BSO Unveils Faster, Better BSO.org

The Boston Symphony Orchestra unveiled the first phase of an ambitious three-part upgrade to its website Tuesday night.

BSO.org is the most visited orchestral website in the U.S., according to an announcement describing the redesigned platform, with more than 7 million visitors each year. It's being developed in collaboration with Oncall Interactive, a Chicago digital agency that has worked with international companies including Nike and McDonalds.

The new site is being built on a "cloud" infrastructure, which the BSO says will increase navigability and enable the site to handle a higher influx of traffic, including from mobile devices.

The old site was launched in 1996 and has continued to evolve with technological advances and audience expectations. Now the BSO says users will be able to more easily access information and make purchases. Tickets, programs, merchandise and a slew of interactive media platforms are part of the facelift — including BSOKids educational games (Music Memory, Cue the conductor, Monstruments, etc...) and a digital library.

BSO.org has brought in more than $70 million since the orchestra first ventured into the digital media landscape.

The hope is that this faster, more robust BSO.org will attract and grow a more savvy fan base. Future phases will be rolled out later this month and in December.