At the special meeting of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Association’s Board of Trustees on June 4, 2003, David Reed explained that the purpose of the meeting was to explain the strategic planning process and to gain input from the Board. The strategic planning document would not be one to “sit on the shelf,” but rather would be a dynamic document providing a roadmap for decision-making over the following several years. It would provide direction for the DPO to transition to its new home, while meeting its financial goals through development of innovative marketing and outreach.
A big assist to starting on the right foot financially came in the form of $10 million raised through the successful execution of the Development Department’s
Orchestra Greatness endowment campaign.
The 2002 – 2003 Season started, as usual, in September and in Memorial Hall. A young, but extremely talented cellist – Julie Albers – kicked off the Classical concert series as guest artist performing Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto. Pianist Emanuel Ax joined the DPO in October, to perform Mozart’s Piano concerto No. 20. Season bright points included a performance of Benjamin Britten’s
War Requiem in November and guest Carlos Miguel Prieto conducting Schubert’s Symphony No. 3 in January at the Victoria Theatre.
However, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra’s fortunes experienced a tremendous leg up in March, 2003, when world-renowned violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg was the orchestra’s guest for the DPO’s very first concert in its brand new home: the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center. Neal Gittleman, appropriately, chose to open the program with Beethoven’s
Consecration of the House. Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg followed with a passionate performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. As equally apropos as the choice of the Beethoven opener was Maestro Gittleman’s choice for the closer: Igor Stravinsky’s
Firebird Suite. Although Memorial Hall – the DPO’s home for the previous 60 years – was, and is, still standing, the Schuster Center and the DPO nonetheless rose like a Phoenix from 70 years of storied tradition to face a bright and unbounded future.
The Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra performed its first Side-by-Side Concert with the DPO in April of 2003, a performance it would repeat in 2004 and 2005. Due to financial difficulties, only 2,088 Dayton Public School students participated in the DPO Education Program in 2003.
From its new performance venue in the Schuster Center’s Mead Theatre, the DPO ended its regular Classical concert series in May, with mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade in a concert that helped cap a celebration of not only the DPO’s 70th Anniversary, but also the Centennial of the Wright Brothers’ invention of powered flight, better known to the world as aviation.
At the Board of Trustees meeting held on September 18, 2003, David Reed reported that the Strategic Planning committee has divided the process into three stages. In Stage One, the Board determined that it needed to focus on the following areas, and sub committees were setup for each: musicians, audience development, diversity, education, and advocacy/community relations. In Stage Two, each sub committee would develop a Strategic Initiative and present it to the full Strategic Planning Committee. And in Stage Three, the Strategic Planning committee would look at, and critique, the initiatives each sub group submitted and put together a plan.
In the orchestra itself, Trombonist Clair Miller retired; Richard Beagle replaced him. Violist Emma Louse Odum also retired, but would occasionally be joining the orchestra on a substitute basis. Trumpeter Michael Kane took a leave of absence, Andre Lund officially became a full-time cellist, and cellist Mary Davis Fetherston took maternity leave until January, 2004.
Formerly with the American Red Cross, Ricia Ballas became the new Director of Development. David Bukvic, formerly a principal with the advertising firm of Mann, Bukvic, & Olsen in Cincinnati, became the new Director of Marketing & Public Relations. Nicki Crellin came from The Boy Scouts, Tecumseh Council to become the new Individual Giving Manager. Elizabeth Severyn, a recent graduate of Ohio University and DPO intern, became the new Marketing Assistant. Christa Robinson, formerly with the Greensboro Symphony, became the new Advertising & Promotions Manager.
To meet subscription goals, the Marketing Department – now fully staffed – would concentrate on converting single-ticket buyers to subscribers through telemarketing efforts,. The box office transition to Ticket Center Stage came to fruition, giving the DPO an enhanced vehicle for expanding ticket sales opportunities.
In the 2003-2004 Season, a major highlight was the DPO’s presentation of Berlioz’s brilliant choral/orchestra work, The Damnation of Faust. Pianist André Watts joined the DPO in December to perform the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1. And the Ohio Music Educators Conference chose the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra to perform at its annual conferences in 2004 and 2006.
