Philly Pops is launching a plan for survival

Citing public dismay at news that the Philly Pops would shut down at the end of this season, leaders of the group have reversed course and are now working to save the city’s only stand-alone pops orchestra.

Next season, the Pops is committing to presenting its Christmas shows, concerts in its “salute series,” and education programs, the group announced Wednesday.

Whether its traditional series of Broadway, Great American Songbook, and rock-tribute shows continues in 2023-24 depends on what kind of support materializes the rest of this season, officials say.

The group will undertake a “save the Pops” campaign in the next nine months, seeking to raise $1 million in philanthropic support in addition to the $1 million it would normally be raising at that time. The money is intended to pay off debt and meet financial obligations, and to help fund future operations.

In the coming months, the Pops will “reassess through additional research and response to those shows how we can continue to present that kind of programming,” said Pops chief operating officer Karen Corbin. “The subscription series obviously needs a new model and we will turn our attention to finding that model as quickly as we can.”

This past fall, the Pops struggled for audiences, discovering that many of its traditional listeners were not returning to concerts after the pandemic shutdown. Sagging sales and some debt compelled the group to decide to finish out the season, “deal with our obligations and then just close it down,” said Pops president Frank Giordano in mid-November.

But almost immediately, the organization began taking incremental steps toward survival. It announced at its annual Christmas shows that the holiday tradition would return in 2023, and then penned a new tentative agreement with musicians stretching two years. Ticket sales for this year’s nine-concert run of Christmas shows at the Kimmel Center were strong. More than 18,000 paying patrons turned out for the annual variety revenue in December. “That’s what we normally do at our best,” said Corbin.

Just as significant has been the show of support the group has felt since disclosing its decision to shut down. Audiences were chanting “save the Pops” at this year’s Christmas concerts, said Giordano — which helped to alter his thinking.

“I realized it was our responsibility to do that,” said Giordano Wednesday. “The Pops programming, what we do, is unique in our city and it’s the music the community wants to hear. I felt a renewed obligation. And it was not just an outpouring from our patrons. There has also been outreach from current and potential donors that has shown there is a pathway to success.”

Details of the “save the Pops” campaign are not yet fully developed, Corbin said, but the Pops board approved the new direction Jan. 3.

In the past, the Philly Pops has been much more heavily dependent on ticket sales than most other arts groups, which made weathering the pandemic shutdown especially challenging. The group went without ticket income for 18 months, Corbin said.

This new plan seeks an altered business model, one more heavily weighted toward philanthropic donations. The education program and “salute series” — concerts like the beloved annual appearance of the ensemble on Independence Mall around July 4 — have been underwritten by grants and sponsorships. But the core subscription series has been supported largely by ticket sales to a demographic that has been hesitant to return to live concerts.

“We just ran into difficulties with one part of our business model, and that’s what we need to adjust,” said Corbin. “We have a library of programs waiting to be presented. We just need to find the right combination and right number of performances.”