By Janelle Gelfand
Enquirer staff writer

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra board chairman Dan Hoffheimer (Enquirer photo)

For the past decade, attendance at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has hovered around 2,000 in Music Hall.

The concert hall's cavernous size - 3,417 seats - is a problem, trustees say. On an average night, more than 1,400 seats go empty.

This fall, two board committees will explore ways to make Music Hall more "intimate" and brainstorm patron enhancements that could make the symphony a more desirable destination.

"We want (people) to go to the symphony because it's an enjoyable experience," says board chair Daniel Hoffheimer. "Right now, it's a thin sliver experience. ... Once they're in the hall, the only experience they can have is sitting down and hearing the concert. And that's not the way modern consumers want to experience their entertainment."

On the fall agenda:

• A board committee will investigate the reconfiguration of Music Hall's auditorium, such as temporarily closing off parts of the hall to seat fewer people or moving the orchestra farther out for a surround effect.

• Another group will research enhancements such as a new gift shop, restaurant, donor lounge and new offices for symphony staff.

"This is Cincinnati's largest pre-eminent arts organization, and our staff works in spaces without windows," Hoffheimer says.

The enhancements - at the moment, just a wish list - would be planned around a 950-space garage adjacent to Music Hall, proposed by a group of Cincinnati business leaders, Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., known as 3CDC. As yet, there is no timeline or cost estimate for the garage, which is part of an Over-the-Rhine revitalization project, the organization says.

"If there is a vibrant community surrounding Music Hall, the opportunities for food, booze, retail and relaxation just go up exponentially," says incoming trustee Jack Rouse, a 3CDC member who will head the concert hall committee.

Changes to Music Hall's Springer Auditorium might be more complicated. Planners are aware that reconfiguring the hall could adversely affect its acoustics.

Rouse's first task will be to narrow down a list of acoustical and theater consultants. Any changes must revert to the original configuration for use by Music Hall's other tenants, such as the May Festival and Cincinnati Opera. Music Hall is owned by the city and managed by the Cincinnati Arts Association.

Fewer seats, believes Hoffheimer, could result in more sell-outs, create buzz and "and hopefully translate into better ticket and subscription sales."

Other amenities would bring the symphony up to speed for a new generation of listeners.

"It's about making sure the concert experience we create is a 21st- century concert experience. The kind of entertainment people want today is not the same entertainment our parents wanted 30 years ago," Hoffheimer says.

It's conjecture, for now. But cost for the concert hall portion alone could amount to "tens of millions" of dollars, Rouse estimates.

E-mail jgelfand@enquiurer.com