For 2004-2005, Violinist Sarah Chang joined the DPO in December to perform the Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1. Added to December’s Tchaikovsky- Shostakovich- Mussorgsky program, André Previn and Tom Stoppard’s
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour in February, 2005 (a play with orchestra set in a Soviet-era mental hospital) was the second part of a decidedly Russian-music-flavored season. Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff on New Year’s Eve, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11 in January, and Tchaikovsky’s
Pathetique Symphony in March rounded-out the DPO’s tribute to the Russian symphonic tradition.
In 2005, Denita Woods, Accounting Manager, left, and Catherine Burke became the orchestra’s new Donor Services Coordinator.
In March, 2005, international classical superstar virtuoso cellist Yo-Yo Ma thrilled concertgoers with performances of two concerti: the Schumann Cello Concerto and the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No.1. Also in March, violinist Hillary Hahn treated Mead Theatre audiences to Barber’s Violin Concerto.
An Audience Survey conducted following the close of the 2004-2005 season garnered 941 responses, a number equal to roughly 1/7th of the audience members solicited. It showed overwhelmingly positive responses by respondents to the image of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, overall concert experience, level of value, and importance of a quality orchestra to the community.
In September, 2005, DPO Principal Cellist Andra Lunde Padrichelli was guest artist at a Chamber concert, performing the Boccherini Cello Concerto in B-flat Major. In December, pianist Richard Dowling stepped in at the last moment to replace Naida Cole, who eschewed her career as a classical concert pianist to finish medical school. With guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero, Dowling thoroughly delighted concertgoers with his masterful interpretation of the Ravel Piano Concerto in G Major. Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg returned in January, 2006 to follow-up on her Schuster Center 2003 premier with a performance of the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1.
In February, 2006, Dayton opera fans received the thrill of a lifetime, when DPO guest artist, world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming, joined Neal Gittleman and the orchestra to perform songs by Strauss, Verdi, Puccini, and Cilea. Of Miss Fleming’s performance, Janelle Gelfand of the Cincinnati Enquirer wrote “The 47-year-old diva looked and sounded ravishing. To say she conquered the crowd would be an understatement, as the audience of about 2,000 – with Cincinnati heavily represented – rose in one standing ovation after another.”
In March, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra initiated a first for both the orchestra and for Dayton: a community-wide 250th birthday party for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
NCR presents the Miracle of Mozart Festival 2006 was a multi-faceted program scheduled to occur at various venues in the Greater Dayton area. From March through May of 2006, the DPO offered music lovers of all types and ages a celebration of the myths, meaning, and music of Mozart. At multiple area venues, the DPO and other local organizations presented a wide range of programs that demonstrated the aesthetic, historical, and cultural impact of one of the greatest artists of the past three centuries.
NCR presents the Miracle of Mozart Festival 2006 had as one of its main objectives the fostering of greater appreciation of Mozart’s work. The mechanism for this was an educational outreach into multiple communities, which featured free “birthday party” music events demonstrating the genius of Mozart’s art in a range of differing forms: solo, sonata, quartet, and chamber music.
NCR presents the Miracle of Mozart Festival 2006 provided a multi-media collaborative platform for several Dayton organizations, venues, and guest artists to come together in celebration. The Dayton Opera joined the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Principal Quartet in presenting a wide and varied program format.
One element of
NCR presents the Miracle of Mozart Festival 2006 was
Amadeus Unbound, a series of six free community concerts featuring the DPO Principal Quartet, selected chamber works,
Mozart Works for Two Pianos featuring local piano duo Robert and Tiraje Ruckman, a concert by the Dayton Philharmonic Junior Strings Orchestra, and recitals by DPO’s Concertmaster violinist Lucas Alemán and Principal Pianist Michael Chertock. Venues included Ginghamsburg Church, Kirkmont Presbyterian Church, Kettering Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Epiphany Lutheran Church, Heritage Presbyterian Church, and Trotwood-Madison High School.
