Sure Signs of Success

Early last month I received a press release from the St. Louis Symphony, announcing an anonymous $5 million unrestricted gift to support that orchestra’s operating expenses. The release went on to say that the St. Louis Symphony is now at a turning point. President Fred Bronstein said: “We have an outstanding orchestra and brilliant music director in David Robertson. But significant challenges … must be overcome in order to ensure real success and true stability in the future.”

For those of you who follow the fortunes of your Oregon Symphony, this will sound familiar. Like St. Louis we have an outstanding orchestra and a brilliant music director in Carlos Kalmar. And we believe we are at a turning point too, with some real reversals of fortune over the past several months:

• Paid attendance for the 2007/08 season filled 62 percent of the seats at our 79 performances. That’s a big improvement over the 2006/07, season when only 54 percent of the seats were sold – but it still isn’t good enough.


• Fortunately, there’s every sign that this season will be even more successful.  We’ve sold many more tickets than we had at this time last year, and audiences have responded enthusiastically to our programming choices.  We’re aiming for 70 percent paid attendance this year and even bigger houses next year and the year after.


• Our changes to our Pops programming and the appointment of Jeff Tyzik as Principal Pops Conductor have already proven a huge success.  Subscribers have welcomed the smaller packages, and with fewer performances and more focused programs we’re starting the Pops season with much fuller houses than we have in the recent past. 


• And while we don’t have a $5 million anonymous gift, we do have 26 generous individuals and couples who have agreed to join our Sustainability Campaign. If we keep to our word and continue to improve the Oregon Symphony’s financial performance, they will collectively contribute as much as $10 million over five years. Last season this wonderful group of people gave more than $2 million to support our operations, in gifts ranging from $25,000 to $250,000. We – and they – would be delighted to have others join with them in this campaign.

But even if you can’t contribute at that level, we’re delighted to have you with us at these concerts. It’s a thrill for us to welcome the international superstar Lang Lang and to launch our Classical Series B, Pops and Kids concert programs this month. Come back throughout the season – we have lots of great concerts and artists scheduled for your enjoyment, and you can help us reach that important 70 percent and keep the Oregon Symphony on the road to “real success and true stability.”

Sincerely,

Elaine Calder
President