According to the statistics of the German Orchestra Association (DOV) - which are collected every two years from German cultural orchestras and radio orchestras nationwide - the total number of concerts on offer is stable at over 12,500 events. The DOV is concerned about the development of fees.
The number of symphony concerts as part of the orchestra's regular activities has risen from 5902 to a peak of 6158 concerts. This represents an increase of over 4 percent. There was a surprisingly significant increase in international business: 646 concerts were performed on tours abroad. This is an increase of 20 percent within two years.
The statistics do not include visitors to numerous classical open-air events, large and small music festivals, church concerts and popular classical cross-over concerts by commercial providers.
One positive aspect is the continuous increase in children's, youth and school concerts, the number of which has risen massively in seven years from 1498 (2005/2006 season) to 2066 (2011/2012 season).
However, due to the unresolved wage dispute and a smouldering legal dispute between the DOV and the German Stage Association before the Federal Labor Court, there has no longer been a valid collective wage agreement for around 100 orchestras since January 1, 2010.
Due to sharp increases in public sector pay in recent years, orchestras in local authorities would then lag behind the public sector by 8.88 percent from August 1, 2013, writes the DOV.