Another element was
Amadeus Downtown, with two phases of concerts downtown, including two free concerts. Phase 1, from the 2005-2006 Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra
Kaleidoscope Season, included
Manny & the Masters (April 20/22) Classical Concert with Emanuel Ax;
A Mozart Crescendo (May 19/20) Classical Concert featuring the Mozart Mass in C minor;
Mozart for the Mind, Heart & Soul (May 21) Family Concert; and the Dayton Philharmonic Young People’s Concert (May 2) at the Schuster Center.
Prior to these four concerts,
Take Note presentations featured historical background on Mozart, and the Dayton Mandolin Orchestra performed a Mozart repertoire in the Wintergarden of the Schuster Center.
Phase 2 of
Amadeus Downtown (weeks of April 24 and May 8) featured a mix of free concerts and specially low-priced piano concerto concerts that celebrated Mozart’s special facility with this instrument. Free chamber music concerts at Christ Episcopal Church downtown (April 25 and May 9) featured guest pianists Janina Fialkowska and Jon Nakamatsu, respectively, who joined the DPO for one-week piano residencies. Both weeks showcased two piano concerto concerts each, including Janina Fialkowska and Jon Nakamatsu performing both at Christ Episcopal Church and the Schuster Center. On May 6 and 7, the Dayton Opera presented
The Magnificent Mozart Effect, with guest artists from the Human Race Theatre Company. And on March 27-30 and April 1, the Neon Movies offered showings of the documentary film,
In Search of Mozart.
During the 2006-2007 season, the Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association developed and presented its major fundraiser
The Sounds of Music Designers’ Show House & Gardens XV, raising monetary funds for all DPVA programs. The site was the Patterson-Hauer Estate in Oakwood. Daily Tours took place starting on May 6 and running through May 25. The Designers’ Show House & Gardens is a premiere and anticipated bi-annual event in the Miami Valley. This effort involved revenue-generating efforts, such as a boutique, a café, tickets, teas, preview parties, advertising, and local sponsor participation. Approximately 544 volunteers spent countless hours to make this biennial fundraiser a success. During this event, Ohio First Lady Frances Strickland honored DPVA members with a visit.
Typical of its seasonal support of the DPO, in the 2006-2007 season the DPVA:
- Presented a check for $70,500 to the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra in payment of its 2006-2007 pledge
- Contributed $6600 to the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, to underwrite an extra rehearsal for the Mahler concert
- Presented $13,763 in scholarships to junior high, high school, and college students
- Trained 31 docents at five sessions, preparing them to make in-school presentations
- Presented The Orchestra & You program to 104 schools on 132 occasions, involving over 7,910 second-grade children
- Presented 159 Young People’s Concert previews at 113 schools, preparing approximately 10,395 students, in grades 3 through 6, to attend Young People’s Concerts
- Trained 9 docents to present 68 SPARK (School Partners with Artists Reaching Kids) program previews to 1,606 students in 9 schools. The SPARK program received the Bank of America Award for Excellence in Orchestra Education in 2006.
- Hosted and ushered audiences of area school children at 30 Young People’s Concerts (two performances each concert) presented by the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra for 13,700 Children
- Collected 20 used instruments through the It’s Instrumental Instrument Loan Program, that shares reconditioned used instruments with several area schools, with cooperation from the Dayton Public Schools and Hauer Music Company
- Planned and hosted Take Note concert previews for pre-concert audiences, prior to each of the 18 Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Classical concerts
- Provided hospitality to DPO musicians and the DPO’s guest artists throughout the concert season.
- Hosted a membership luncheon and meeting on October 10, 2006 featuring speaker Aurelian Oprea, Associate Concertmaster of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, and guest youth musicians The Ballester Trio
- Continued to administer the Arlene Bernstein Scholarship, to benefit deserving members of the Youth Orchestra, in memorial to Arlene Bernstein, a recently deceased long-time member, by her family.
