In trying economic times, procuring funding for any endeavor is a daunting proposition.
For the Auburn Symphony Orchestra (ASO), which has provided the community of Auburn with opportunities to enjoy a professional, world-class classical music experience since 1997, this is especially true.
Despite financial obstacles, however, the people who help make the symphony a reality, such as General Manager Lee Valenta and Board President Nancy Colson, believe it’s worth the work.
“I think it’s absolutely critical,” Colson, a realtor, said. “I think it adds to the depth of experience and appeal of the community. When people are considering a community as a place to live, they want to know that they have good housing, schools and programs for them and their kids to enjoy. And that’s about music and performing arts.”
With an approximately $300,000 annual budget – which funds three to four performances a year at the Auburn Performing Arts Center, as well as several chamber performances elsewhere – the funding obstacles for the organization are enormous.
This season Valenta said the organization will trim its holiday program from the schedule, scaling back to just three shows – in October, February and April.
“We lost a bit of funding due to the economy,” Valenta said. “Instead of jeopardizing our financial status, we decided to cut a program.”
Funding for the symphony comes from a variety of sources. The City of Auburn contributed $75,000 in 2010.
“This city has been the best. We couldn’t give them enough credit for the support ongoing in all different kinds of ways,” Valenta said. “They get it, they really get it.”
Other funding comes via foundations from corporations such as Boeing, Sterling Savings Bank and Zones, Inc., as well as from nonprofit organizations such as King County’s 4Culture, the ArtsFund and radio station KUOW.
Valenta said funding also flows in from individual donations and ticket sales.
The downturn in the economy has made raising money a little challenging, Colson and Valenta admitted, but they insist the situation isn’t dire.
“It’s like chipping away, chipping away a little bit,” Valenta said. “One of the things I would say about being affected by the economy is we were affected over the last couple of years. We lost some ticket sales and other things, but we gained some people also. So we managed to stay even.
“The thing is, ‘What if the economy wasn’t bad? All the work we did to stay even, would we have been on top if the economy wasn’t bad?’ ” he added. “You’re always going to lose people … but we’re always gaining people also.”
Colson added: “The thing about being affected by the economy is when people understand what the orchestra is and what it’s about and you engage them in the right way, they’re still very supportive.”
She offers as proof the fundraising efforts at the symphony’s annual gala, which raised $10,000 from attendees.
At the core, according to Valenta and Colson, is the symphony’s goal of enriching the lives of Auburn residents through music.
“The elements of quality that music and other arts add to a community are to me, beyond measure,” Colson said.
“The arts are a longer term investment in the future,” Valenta said. “It’s like the argument that reading, writing and arithmetic are the only things that children need in school. And we know, that’s absolutely not true, in the terms of the relationship between math and music. There are lots of things that seem like they’re beyond the basic needs, but ultimately they’re investments in the person and long-term investments in the whole community and culture.”
For Colson, it all cycles back to a quote from philanthropist Millard H. Pryor, Jr.
“There is a quote I always think of,” Colson said. “’Giving to social purpose organizations supports a community’s needs. Giving to arts and heritage organizations supports its assets. Great communities do both.’”
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UPCOMING SHOWS
The Auburn Symphony Orchestra and conductor Stewart Kershaw will kick off the 2010-2011 season with the program “From Vienna to Paris” – featuring Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 2 in D Major,” Chausson’s “Poéme for Violin and Orchestra” – featuring soloist Brittany Boulding – and Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite”. The show is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9 and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 10, both shows at the Auburn Performing Arts Center. Tickets for the show are $10 for students, $25 for seniors and $32 for adults and are available at www.auburnsymphony.org/tickets. Season tickets also are available.
The Symphony will also present “Auburn Symphony Goes Beyond the Score” on Feb. 19 and 20 and “In Memoriam Gustav Mahler, 1860-1911” April 30 and May 1.
