Financial woes may be forcing many arts institutions to slash budgets and cry for help, but there's still at least one orchestra festival gearing up for a debut in the Big Apple. The brand-new Spring for Music Festival is set to perform in May 2011 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
The Spring for Music Festival will feature seven symphonies and chamber orchestras: The Albany (New York), Atlanta, Dallas, Montreal, Oregon, St. Paul (Minnesota) and Toledo (Ohio) orchestras have already been chosen to participate in the event. While complete details on the festival's schedule and performers are not available yet, the full program will be released in early 2011.
The festival's creators are Thomas Morris, the Ojai Music Festival's artistic director; David Foster, president of the Opus 3 Artists talent agency; and Mary Lou Falcone, a New York- based classical-music publicist.
Big Arts-Related Gifts from The Mellon Foundation Despite the Economic Downturn
The economic downturn has slowed many arts-related funding streams down to a mere trickle, but The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is still doling out seven figure gifts. The New York-based foundation granted $1 million to help initiate this festival focused on highlighting North American orchestras.
The $1 million gift from The Mellon Foundation supplements other generous gifts by Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest, Daniel and Jan Lewis, and the Irving B. Harris Foundation. The Mellon Foundation's gift will fund a hefty portion of the festival's $1.5 million annual budget for the festival's first three seasons.
Enabling Innovation: Orchestras Can "Take Artistic Risks," Says Jesse Rosen
According to Jesse Rosen, the president of the League of American Orchestras, the festival will help fuel innovation among orchestras: "By enabling a whole new group of orchestras to take artistic risks and to engage with new audiences in the national spotlight of Carnegie Hall, this project promises to bring fresh energy to our field."
Because the program has not yet been released, it is unclear what sort of artistic risks the seven selected orchestras will take. However, Rosen's statement (made on April 9, 2009) echoes an often-voiced fear that orchestras have become out of touch with contemporary audiences, locked into "safe" and "traditional" programming. The festival seems to offer a golden parachute for North American orchestras to leave more "prudent" practices behind.
Also, at a time when standard orchestra ticket prices deter many from a night at the symphony, the generous grants will also help keep seats at the festival affordable. Audiences will be able to attend for only $15 to $25 per seat.
Sources
Cole, Patrick. "Mellon Foundation's $1 Million Helps Start Classical Music Fest." April 9, 2009. Bloomberg.com.
"North American Orchestra Festival to Debut in 2011." April 10, 2009." CBC Arts News.
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