Professor’s Bequest Provides BSO Tickets

After a gift from late Harvard Professor Arthur Maass, Harvard undergraduates can now get free tickets to the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO).

The tickets have been snapped up quickly each of the last two weeks they have been available.

“The only problem is not having enough tickets, as they go very quickly,” Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra (HRO) President James F. Collins ’07. “It’s tough to get the tickets, but if you can get the tickets it’s awesome.”

Maass, who was Chair of the Government Department from 1963 to 1967 and Thomson Professor of Government from 1967 to 1984, was a subscriber to the BSO since 1946 and a member of their planned giving society.

He passed away in March 2004, leaving a provision in his estate plans that established the free ticketing program. With his funding, the Office for the Arts (OFA) at Harvard will give away seven or eight tickets to BSO performances roughly once a week, on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Members of music organizations on campus said they were excited about the free ticket program.

“I think it’s high time that they’re doing this,” said Bach Symphony Orchestra Music Director Alexander M. Brash ’06.

The BSO ticket offer brings Harvard in line with other Boston-area schools that already have such programs in place.

MIT, for example, offers free BSO College Cards to undergraduates. The cards, established by the BSO two years ago, allow area college students to see up to 20 concerts and open rehearsals over the season. The cost for these cards is normally $25, but the Council for the Arts at MIT covers the cost for students.

“We’ve been offering free BSO concerts to MIT students for at least 10 years,” said Susan Cohen, director of the Council.

But the free tickets through Maass’ donation afford concert attendees more flexibility.

“I have a BSO College Card, but they’re pretty bad seats and the performances are always on weeknights, like Tuesdays and Thursdays when everyone has work,” Brash said.

Assistant to the Director at the OFA Kelley N. Johnson said that the OFA would consider offers to secure more free tickets if they became available.

“This particular gift offers a fixed amount of money per year, but if the OFA can figure out how to get tickets through other organizations, we’d love to get more tickets,” Johnson said.

Given the demand for the tickets—the first week’s offering was gone in under an hour—Johnson said she hopes the University will take notice of students’ strong interest.

“The gift kind of came out of the blue for us, but I think seeing how popular the program has been just in the last two weeks will show the University how committed the students are to the arts,” Johnson said. “Hopefully this will open up other opportunities and other doors for students.”