Albany Symphony Orchestra  ALBANY -- Like Albany Symphony
Orchestra Musical Director and Principal Conductor David Alan
Miller, his Wichita Symphony counterpart, Daniel Hege, has
earned a solid reputation for innovative programming and a
commitment to contemporary American classical works.  And yet he
is candid about the need to blend old with new.  "It's obviously
a very challenging financial climate for municipal arts
organizations right now, not just orchestras," he said. "For any
organization that wants to be vibrant and vital, it's a
challenge. People are taking in information and entertainment in
new ways."  That presents the contemporary orchestra with
numerous demands, namely marketing to a broader audience while
not alienating what Hege calls "our tried and true audience that
likes things a certain way. Orchestras are, by nature, risk-
averse. If you try something new, you might fail."  From a
programming perspective, he said, "We need to offer a broad mix
of things. I like music written today, but it