Does Lawrence need its own symphony orchestra?

That’s the question at the heart of a debate under way with supporters of the Lawrence Chamber Orchestra.

Over time, the organization has turned into a full-fledged chamber orchestra, with 30-plus members performing at concerts. But financial demands and a debate over the group’s niche in the busy local music scene have some calling for a cutback in the orchestra’s operations.

“It’s always the question of does the community of Lawrence want, and is the market here, for essentially a symphony,” said John Solbach, a Lawrence lawyer and president of the orchestra’s board of directors. “Or do we need to scale that back based upon the demand?”

The board, orchestra members and others will discuss the group’s future Sunday at the orchestra’s annual meeting. It begins at 2 p.m. at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H.

The organization was founded 34 years ago as the Lawrence Chamber Players, playing mostly smaller ensemble pieces with six to 15 members.

Over time, the repertoire has grown to include more full orchestra pieces.

The Lawrence Chamber Orchestra rehearses at Trinity Lutheran Church in this January file photo.

Last year’s season included five concerts with a full orchestra of 25 to 30 members, who are typically paid a few hundred dollars for their service. The group also has a part-time manager, Mick Braa, and a part-time artistic director, Washburn University professor Steven Elisha, on staff.

The expansion has been difficult on the orchestra’s pocketbook, with concerts drawing anywhere from 50 to 200 people and businesses often looking to sponsor events with larger attendance, such as the guest artists at the Lied Center, as well as the Kansas University groups that perform.

“I think the fundraising end of things has gotten tighter and tighter,” said John Boulton, a retired KU music professor and board member. “(Businesses) wanted to get bang for the buck. We didn’t have a very big bang.”

The board has tentatively approved scaling back next year’s season, with one or two larger orchestra concerts and several other concerts with small ensembles.

Solbach said having a full orchestra season, with an artistic director, would cost $40,000 to $65,000. The scaled-back proposal would cost $15,000 to $30,000, he said.

Solbach noted that the orchestra has no outstanding debt.

Braa and Elisha could not be reached for comment Friday.

Not all orchestra members think the cutbacks are a good idea.

Chris Harnden of Overland Park, who currently serves as concertmaster and has been in the orchestra for 30 years, said she preferred keeping a full orchestra.

“I feel as though Lawrence, I would think, would be a large enough town, certainly because of all the different culture that’s there with the university, to have an orchestra of its own,” Harnden said.

She said she thought the orchestra and its board members could be more aggressive in fundraising and raising awareness about its concerts. She said the quality of the music has improved gradually during her time there.

“Right now it’s probably at the height of our musicianship,” she said. “It’s kind of ironic the financial base is not greater. I think it has the potential to get to that point.”

Eric Williams, a Lawrence resident and violin player since 1993, said he could see benefits to both options.

“That’s a tough question,” he said. “They are, to some degree, apples and oranges. The orchestral literature and the chamber literature are really quite distinct. It’s not so much you lose something (by scaling back). It’s simply a difference of what’s available.”

Boulton, the board member, agreed. He said the goal is to find the orchestra’s role in the Lawrence music world.

“Where we’ve been going hasn’t seemed to get us audiences, for one reason or another,” he said. “We’re trying to find our niche in the community. We’re trying to find an audience – people, in a way, who need us. My feeling, and I think the feeling of the board, is we really haven’t found our place.”