Arts Activities Support

Our association with McNally Smith College of Music, including pre-concert performances by college music groups in the Hopkins High School lobby, holds promise in making future JazzMN concerts appealing to the 18-25 year old demographic. The addition of an executive director to our small staff will significantly expand our reach and our sources of support. Musical artistic goals were met, and audience response was very positive and enthusiastic at all three concerts. Ticket sales exceeded projections by about 20%, and we achieved a slight increase in 25-50 year-old demographic. We hope to continue that trend through increased use of social media and marketing. This year our venues include Ordway Music Theater, and we hope a downtown St Paul venue will significantly expand awareness of JazzMN Orchestra with a larger and broader audience. Most importantly, JazzMN has hired a new executive director, Steve Heckler, the founding director in 1999 of the Twin Cities Jazz Festival which this year attracted upwards of 80,000 jazz music fans to 28 different St Paul venues. As one of the Upper Midwest's premiere jazz impresarios and with extensive experience in the area of Development/Fund Raising and Sponsor Cultivation, Heckler will provide a boost to all of JazzMN's hopes for broadening its base of attendees and its bases of support. JazzMN has a very loyal following which skews toward an older demographic with a generational fondness for Big Band jazz. This is manifested in robust sales of season tickets and familiar faces at concerts. Through increased presence and marketing on social media we are optimistic about attracting a broader demographic in coming years, and this past season showed signs of expansion in the 25-50-year generations. We increased our distribution of "comp" tickets to organizations which will bolster that aim.