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SIERRA VISTA — Now in its 14th year, the Sierra Vista Symphony Orchestra has been delighting audiences with its musical selections and quality performances.
“This is one of the smallest cities in the nation to have its own symphony orchestra,” said Dick Andersen, the symphony’s general manager. “And it’s an incredible accomplishment for a city this size to have such a wonderful, talented live music organization.”
But despite glowing accolades and a loyal audience base, the symphony is facing some tough financial challenges. They’re challenges that could lead to such drastic actions as cancellation of upcoming concerts or, in the worst-case scenario, shutting the orchestra down entirely.
In an effort to prevent cancellation of a Pops concert on Jan. 23, many of the musicians have agreed to perform the concert without pay, giving the symphony $10,015, the financial boost it needed for the January concert.
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Most of the orchestra’s 58 musicians agreed to waive their salaries after receiving a letter from Marty Huffman, principal tuba player and one of the group’s original members.
In his letter, Huffman spoke of the orchestra’s cultural contribution to Sierra Vista and challenged fellow musicians “to step up to the plate at this time to assure the survival of this group.” In that same letter, Huffman said he would forgo his remaining salary for the remainder of the symphony season and “perform gratis as long as necessary to assure the survival of the group.”
While the orchestra typically performs four concerts every year, two in the fall and two in the spring, it’s possible that, because of the current financial situation, the fourth concert will be cancelled.
“It costs between $30,000 and $35,000 to put on a concert,” said Bruce Dockter, the orchestra’s acting president. “And the majority of that is musician salaries. “Because of the generous actions of the symphony orchestra, we have enough money for January.”
While greatly appreciated, Dockter says the musicians’ generous donations are merely a quick fix.
He’s hoping that two upcoming fundraisers, “Men Who Cook,” and a spring Gala, will generate enough money to keep the orchestra going for a while longer.
“The symphony performs for the benefit of the community and it takes strong community support for these concerts to happen, Dockter said. “The board is considering various options to keep the symphony viable in the future, but anyone in the community who has ideas on fundraising or who wish to join us in saving the symphony, please contact our office at 458-5189.”
The orchestra has enjoyed significant growth since its inception 14 years ago. As one of its founders, conductor Roger Bayes has witnessed the growth first-hand. When it started, the symphony had 35 musicians and performed two concerts a year, a fall and spring event.
“Over the past few years, we’ve been able to retain a core number of musicians, which is a huge benefit,” Bayes said. “I’m immensely proud of the artistic growth of the orchestra, especially in a relatively short period of time.”
Bayes maintains that the orchestra’s future success will require community involvement at three different levels. While the orchestra has what Bayes describes as a “very loyal, consistent audience base,” broadening that base is an important feature of the first level. Attracting families to concerts with special package of $30 for parents and children is one avenue the symphony is taking.
The second level, Bayes said, requires individuals to become more involved through such donations as life insurance bequests or endowments.
“The third level is in the form of corporate investments,” Bayes said. “We have a number of government-related corporations in this area, and they need to understand the cultural contribution that a symphony brings to the community.” As a significant component of Sierra Vista’s cultural infrastructure and quality of life, the symphony helps attract top players to corporate organizations.
Income and attendance from the Jan. 23 concert will determine whether the symphony will hold its fourth concert this year.
Tickets for the January concert are available at Safeway, Dillard’s, Oscar Yrun Center and the Sierra Vista Chamber of Commerce at $25 each for regular seating, or $30 for the reserved section. For $30, a family of parents and children will be admitted. Tickets will also be available at the Buena Performing Arts Center box office the night of the concert.
Reporter Dana Cole can be reached at 515-4618.
AZNative wrote on Jan 15, 2009 8:03 AM: