But Tourangeau defended Lockhart's decision. "This will be Keith's farewell appearance as music director, and you don't end an 11-year tenure with an average concert. It's important for him to be able to end his tenure in a way that's meaningful to him, and Bernstein's 'Mass' means a lot to him …"

Tourangeau said that the original budget for "Mass" has been cut substantially, and the symphony has received special funding for this weekend's concerts.

But despite the problems USUO faces, there is still a bright side. People have been continuing to buy tickets to symphony and opera events. Tourangeau said there were 14 sell-out symphony concerts this season. "People see the value of what we do," she said. "They see it as nourishment for the soul and a way to escape stress."

As she perceives it, one of her jobs is to reach out to soccer moms and get them coming to concerts. "Soccer moms are also music moms," Tourangeau said. "They also take their kids to music lessons. So over the next couple of years we want to recruit the support of these music moms."

As to ticket sales, Tourangeau said that subscriptions to next season's opera, masterworks and entertainment series are up substantially over this season.

The only sour note is sales for this summer's Deer Valley concerts. Citing its most recent figures, from the end of April, Tourangeau said USUO was only halfway to meeting its ticket sale goal.To attract a bigger and broader based audience this summer, USUO has elected not to stage a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. Instead, the company hopes it will be able to cash in on a few big names. "That's why we decided to bring in Elvis Costello, LeAnn Rimes and Frederica von Stade," Tourangeau said. "I'm really nervous about this year. Deer Valley has always enjoyed great support, but we took a hit last year," and the summer series has yet to show that it's recovering.

The Perkins-Prothro Foundation has offered a challenge grant to support the Deer Valley Music Festival this year. It has pledged to match a total of $50,000 in individual donations through Aug. 31.

Before coming to Salt Lake City, Tourangeau already knew that the community here supported its arts organizations. "I knew that Salt Lake was No.1 in philanthropic support, because Grand Rapids was No. 2," she said.

And she understands that USUO has a commitment to the community for its support. "We need to reach out to the community and have a greater presence in cities like Provo and Ogden. We need to embrace everybody."

e-mail: ereichel@desnews.com

If you go

What: Bernstein's "Mass," Utah Symphony and Chorus, Keith Lockhart, conductor

Where: Abravanel Hall

When: May 29, 30, 8 p.m.

How much: $16-$60

Phone: 801-355-2787 or 888-451-2787

Web: utahsymphony.org