By Peter Matthews, Feast of Music | February 3, 2026
When you live in New York, where we’re spoiled by a never-ending stream of visiting international orchestras, not to mention our very own world-class orchestra, it’s easy to forget that there are very good – if not great – orchestras all across the U.S. But they all suffer from the same problem as the proverbial tree in the forest: if you’re not there to hear them, do they make a sound? To some degree, recordings can help get the word out, though it’s hard to break through the clutter these days unless your music director is tied to one of the major classical labels, or you’ve invested in your own in-house label with access to all of the major streaming services.
If an orchestra really wants to expand its footprint beyond its home, it needs to tour. And, for most orchestras, that eventually means coming to New York which, until recently, had two concert halls to choose from and multiple influential media outlets ready to cover their concerts. Unfortunately, NYC is now down to one hall thanks to Lincoln Center’s abdication of its longstanding role presenting orchestras through its Great Performers series, replacing it with a hodgepodge of questionable presentations across various genres. And, with the NY Times and other local newspapers gutting their classical music coverage, the only ones covering most concerts these days are online outlets. At the risk of selling myself short, most orchestra communications directors don’t yearn for a pull quote from a music blogger.