Symphony tickets sell out in hours
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
The Symphony in the Flint Hills is sold out.
Emporians who called the Kansas City Symphony’s box office Tuesday morning learned that there were no tickets available for the event, planned for June 16 near Lake Wabaunsee. Tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. Monday morning.
“I was pretty surprised when they told me it was sold out,” said Jim Kostner of Emporia.
“I don’t think anyone thought this would sell out in one day,” said Beverly Hurley, who is in charge of public relations for the event. “We’re still trying to sort out how it happened.”
Hurley had disseminated news releases on Saturday with a notation that the information was embargoed until March 5, 2007. An embargo means the information cannot be released until the date shown. Readers who did not look at their newspapers until after 5 p.m. had no opportunity to call the ticket office before the 5,000 tickets had been sold.
Hurley said that numbers of tickets to an individual or business had been limited to allow more people an opportunity to buy tickets.
Michael Harris, who works in the Symphony box office, said that people can call to be put on a waiting list in case tickets become available.
Harris said that throughout Monday, large numbers of people walked up to the box office, called, or e-mailed to make ticket purchases.
“It was like we were flooded from all three sources,” Harris said.
“We just think the interest was so high for the event that it just was like a firestorm sweeping across the prairie,” said Hurley.
Although the sell-out is good news for organizers, it’s little consolation for Kostner, who knew he’d need to work fast to get tickets.
“It’s a disappointment,” he said. “I thought we’d for sure be able to get tickets.”