by the
festivals, they subscribed for three or four
tickets and could not be induced to take
more. Six of these solicitors, who worked
three weeks, were only able to get sub
scriptions for about go tickets, valued at
probably $500. The result of this canvass
proved conclusively to me that there is no
popular demand for a festival next year,
and If we should give one II would not have
paying patronage.
There were other reasons for quitting.
Within the past month have corresponded
with the manager Of every first-class or
chestra and artist in America. There are
only two orchestras we could get-Mr Van
der Stucken's and George w. Stewards
Boston Festival Orchestra. Celebrated art
ists-and experience has demonstrated that
they alone will attract large audiences In
Indianapolis-asked prices for their serv-
ices that were practically prohibitive-
Calves price was $500 for one night, SEM
brichs $1,000, and Van Dyk, the tenor VINO
once had a voice, had the nerve to ask
$500 for one concert. Nevada's manager
asked 81 600 for her and so on down the line.
Then we would have had to employ mus
ical director. We could not figure out how
we could give festival worthy or the
name for less than S11500 or $1,000. and in
my Judgment the prospects for taking In
that sum were not promising. was not
willing to face another loss, and the other
directors feel the same way. IL any other
men want to undertake to run a music festi-
val in Indianapolis We shall give them
hearty support and help them all we can,
but we have had enough of IL.
81 am sorry to see most deserving pubic
enterprise fail. but personally am glad to
get out Of 1t. l sent In my resignation as
director and secretary month ago, out at
the personal solicitation CT President Bev-
eridge I withdrew 1t. There are number
of public-spirited men in Indianapolis who
have always most literally supported the
festivals and would do t again. but II does
not seem right that they should be asked to
do It when others who are just as able as
they, and far more benefited by the fesu-
walls, will do nothing.