Dayton Philharmonic Completes 2010-2011 Season with Balanced Budget and Gains in Revenue, Attendance & Fundraising

Season Concert Highlights Include Bernstein's MASS, Chopin Celebration and a New Rockin' Orchestra Music Series

DAYTON, Ohio, July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Here in the city that originated the airplane, the business machine and many other important advances, innovation is part of the fabric of the local culture. When the economy, both locally and nationally, lurched downward in 2009, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO), its Music Director, President, trustees and staff put on their thinking caps and initiated a range of core innovations in the organization's business model to respond to challenging new times.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20031015/DPOLOGO)    

A Business Model Review Group was initiated to examine every part of the orchestra's business. Series were created, eliminated or recast in order to shape the product lineup for more relevance to the market and for better sales. Flexible subscription packages were refined and expanded. Staffing and compensation cuts were implemented and a new musician package was negotiated with an eye toward savings. A sustainability campaign was launched and a new Philharmonic Gala (set for October 1, 2011) was conceived.

"When the paradigm shifts so drastically, urgency and creativity become paramount. We have made many significant course corrections for a three-year period, which includes the last two seasons and the upcoming season. But more will have to be done in 2012-2013 in order to put the DPO on a long-term path of sustainability," cautions DPO President Paul Helfrich. "There are many challenges still before us, of which the recently announced funding reduction by Culture Works is just the latest manifestation.  We will have to continue to reshape our business in many ways.  Having said that, I am very proud of Neal, our musicians, our board and staff and, of course, our extended family of ticket buyers and donors for the way they've shown real grit and determination through this difficult period."

The Orchestra's 2010-2011 fiscal year officially ended on June 30th, and DPO officials reported several notable accomplishments at the orchestra's Annual Meeting, held June 2 at the Dayton Racquet Club. Music Director Neal Gittleman mentioned that the past year had been a landmark in many ways. "From the great performances our musicians gave on a huge variety of works, to the enthusiastic response of our patrons in the hall, to the generous gifts provided by our donors, to the hard work of our supporters behind the scenes... this season has been an adventuresome voyage in every sense."

2010-2011 Voyages Season Highlights:

• Two sold-out nights for the rarely-performed Bernstein's MASS on the 40th Anniversary year of its premiere in Washington, D.C. The production was a large-scale collaboration with Wright State University's Department of Theatre, Dance, and Motion Pictures and Wright State's Department of Music. John Wesley Wright performed the demanding lead role of the Celebrant. The concert was part of the Miami Valley & Good Samaritan Hospitals Classical Series.
• A two-evening festival of orchestral and instrumental works celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of composer Frederic Chopin, featuring acclaimed pianist Janina Fialkowska.
• A visit from great American composer Michael Daugherty as Neal, guitarist DJ Sparr and the DPO gave the Ohio premiere of Gee's Bend for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in three concerts including one in the DPO's unique Classical Connections format.
• The launch of a new Rockin' Orchestra Series, kicked off by a sold-out performance of Beatles music featuring guest ensemble Classical Mystery Tour.
• Near sellout finale concert of the Kettering Health Network SuperPops Series with trumpet virtuoso Byron Stripling at center stage with Orchestra and under the baton of Assistant Conductor Patrick Reynolds for two rollicking evenings of classic jazz.
• The successful conclusion of the Protect & Secure Sustainability Campaign aimed at raising $1.4 million to help the DPO respond to recessionary times through three critical seasons: 09-10, 10-11 & 11-12. The campaign finished at $1,547,425 from 621 donors (10% over goal). The total included a key $250,000 matching grant from arts supporter Charles D. Berry and important lead gifts from the Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association and Barbara O'Hara. A later challenge gift from Dr. Michael Ervin & Friends helped bring Protect & Secure to a successful conclusion.  Longtime Orchestra supporters Lee & Betsy Whitney headed the campaign.
• The release of a new CD recording titled The Romantics. Featuring works by Elgar, Wagner, and Franck, the new CD is the 2nd in a planned series on a new in-house label entitled DPO Alive. The first three in the series are funded by the Miriam Rosenthal Memorial Trust Fund. The first two issues will go on sale online in August of 2011.
• The DPO projects a balanced budget for the year (annual audit to be completed in August). The last season (2009-2010) also delivered a balanced budget.
• Total attendance of 77,324 for all DPO regular season events was up 4% over previous season.
• Total ticket sales of $1,703,119; of that, subscription sales ($1,225,214) were up 2% over previous season.
• A record turnout of 5,000 for the Carillon Heritage Festival Concert on Memorial Day weekend.
• Total of 43,535 school children served by the DPO Education Programs including 1,211 in-school and out-of-school performances for 196 schools in a 10 county area
• Over the season the Orchestra worked with 263 guest artists, engaged 172 different musicians (contract and substitute players) and handled orchestral parts and scores for 326 pieces of music.

