Project Grant

This concert will feature the orchestra performing music that will introduce and create interest in the 2012-2013 concert season. We are trying to open access to this arts experience to everyone. 1: Reach a new audience. Attendance at this event would include 25% first time attendees. By programming a concert with the Fabulous Armadillos we will have a built in additional audience. All of their St Cloud performances are often sold out. We anticipate they will assist us in selling out this performance as well. Getting new people to hear the Saint Cloud Symphony Orchestra will bring new audience to the orchestra for the rest of the season. 2: Introduce the new Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Saint Cloud Symphony Orchestra to the community. We have spent 2011-2012 seeking a new artistic leader. Advance promotion will create excitement at meeting the new orchestra conductor. This will be his first concert as the Artistic Director for the orchestra. 3: Provide the musicians of the orchestra with a challenging artistic experience. The musicians of the orchestra are extremely talented and want to be challenged. The orchestra musicians want to play music that inspires them to create a quality arts experience for the audience. This program will do this by offering the musicians the opportunity to perform some of the best known classical music literature. The musicians benefit from the experience of performing this music and the audience benefits from the opportunity to listen to the performance. This concert will also give the musicians an opportunity to perform a new genre of music when they accompany the Fabulous Armadillos. 4: Collaborate with Saint Cloud State University and the University Programming Board to present this program on campus. Saint Cloud State University has been a supportive partner since the inception of the Saint Cloud Symphony Orchestra. We also have a close relationship with the program board of Saint Cloud State University, and will ask them to assist us in promoting this event. Last year the UBP Board was very active in helping us promote the September Preview Concert. 5: Sell additional season tickets. At least 25 new patrons will purchase tickets for regular season concerts presented by the Saint Cloud Symphony Orchestra. Our efforts will not stop with the completion of this event. We will continue to reach out to this audience and encourage them to attend our concerts throughout the 2012-2013 concert season. Our ultimate goal is to develop a long-term relationship with our community. All of this will add up to a wonderful musical experience for the audience and the musicians. The outcome of this project is to provide a new opportunity for a meaningful arts experience for all members of our community.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. In the case of a concert, attendance is a measure of reaching our goals. Increased concert attendance indicates we are offering a program that is interesting, promoted effectively, and meets the needs of the audience and the musicians. A full-house indicates we have done a good job from programming to promotion to presentation. This will be the third year we have offered a Preview Concert as part of our programming. The audience has grown steadily over time. The first year we had 250 patrons and last year that amount nearly doubled to 400 patrons. This has become an important part of our season. Audience surveys and feedback are used to 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. We will use an on-line survey to gain feedback from the audience on additional elements of this performance. We will encourage concert goers to go to our website and complete the on-line survey. We are looking for feedback on the program we presented, the marketing tools we used and the overall satisfaction with the experience. This information will be used to assist us in future planning. We receive feedback from the musicians via direct feedback and through the Musician Committee. The committee represents the sections of the orchestra and is instrumental in guiding the process of the orchestra and providing feedback to the Executive Director and the Board of Directors.