TromboneChat

Cold + Lutherans = Orchestras

That is among the theses in this think piece in WaPo about the modest surplus of symphony orchestras in Midwestern US states.

Maybe they're right... I think you'll find more Lutherans at a symphony concert than in church these days.

Why does the Midwest love orchestras so much?

Midwestern Airbnb hosts are unusually likely to use the word “orchestra” in their listings, according to our groundbreaking research into the mysteries of regional Airbnb promotion. But why?

Readers sent in a multitude of theories, starting with the most obvious: The Midwest teems with tremendous orchestras, the sort of world-renowned outfits that will draw out-of-town visitors to your Airbnb... But why?

I don't think I buy that argument. Orchestras start in larger communities for the most part. Musician immigrants to the US during the Great Migration tended to be Germans and Italians mostly. In opera companies we had German and Italian wings sometimes with different musicians.

Note that while I said most musician immigrants were Italian or German, there were great musicians immigrating from other countries as well.