Also at the annual meeting, 2010-2011 Board Chair Wendy Campbell thanked outgoing Trustees William Caldwell, Dan Deitz, Sue Seeberger, and Peter Torvik.  

The following persons were elected to a first term as Trustees:

• Albert Asebrook (Partner, Deloitte)
• Sally D. Beals (Community Volunteer and former Mayor of Centerville)
• David Fogarty (President & CEO, ThinkTV/WCET)
• Lauren Hamer (Piano Instructor at Stivers School for the Arts and Piano Preparatory School)
• Angelia Hopkins (Community Volunteer)
• Bob Matthews (President, Dayton Aerospace)
• David McElwee (Director of Major and Planned Gifts, Kettering Medical Center Foundation)
• Larry Stone (Retired Public School Administrator and Community Volunteer)
• Gregory Thompson (Professor, Central State University)
• Alicia Zimov (Owner, Insignia Mark)

And the following persons were elected to a 2nd 3-year term as Trustees:

• Karen Anderson (Teacher, Ascension School)
• Bill Carpenter (President, Hamilton Stands, Inc.)
• Alan Halpern (Executive Director/Sh'liach Tzibbur, Temple Israel)
• Sharon Vander Gheynst (Retired Associate Dean and Professor Emeritus, Wright State University)
• Mark Shaker(President & CEO, Good Samaritan Hospital)
• Frank Williams (Senior Vice President, PNC Bank)
• Steven Winteregg (Professor, Cedarville University)

In addition, the incoming President of the Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association, Leta Fairbank, was welcomed to the Board, and outgoing DPVA President Marcia Wood was thanked for her outstanding two years as head of that organization.

The Board of Trustees of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Association elected the following slate of officers for the 2011-2012 season:

Chair: Richard M. DeLon
Vice Chair: Wendy B. Campbell
Treasurer: Karen O. Crim
Secretary: Milton C. Ross
Assistant Treasurer: James G. Owens

With the 2010-2011 season concluded, the DPO now looks forward to the next season entitled "The Originals" in 2011-2012, which includes six Series and seven Special Events.  Tickets for the new season are available by calling Ticket Center Stage at (888) 228-3630 or by ordering on the web at www.daytonphilharmonic.com.

Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra performs most concerts at their home in the Schuster Performing Arts Center. The office is located at Performance Place at the Schuster Center, 109 North Main Street, Suite 200, Dayton, Ohio 45402. Office phone: 1-937-224-3521.

About the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra & Music Director Neal Gittleman

ORCHESTRA MISSION: To enliven the spirit, inspire the imagination, cultivate the musical appreciation, and serve the education and entertainment needs of Greater Dayton and surrounding communities.

Founded in 1933, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra has a distinguished place in the Gem City's history as one of the Miami Valley's oldest and longest standing cultural institutions. The Dayton Philharmonic is a regional orchestra with 83 contracted musicians. Today, rich in artistic tradition, the Orchestra is proud to call the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center its home. The Schuster Center is a world-class, state-of-the-art performance hall that regularly attracts a great number of arts aficionados from all corners of Ohio and the nation.

Music Director Neal Gittleman inspires each listener's imagination with his unique programming, in-depth comments, easy-going style and infectious enthusiasm for music. His focus is to make symphonic music readily available, as well as appreciated, by all musical tastes. Under his direction, the Orchestra has received the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music eight times. Maestro Gittleman continues to bring breakthrough programming to the Dayton Philharmonic. His tenure has seen the addition of four new subscription series: Classical Connections, a beginner's guide to better understanding of classical music and the Family Series, four concerts designed so that kids of all ages can experience the wonders of classical music. In addition, new this season: the Rockin' Orchestra Series at the Schuster Center and Symphony Sundaes at the Masonic Center. Under Gittleman, the Dayton Philharmonic has also expanded and diversified its non-subscription special event program offerings including a wide range of innovative Special Events.

Neal Gittleman has been on the Dayton Philharmonic podium since September 1995. He continues to broaden the Orchestra's repertoire with more 20th century compositions and additional variety in programming. With Maestro Gittleman at the helm, the Orchestra continues to enjoy renewed community support and increased artistic vision. He has introduced a number of world, American and Dayton Philharmonic premieres and has expanded performance collaboration within Dayton's arts community.

Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra performances are made possible in part by Montgomery County and Culture Works, the single largest source of community funds for the arts and culture in the Miami Valley. Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra receives partial funding from the Ohio Arts Council, a state agency created to foster and encourage the development of the arts and to preserve Ohio's cultural heritage. Funding from the Ohio Arts Council is an investment of state tax dollars that promotes economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohio residents.

SOURCE Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra