Orchestras Are Expensive Charities

In the 18th century, Handel relied on royal patronage. Today, it’s donors like Gary Parr who keep the music playing. In this bonus episode of our “Making Messiah” series, Parr breaks down the economics of the New York Philharmonic.

• SOURCES:
  • Gary Parr, senior managing director and on the management committee at Apollo, philanthropist.

• RESOURCES:
  • "A Notoriously Jinxed Concert Hall Is Reborn, Again," by Michael Kimmelman (New York Times, 2022).
  • "Apollo’s New Guy Is a Legend in Banking, a Novice in Buyouts," by Sonali Basak (Bloomberg, 2017).
  • “Handel’s Messiah,” performed by The London Symphony Orchestra (2007).
  • "Racial/Ethnic and Gender Diversity in the Orchestra Field," by James Doeser (League of American Orchestras).
  • Parr Prize for Excellence in Teaching Shakespeare.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Making Messiah," series by Freakonomics Radio (2025).

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