Memphis Symphony Orchestra experiences swell of support

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Memphis Symphony Orchestra conductor Mei-Ann Chen.

In a climate of orchestral downsizing and downright disbanding, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra is doing something quite remarkable: filling seats.

Defying the trend many American orchestras face, the MSO in its 2010-11 season has shown dramatic increases in attendance, sponsorships and donations. Single concert ticket sales are up by 45 percent, according to the organization, and overall attendance is up, averaging 78 percent per concert. That includes seven sold out events, nearly one-fourth of its season. In addition, season subscribers and donorships are significantly up, notably an almost 20 percent increase in contributions by individuals, businesses and foundations from $2.1 million to $2.5 million.

"We finally have the perfect storm for our organization -- a team that seems to work together for a unified vision," said new MSO music director Mei-Ann Chen.

In tough economic times, the arts typically take a hit, and in recent years orchestras have been especially susceptible, forced to play variations on a deficit-burdened theme.

Though a few orchestras are doing relatively well, such as the St. Louis Symphony, many are hurting. Budget gaps have become so severe, the venerable Philadelphia Orchestra filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April, joining the ranks of cash-strapped institutions including the Louisville Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, which recently resolved a six-month strike. Others such as the Honolulu Symphony, the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle-area Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra (which will perform its last concert today) have essentially ceased to exist.

In many ways, it has been the fault of the orchestras, said Don Vroon, editor of classical music periodical American Record Guide. "The orchestra scene is way over-extended," he said. "The unions got slaphappy and made bigger and bigger seasons and bigger and bigger salaries and it was all wrong in the first place. It has to shrink. The time has come to get it back in line, and nobody is going to be happy about it."

An up-tick in attendance doesn't mean the MSO, which formed in 1952, is not struggling. In 2009, things got so bad -- including the MSO's investment draw (akin to an endowment) taking a hit -- that five of the administration's 18 positions were cut, among other stopgap measures. Those jobs have since been restructured and/or restored, said Nicki Inman, MSO vice president of patron engagement, whose new job title was part of the restructuring.

Currently, MSO administration has 16 full-time staff members (not including two conducting staff) with new staff hired for the purpose of revenue generation, she said.

The institutional funds from which the MSO takes its annual investment draw were valued at $1,715,000 on March 31, said Inman, which is the date used to determine the next fiscal year's investment draw.

Though final numbers aren't available yet for the 2010-11 season, budgeted revenue is $3,885,500 against operating expenses of $4,349,160. This leaves a net operating deficit of $463,600. Revenue for the 2009-10 season was $3,465,759, meaning the MSO has generated more than $400,000 additional revenue this season.

The plan is to further narrow the deficit gap to $250,000 by next year and reach a break even point soon after, said MSO board chairman Paul Bert.

"There really are no orchestras in this country that operate at a profit," said Bert. "We certainly are not an exception in that standpoint. Money is always something we need to be very aggressive about looking for."

Since single ticket sales account for roughly a third of operating revenue, the expansion of an orchestra's subscriber and philanthropic base are crucial for fiscal health. This includes individual and grant giving. ArtsMemphis, which gave $404,147 for the 2010-11 season, remains the MSO's single largest donor.

Said Bert, "Even if we filled every seat in every concert -- and this is pretty much true for every orchestra in this country -- we would still only cover about 35 percent of the cost."

Yet attendance pushes philanthropy, added Inman. The more people attend, the more people are willing to give.

"When they see that there is exciting work going on onstage, that there is exciting work going on in the community, people want to support those projects," she said.

Three things largely account for the MSO's upturn: a new director, a new chamber ensemble and new community outreach.

The face of the MSO, new music director Mei-Ann Chen took the podium last year after an intensive search to replace conductor David Loebel, and she has generated significant buzz for her conducting and programming choices.

Part of Chen's mission has been to connect the MSO with the community through collaborations and the combining of different art forms. "Playing safe is not our goal," she said. "At the same time that we need to work on our own (fiscal) challenges, we're going to take our audience along with us on this artistic journey."

The 2011-12 season promises, for example, a multimedia production of Igor Stravinsky's ballet "The Rite of Spring" and a performance of "Pictures at an Exhibition" accompanied by visuals from astronomer José Francisco Salgado of Chicago's Adler Planetarium. There will also be a staging of the Tom Stoppard play "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour" with Playhouse on the Square, as well as concerts that feature local and regional talent such as MSO concertmaster Susanna Perry Gilmore, soprano Mary Wilson and pianists Victor Santiago Asuncion and Adrienne Park.

Two other initiatives that began under Loebel's tenure -- Opus One and Leading from Every Chair -- have born fruit. Opus One is the musician-driven MSO enterprise that takes classical music to non-traditional venues.

And Leading from Every Chair is a one-day training workshop for corporate management that teaches teamwork and creative problem solving through the artistic model of an orchestra. Also among the partnering efforts that have garnered broader community support is a mentoring program at the Soulsville Charter School.

The end result is an orchestra that has plugged into the local community, fulfilling Chen's desire when she began last year to offer "accessibility and inclusion."

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