Community Arts Support

Goals were set and measured throughout the ’15-’16 concert season. (1) Goal: High quality Buffalo Community Orchestra performance for audiences (a) Survey data from audience, board and musician questionnaires were collected, analyzed, interpreted, and put to use in program planning in the subsequent season. The general goal of 80% approval for concert quality was met. (b) A survey of the May 2016 audience produced 56 responses, 100% of whom gave Buffalo Community Orchestra’s performance level and concert facilities a satisfaction rating. (The questionnaire was structured only with a nominal yes/no rather than ordinal response format). Concert-goers who took the survey were almost unanimous in approving the length of Buffalo Community Orchestra concerts this season. (c) During the same month at a rehearsal toward the end of the season Buffalo Community Orchestra musicians surveyed (n=40) indicated a 4.2 level of satisfaction for all 2015-16 concerts, with 4.5 expressed for the October concert. (2) Goal: High attendance by musicians at weekly rehearsals, (a) It was hoped that attendance of musicians at weekly rehearsals will improve above 85% as a season average. For certain sections of the orchestra that attendance was below 85%, in part because specific brass and wind instruments had less music to play week after week. (b) String attendance figures reflected higher levels but data did not separate those musicians from the total. The bass section was awarded dinner prizes for perfect attendance, compliments of The Tavern at Wild Marsh Golf Club. (3) Goal: New visibility for Buffalo Community Orchestra in the community, including public venues with Buffalo Community Orchestra ensembles and speakers, as evidenced by: (a) The major addition of an additional summer concert in a new geographic area: Winsted, (b) Buffalo Community Orchestra and guests winter bowling afternoon at local bowling alley, (c) String quartet of Buffalo Community Orchestra musicians performed in Annandale Minnesota for Community Health Foundation fund-raising dinner. Outreach performances by Trillium quartet, consisting of Buffalo Community Orchestra string players, occurred in 6 locales. (d) Inclusion of new music groups and soloists in Buffalo Community Orchestra performances. Examples: youth Bravo string quartet performing at May ’16 prior to concert student Buffalo Community Orchestra member and harp soloist Katherine Strand performing at Buffalo Community Orchestra concert during reception time. (e) artistic partnering for poster design and online display with Wayne Hein, professional artist and Buffalo Art Guild organizer, editor of "Palette Notes." (4) Goal: Increased frequency of activity as a measure of Buffalo Community Orchestra's visibility on social media (a) An entirely new website was developed for Buffalo Community Orchestra in the summer of 2016, so results for attracting viewers can be measured for the 2016-17 season. (b) Numerous photos were posted on Facebook during the season, with 216 likes; and 322 visitors to the Buffalo Community Orchestra website. In February of 2016 there were 3,283 followers of Concertmaster Lindsey Bordner. A high of 980,341 accompanied the visuals offered to promote the March 2016 concert. (5) Organizational effectiveness as judged by Buffalo Community Orchestra's Advisory Council (a) A representative of the Advisory Council members attended Buffalo Community Orchestra’s spring annual meeting. Comments forwarded by her to the orchestra’s members were entirely positive, with emphasis on strong organization and tailoring concerts to the preferences of the audience. It was recommended that the holiday concert be kept carefully within a 90-minute duration, which the board discussed as guidance in summer concert planning. (b) Further direct feedback was given by Council members attending a fall pub gathering. The issue of possible ticket price increases was informally raised in conversations with individual Advisory Board members during the summer of 2016; there was little support at that time for price increases.