Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Surpasses $1.4 Million Fundraising Goal and Announces Additional Matching Grant

Generous Charles D. Berry $250,000 Challenge Has Been Met; New Grant Announced

DAYTON, Ohio, May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Dayton region's largest and oldest performing arts organization, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO), has announced new developments in its Protect & Secure Fundraising Campaign.

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The public phase of the campaign launched on March 11, 2011 with the stated goal of supporting the Orchestra during times of unusual economic challenge and accelerated innovation.

Now the DPO is announcing that it has surpassed its goal of $1.4 million for the Protect & Secure fundraising campaign. In addition, the DPO has fully matched The Charles D. Berry Challenge, with over $250,000 in new gifts and pledges raised since the challenge was announced.  

"We are thrilled with the success of the campaign thus far, and deeply grateful to all who have contributed," said DPO President Paul Helfrich. "We are especially grateful to Lee & Betsy Whitney for their leadership of this special Campaign, to the other volunteers who have made up our Campaign Cabinet, and to Charles Berry for his visionary challenge gift. They have assured our success."

Total number of contributors now stands at 482 and continues to grow. And now, new donors to the campaign will have a bonus opportunity to double their gift through matching. The DPO is announcing a new and additional challenge gift from Dr. Michael Ervin and Friends. The new challenge will provide up to $25,000 in additional matching funds as gifts continue to come in.  

"We've made tremendous progress in the past two months, so we're delighted that Mike and his friends have now joined us with this very generous additional matching gift," said DPO Music Director Neal Gittleman. "With their help, we will take this campaign even further than we dreamed it could go."  

The campaign total will be announced at the DPO's Annual Meeting on June 2 at the Dayton Racquet Club.  

To contribute and participate in the new matching challenge from Dr. Michael Ervin and Friends, send gifts to Dayton Philharmonic, 109 N. Main Street Suite 200, Dayton, OH 45420, attn: Protect & Secure Campaign. Donations can also be made securely online at daytonphilharmonic.com.

For more information about the Protect & Secure Campaign, contact DPO President Paul Helfrich at 937-224-3521 ext. 108 or [email protected].

Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra
Performance Place at the Schuster Center  |  109 North Main Street, Suite 200  |  Dayton, Ohio 45402 or donate online at daytonphilharmonic.com

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.

CONTACT: DAVID BUKVIC, Director of Marketing & Public Relations
(937) 224-3521 x 109
[email protected]
www.daytonphilharmonic.com

SOURCE Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra