Project Grant

The Saint Cloud Symphony Orchestra is committed to high-quality performance of orchestral music and providing educational opportunities for young people. Our goals for this concert include: Goal 1: Performance of classical music in Central Minnesota. We will perform a program that includes repertoire from classic to modern, Tchaikovsky to Bernstein. The common theme for all the music of this concert is that it is related to ShakespeareÆs classic story of love and loss, Romeo and Juliet. All of this will create a wonderful musical experience for the audience and the musicians. Goal 2 Give 75 musicians the opportunity to rehearse and perform major classical repertoire on stage for our community. Goal 3 Provide a student musician with the opportunity to perform with a full orchestra in a concert hall setting Goal 4 Give our audience and the musicians the opportunity to experience and evaluate guest conductor Keitaro Harada. Harada is one of four guest conductor candidates for the 2011-2012 Saint Cloud Symphony Orchestra season. After this concert, the audience and the musicians will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the Saint Cloud Symphony Orchestra Search Committee. Goal 5 Provide an educational experience for the audience. Mr. Harada will provide a pre-concert discussion that will enhance the audience experience. He will talk about the music, the composers and the historical context of the compositions. We anticipate 125 members of the audience will participate in this event. Goal 6 Provide a social experience for the audience and the orchestra. After the concert we will provide dessert and coffee for the audience. This provides an opportunity for the musicians, conductor, soloists and audience to discuss the event. We anticipate 300 audience members will stay after the concert to talk to each other and the performers.The Saint Cloud Symphony Orchestra measures the effectiveness of all of our programs by direct response from our audiences, staff and the members of the orchestra. Audience surveys and feedback help the staff and the Board of Directors determine the effectiveness of the programs and their service to the public. Audience acceptance of performance and programming is a primary tool for evaluation. We invite and receive significant feedback, and we strive to understand the trends that develop in order to respond to the needs of our audience. Because this is a guest conductor season, we will actively seek feedback from the musicians and the audience after each concert. There is a specific survey used by the audience to obtain their feedback after this concert and another tool to be used by the musicians of the orchestra. This essential feedback will help us select the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Saint Cloud Symphony Orchestra for the coming years. In the case of a concert, attendance is also a measure of reaching our goals. A full-house indicates we have done a good job from programming to promotion. This concert will be recorded by Digital on Location of Woodbury, Minnesota. The recording is used by the conductor and musicians to review their work and look for ways to improve their performance.