Representative of the impact of the DPVA’s charitable efforts is this letter from one of its scholarship recipients:
Dear JSO Scholarship Committee,
Thank you so much for sending me a very generous scholarship to attend the Violin camp at Blue Lake Michigan. The scholarship paid for almost half of my tuition, and it makes me feel really good to help my parents. I also received a fifty dollar scholarship from the Dayton Music Club. As I grow older, I would like to pay more of my tuition. Your generosity has helped me climb one step to reach my goal. Thank you again for helping me keep my dream alive.
Highlights of the 2006-2007 musical season included an October 12 appearance of violinist Itzhak Perlman; Associate concertmaster Aurelian Oprea performing his own transcription of Gulda’s Cello concerto on an electric violin; the second chamber event ever held in the Schuster Center (the first was 2005-2006’s performance of Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time) featuring pianist Yakov Kasman and the DPO Principal Quartet celebrating Dmitri Shostakovich’s 100th birthday anniversary with his Piano Quintet; former DPO Music Director Charles Wendelken-Wilson returning to lead the orchestra and DPO Concertmaster Lucas Alemán in a program entitled Hometown Virtuosi; A January, 2007 performance of Gustav Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 3; the Midwest Premier of Meira Warshauer’s Symphony No. 1, Living, Breathing Earth; and the season finale, Carl Orff’s bawdy, comic, pseudo-tragic, and erotic musical landmark Carmina Burana.
Between the end of the 2002-2003 season and the end of the 2006-2007 season, in addition to the three orchestra members previously mentioned, 12 other members either retired or left the orchestra. They were violinists Marilyn Fischer, Leora Kline, Kristen Dykema, Mary Arnett, and Warren Driver; violist Jean Blasingame; cellists Xiao-Fan Zhang and Catherine McClintock; Tubist Steven Winteregg; percussionists Jane Varella (who remained as Personnel Manager for the orchestra) and William Awsumb; and pianist Michael Chertok.
Since 2003, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra’s Education efforts have been very successful. The SPARK program had grown from six schools to nine. The number of performances of Magic Carpet Concerts increased from five sets of concerts in 2002-2003 to seven sets in 2006-2007. Compared with only 2,088 Dayton Public School students who participated in the DPO Education Program in 2003, in partnership with DPS and local funders the number of students reached increased to 7,760 in 2006-2007. This included every DPS student in Grades 2-5.
In 2007, the DPO Development Department created the Symphony Circle, to recognize individuals who contribute more $1,200 or more annually to the DPO. And, starting with the 2007-2008 season, for the very first time the Classical Series would be sponsored in its entirety by two co-sponsors: the Kettering Health Network and Taft, Stettinius, & Hollister LLP.
With regards to accomplishing its mission, the 2006-2007 season was a significant year for the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Validation of the hard work expended by musicians, staff, board, and volunteers apopeared in the form of a Symphony Magazine article (Legacy of Invention) on the DPO in its the March/April issue, American Symphony League President Henry Fogel’s On the Record Blog very favorable and positive comments about the DPO (Major League Mahler, February 12, 2007), and an American Federation of Musicians August issue article (Dayton Philharmonic: Shooting for the Stars).
At the 2007 Annual Board Meeting, Wendy Campbell, chair of the Community Advisory Committee, discussed the goals and accomplishments of her committee over the past year. In 2005, the committee developed a model. In 2006 - 2007, they implemented this model with a series of four concerts at three area churches and one high school. The performances involved 20 or so members of the DPO and the choirs of the respective churches performing together. For 2007 - 2008, there will be improvements, including naming the church series the Stained Glass Series.
Perhaps the article Dayton Philharmonic: Shooting for the Stars best expressed the history of the DPO since moving into the Schuster Center in 2003, when it stated:
“In a March/April 2007 Symphony magazine profile of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, and their joint role as cultural anchors for a community experiencing hard times, the focus is kept firmly on Executive Director Curtis Long and Music Director Neal Gittleman. With good reason – this leadership team has made a successful transition to a new home, kept its financial house in order, and developed innovative marketing and outreach initiatives.”
