Tag Archives: orchestra new

Oregon Symphony Balances Budget

Oregon Symphony balanced its budget for an eighth consecutive year in the 2016-2017 season, while increasing the number of concerts it performed by 20%. The orchestra increased its total ticket revenue by 21% and saw an 18% increase in the number of seats sold. Both subscription revenue and single-ticket revenue grew compared to the previous season, and 30% of the season’s concerts were sold out. First-time buyers accounted for 26% of all tickets sold—a 12% increase over the previous season.

In addition, the orchestra expanded its education and community engagement efforts in the 2016-2017 season, increasing programming by 4% and reaching 19% more people. The orchestra’s annual free Waterfront Concert, a daylong music festival featuring performances by area arts groups, drew 15,000 attendees.

Oregon Symphony musicians are members of Local 99 (Portland, OR).

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Participates in Concert for Peace

In partnership with St. Sabina, Chicago’s largest African-American Catholic church, cellist Yo-Yo Ma presented “Concert for Peace” with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), members of Local 10-208; the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, a training ensemble for young musicians; and the Chicago Children’s Choir. Ma is a member of Local 802 (New York City) and creative consultant to CSO.

St. Sabina, located in a South Side neighborhood that has suffered from violence, created its Strong Futures program, which engaged 50 at-risk youth, aged 17 to 26, in full-time and part-time jobs during 2016. Concert for Peace raised $70,000 to benefit Strong Futures.

The concert program featured music by composers who are credited with creating a distinct American sound—Antonín Dvořák, Scott Joplin, Aaron Copland, and Duke Ellington. Two selections were dedicated to children lost to violence.

Reverend Michael Pfleger and Ma concluded the concert by urging the audience to take action to create a peaceful Chicago.

Baltimore Symphony Receives $6 Million for Education

At its annual gala in September, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) announced that it received a $6 million endowment gift from the Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund—its largest gift in recent years. The gift will establish the Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund for Education as part of BSO’s endowment, and will support BSO programs for Baltimore City school students.

The gift has a long history: It was pledged in 1996, in the form of a life insurance policy purchased on Robert I. Hiller, the former president of the Krieger Fund. Hiller passed away in May at age 93.