"(The sale) went off like gangbusters," said symphony president Stephen Bloom.

"We weren't sure what to expect at first, but the response was very strong."

Bloom said total returns likely will be around $60,000 when the final accounting is done.

The sale, which took place Tuesday and Wednesday, gave people the opportunity to buy half-priced tickets to eight upcoming symphony performances — including next week's Christmas Pops with the Brothers

Cazimero and Na Leo Pilimehana, "Romeo and Juliet" next month, and an Easter performance of "The Messiah."

Symphony tickets regularly range between $24 and $60 (fees included).

Bloom said the ticket sale, which has been in the works for almost a year, has helped the symphony keep pace with last year's sales.

"We're on par," he said. "But it's still a struggle to get more people into the hall."

And while the symphony is in better shape than last year, when it appeared it might succumb to a national trend of symphonies' failures, Bloom said, "every month we still have to make adjustments to balance the budget."

Last year, musicians and top symphony officials agreed to take an across-the-board 20 percent pay cut to help eliminate a $1 million debt and secure a $2.1 million donation from three community members. The musicians also agreed to a reduction in pension benefits and a shorter performance season.

Ken Hafner, chair of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra Committee, said he and his fellow musicians are encouraged by this week's sale.

"We feel positive about it," Hafner said before the returns were tallied. "Any innovative marketing efforts are a step in the right direction as far as we're concerned."

Hafner said musicians and symphony leadership communicate every day about what else can be done to secure the symphony's financial future.

He's just hoping recovery won't be years in the making.

"It's tough when you have to undergo a 20 percent cut in salary," said Hafner, whose wife, Katherine, is also a symphony musician. "You have to find ways to make up the loss — extra jobs, taking on extra students.

"You make do with what you have. You put off getting anything new until you absolutely have to."

While the symphony won't be holding another half-off sale again anytime soon, Bloom said it will continue to look for other creative approaches to audience development. That should be easier with the recent hiring of Kristin Jackson as marketing director.

Box office aside, the organization's long-term financial health will depend greatly on growing its endowment.

Last year, the endowment stood at $5.5 million. At the time, Bloom said it needed to be two to three times that amount.