Professor Dr. Roland Berger, founder and chairman of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, has stood by the MCO’s side in assisting with economic and structural questions since the orchestra’s beginnings. This continuing partnership resulted in the 2008 establishment of the MCO Foundation, on whose board Claudio Abbado and the Berger family both serve. On Tour speaks with Roland Berger about strategies to secure and promote culture in times of economic difficulty.
Mr. Berger, you are one of the best-known business consultants in Germany and in Europe. What advice would you give cultural organisations like the MCO in times of economic crisis? Roland Berger: First of all, it’s important for all enterprises to address the consequences of the crisis confidently and be proactive. Otherwise one could miss valuable opportunities. The MCO, as an orchestra of exceptional quality which possesses a strong brand, is in a good position: first, the trend towards concerts of highest quality and extraordinary venues has continued uninterrupted. Second, many people look to culture to provide meaning beyond mere enjoyment, especially in difficult times. The MCO has a lot to offer in this realm, such as its dedication to cross-cultural encounters, training the next musical generation with the MCO Academy, or realizing its goal of fulfilling the European ideal. These themes should be emphasized in the orchestra’s publicity.
The consequences of the crisis seem to have reached the cultural sector. Concerts are cancelled on short notice because sponsors or funds drop out unexpectedly. What is your forecast for the years to come? Roland Berger: After the dot-com crash of 2001, the publicly funded arts reacted to the economic crisis and the associated tax shortages with a two-year delay. I expect that something similar will happen now. In competition for a piece of this smaller pie, cultural enterprises will have to prove even more that their contributions to society are worthwhile – not only artistically, but also with regards to education and to social and economic matters. The sponsoring market is in a similar situation: the times in which firms could selflessly get involved as patrons is over. Sponsors today expect more, they expect benefits for themselves as well.
The MCO supports itself almost entirely by playing concerts. How can it succeed in becoming more independent from ticket sales? Roland Berger: I see the MCO’s focus on concerts as a main source of income as an advantage. The main target audience for high-quality classical concerts – well-educated people over 50 – is less affected than the audiences for other arts, such as theatre or musicals. This means that the income from concerts is more stable in today’s crisis than income from public funds or from sponsoring. But I think it’s important to have a wide base of production agencies to minimize risks. I would advise the MCO to develop a sponsoring programme as a second financial pillar. Given the MCO’s specific profile, there are certainly worthwhile partners available for it, probably firms with a Europe-oriented business model that target a young consumer base. I see public financing as a third option. It can even be an advantage that the MCO is not bound to a specific location: a local or urban sponsor can demonstrate its worldliness by association with the orchestra’s international character.
How do you think a cultural institution like the MCO can best attract firms or even individual sponsors? Roland Berger: In principle, the trick to developing a successful sponsoring programme is to find firms for whom the orchestra’s identity offers a suitable platform where they can project their own goals and values. So it’s a matter of defining the essence of the orchestra’s brand. For the MCO, this would certainly include attributes such as »European«, »high quality«, »modern structure« and so on. It’s also a matter of working out advantages for potential sponsors based on these values, and – this is the third step – selecting the best of these and promoting them. In addition, well-off individuals are also a potential resource. In contrast to firms, individuals can be attracted by exclusive offers: complimentary tickets to selected performances, invitations to rehearsals, social events, conversations with musicians and conductors.
You are known as a great lover of music. What were some of your most important musical experiences, and what does music mean to you? Roland Berger: In general, the arts, and of course classical music, have always been a very important part of my life. I have had many exceptional musical experiences, and it would not be right to pick out just one or two. My wife and I support the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, and we really enjoy hearing these excellent musicians play. I also believe that someone who wants to become a top-notch consultant should be interested in music, art and cultural history.
You established a foundation for human dignity and education. What were your reasons for doing this? Roland Berger: I have been very fortunate so far, and I see my foundation as a way to give something back to the community. In America, they call this »learn, earn and return«. Personal experiences led me to place human dignity at the core of my foundation: my father was persecuted by the Nazis and imprisoned in 1944. During the war and afterwards I experienced many shocking things. I have always strongly believed that such things should not be allowed to happen, but, unfortunately, there are similar situations all over the world even today. Thus my foundation sponsors an annual award for human dignity, which is endowed with a sum of one million Euros, and is given to persons and organizations who champion human dignity and human rights. A second goal of our foundation is supporting education, because I myself was fortunate enough to receive an excellent education which has been the basis for my professional success. Children and young people from underprivileged families, or from immigrant families, often don’t get this chance. Through our scholarship programme, »Fit for Responsibility« (»Fit für Verantwortung«), the foundation helps to level the playing field by supporting talented young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Some participants in this scholarship programme have visited MCO rehearsals and have had conversations with the musicians – in your experience, how can one get young people interested in classical music? Roland Berger: The best way is through personal contact: our scholarship recipients had the opportunity to experience up close how an orchestra works, how it cooperates. This made a great impression on them, and sparked their interest in classical music. After attending an MCO rehearsal, one scholarship recipient remarked, »I never thought I would enjoy listening to classical music.« This enthusiasm increases, of course, when a person learns to play a musical instrument. Many of our scholarship recipients do exactly that, and we support it as we are able. In addition, we are putting on a musical with the young people this summer: The Wizard of Oz. We wish to take it on tour to show what our scholarship recipients can do, but also to inspire children and young people to sing and to make music.
