Houston Symphony Tries Orchestra Trading Cards

September 12, 2007

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September 12, 2007

The Houston Symphony Orchestra wants its audience to know its players — so concert goers are being given trading cards. Bruce Robinson, marketing director for the HSO and violinist Kurt Johnson talk about the PR effort.

MICHELE NORRIS, host:

Usually, the conductor is considered the face of the orchestra. The players -well, visually, they're much less distinct, a blur of movement in a sea of white shirts, black tuxedos or long skirts. The Houston Symphony Orchestra wants to change that, so they've created trading cards.

Mr. BRUCE ROBINSON (Senior Marketing Director, Houston Symphony Orchestra): People always, of course, are making jokes about, oh, I saw them on eBay for sale the other day.

NORRIS: That's Bruce Robinson, the senior director of marketing for the Houston Symphony. He has heard of other orchestras doing trading cards and thought it would be a great way to encourage more support for the HSO.

Robinson started handing out the cards this summer, though, without the candy or the bubblegum.

Mr. ROBINSON: Those candy wrappers are the bane of concertgoers.

BLOCK: There are 33 cards total. They're smaller than traditional trading cards, and they feature two pictures of each musician in formal dress, but not necessarily stiff poses.

Flautist Judy Dines looks like she is doing shoulder presses with her instrument on her card. You find out that she got her start with the flute at age 6. And violinist Kurt Johnson, well, he's a cutie. With his instrument tucked under his arm and a sweet smile on his face. But flip that card over and…

Mr. KURT JOHNSON (Violinist, Houston Symphony Orchestra): It has me kind of doing like an Elvis pose, like, thank-you-very-much pose.

BLOCK: Plus, there's this tidbit of personal information.

Mr. JOHNSON: Kurt is an average Chicago sports fan. He can be seen walking his basset hound around midtown.

BLOCK: Johnson says having his own trading card is, quote, "neat." Though he hasn't been recognized while exercising his basset hound, Basey(ph), at least not yet. Johnson is hoping kids get turned on to the orchestra the same way he got turned on to baseball when he was young.

Instead of learning about relief pitchers and designated hitters, they'll be learning about first violins and principal flutes. Plus, if more orchestras tried trading cards, there's the possibility of fantasy orchestra.

Mr. ROBINSON: Person could trade or put together a stand, a violinist from the Houston Symphony with the Pittsburg Symphony and vice versa or whatever. It's endless ideas.

BLOCK: And the best way to start your own orchestra trading card collection, marketing director Bruce Robinson says go to an HSO concert this season and ask - he's happy to hand them out.

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