Springfield Symphony sings happier tune

Changes at Springfield Symphony, both on stage and behind the scenes, have given the not-for-profit a needed financial boost after falling into a $100,000 deficit.

After six months of management restructuring and cost cuts, the symphony is $200,000 ahead of where its fund-raising was last year, just as it readies for its 72nd season, according to Becky Wood, director of marketing and development. The season begins Sept. 23.

The symphony was never in danger of folding, Wood said, as it’s backed by an endowment fund. But as a not-for-profit, the loss was not something to ignore, she said.

“The fact that we swung the pendulum so far was an amazing feat,” she said.

The most significant changes came at the top. After Executive Director Carlana Fitch retired at the beginning of the year, the symphony’s board of directors opted to do away with the position. Now, Wood and Director of Finance and Administration Janice Bennett operate as co-directors, a situation that has proven to be more effective, board president Stan Arnoldy said.

“We reorganized to take advantage of the personnel that we had and expanded their responsibilities a bit,” he said. “We tried it on a six-month basis to make sure it would work, and it seems to be working great.”

The move also saves money; the executive director’s salary ranged between $37,800 and $55,000, Wood said.

The not-for-profit runs more smoothly now, Wood said, as fewer things fall through the cracks, and more time is spent on improving the music product. Arnoldy agrees, noting that the restructuring also has allowed the team to plan further ahead – up to a year in advance.

“We’ve been a little too reactive in the past,” he said.

‘Renewed momentum’

The changes aren’t just about ironing out administrative responsibilities. A “renewed momentum” has swept over the symphony’s six-member staff and 72 performers, fueled largely by its music director, Ron Spigelman, Wood said. His contract was renewed in June through 2012. Spigelman joined the symphony in July 2004.

Spigelman has added to the number of performances in the symphony’s season lineup, including the renewal of a special family matinee in February and several preview concerts outside Springfield. The extra concerts, coupled with diversified music programming, are expected to draw more crowds and age groups.

“My overall philosophy is that I am in the people business, not the music business,” Spigelman said in an e-mail, while visiting family in Australia. “I listen to everybody and their ideas, and I try to feel the pulse so that I can apply my skill as a music director to guide the way.”

Arnoldy said Spigelman’s commitment to reaching out to the community and marketing the symphony as a valuable product has contributed to the recent success. Already, the symphony has reached its goal of selling $145,000 in season passes, which range from $60 to $197, Wood said.

On the move

Changes at the symphony are perhaps most symbolic in its Aug. 14 announcement that it will move to the Creamery Arts Center, 411 N. Sherman Parkway, and join fellow arts organizations the Springfield Ballet, Springfield Regional Opera and the Springfield Little Theatre. The symphony office is now at 1536 E. Division St.

The move is set to take place in about a year, Wood said. An agreement with Springfield Regional Arts Council provides the space rent-free, but the symphony is required to put up $125,000 for infill costs.

That money will be raised mostly through a capital campaign that’s still in its very early planning phases, Arnoldy said. Though little has been decided, the symphony plans to offer naming rights for its rooms at the Creamery in exchange for donations from businesses and individuals.

The Springfield Symphony Guild, in celebration of its 50th anniversary, has also said it will contribute to the campaign, Wood said. Other funding will come from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and the Missouri Development Finance Board.

The symphony’s new, 2,465-square-foot location will house administrative offices, two classrooms, a music library, an arts-group incubator office and climate-controlled storage space for instruments.

Wood said being in the company of other arts organizations has presented the opportunity to collaborate with them. In addition to its nine scheduled concerts, the symphony also will hold six performances of The Nutcracker Suite with the ballet in December.

“We’re branching out, and we’re hoping to keep doing that,” Wood said. “You spread your wings a little more every year, and you never know how big it’s going to get.”

Springfield Symphony Orchestra 2006–2007 Season

Sept. 23, The Silver Lining, featuring Joyce Yang and pieces by Mikhail Glinka, Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Johannes Brahms

Oct. 14, A Tribute to the Leading Ladies of Broadway, featuring Kim Crosby

Nov. 11, Shostakovich is 100!, featuring Alexander Sprung and pieces by Dmitri Shostakovich and Jean Sibelius

Dec. 7, Home for the Holidays

Jan. 13, Seeing Double!, featuring Mark Kosower and Michael Ludwig and pieces by J. C. Bach, Brahms and Ludwig van Beethoven

Feb. 10, Crossing Waters, featuring Betsy Reeds and pieces by Wolfgang Mozart, Missouri State University music professor John Prescott, Jacques Ibert and Antonin Dvorak

March 3, An Evening of Arias, featuring Steven Tharp and pieces by Gioacchino Rossini and Richard Strauss

April 14, Rogues Gallery, featuring Orli Shaham and pieces by Henry Purcell, Sergei Rachmaninov and Edward Elgar

May 12, The Best of John Williams, featuring music from the “Star Wars” films

All performances are held at Juanita K. Hammons Hall on the Missouri State University campus. For ticket information, call (417) 864-6683.[[In-content Ad]]