Charleston Symphony Orchestra looks to rich new season

It had appeared not very long ago that the Charleston Symphony Orchestra would be strangled by financial distress and contractual disputes. It had appeared that the symphony, gasping for breath, might shut down altogether in the middle of its 75th year.

But after struggling to resolve its labor and legal problems, cope with the death of its long-time music director, David Stahl, and come to terms with the dismissal of several full-time musicians, the symphony orchestra is back on the stage of the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium tonight and looking forward to a rich 2011-12 season.

A young new executive director, an experienced new president of the board and an ambitious new strategic plan that takes some of its cues from community recommendations could help jump-start the symphony organization and see it through to its centennial anniversary and beyond.

So what happened?

Personnel changes

The trouble began years ago, when staffing shortages and fundraising efforts caused the symphony to fall into a financial hole.

During the 2008-09 season, emergency donations and on-the-fly cost cutting kept the orchestra operational during a severe national recession. The following season saw management slash the budget, adjust programming and reduce the size of the full-time core from 46 players to 39.

In March 2010, however, the money ran out, and the symphony temporarily shut down to reorganize. Bankruptcy threatened, but the organization avoided it after intense, often acrimonious, negotiations with musicians that led to additional cuts.

The current season, which started late, is the Charleston Symphony's 75th, and it's a chance for the ensemble, now reduced to 24 full-time players and a budget of $1.3 million, to find its footing and develop a new strategy.

Part of that strategy involves new leadership and new fundraising efforts.

Danny Beckley, 31, was named executive director in December, and board member John H. Warren III was elected president a month later. Warren replaced Ted Legasey, who led the orchestra through the difficult negotiations.

Warren said he wants half the board to consist of new members. Eight people already have joined, and another 12 are sought. Burton Schools, former chairman of Piggly Wiggly, has returned to the symphony board to lead its nominating committee, Warren said.

Fundraising

Board members are expected to contribute or raise money for the organization, he said.

A $1.5 million capital campaign, called "Fund for the Future," was just initiated, Warren said. Part of the campaign involves identifying 25 businesses or individuals to commit $25,000 each (four already are committed), an exercise that could be repeated annually.

"The capital campaign gives the community the opportunity to support the CSO," Warren said, referring to a summer series of forums that was designed to solicit input from the public. "The community said it wants a professional orchestra, so this is kind of a test."

Meant to cover all expenses for the rest of this season and all of next, the capital campaign will conclude at the end of the summer.

This means the 2011-12 season should be fully funded in advance, he said. As tickets for next season are sold, beginning this month, the revenue collected will be held in an account and spent only during the 2011-12 fiscal year.

"Our hope is to stay ahead of the curve," Warren said.

Marketing Director Tara Scott is doubling as interim development director, but the organization is looking to hire a full-time fundraiser.

Programming

Beckley said the CSO is adopting a "three-pronged approach" that presents symphony concerts, offers an array of new chamber music programming and continues to provide educational services.

"Chamber music is the chief ambassador of the symphony orchestra," Beckley said. "It allows us to go into communities" and introduce classical music to patrons little accustomed to professional live performances. Those concerts are scheduled to start in early October.

The current season ends with a bang, Beckley said. Irish- American fiddler Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul perform at the Gaillard at 7:30 tonight. Chamber music concerts are planned at the Dock Street Theatre on April 2 and 3.

"This season is one of rebuilding, applying our new model, getting our sea legs," Beckley said. "We see next season as the inaugural season of the new Charleston Symphony Orchestra."

That "inaugural" season will include a special performance by pianist Emanuel Ax, who will play Beethoven's 5th ("Emperor") piano concerto in E-flat major to open the Masterworks concert series. When he heard the symphony had shut down last spring, Ax called to ask how he could help, Beckley said.

Another concert will feature the music of Rogers and Hammerstein, showcasing vocal soloists and chorus. Concertmaster and Artistic Advisor Yuriy Bekker will debut a new violin concerto by College of Charleston resident composer Edward Hart called "Under an Indigo Sky."

The final Masterworks concert, scheduled for April 21, 2012, will present Mahler's Second Symphony, nicknamed the "Resurrection." It's a grand work that requires an enormous orchestra, chorus and soloists.

"We'll be testing the limits of the stage of the Gaillard for that show," Beckley said.

The season also will include four pops concerts, outdoor performances, a host of chamber music programs and new education initiatives, all designed to add diversity to the musical programming, attract new listeners and enable the symphony to reach audiences beyond the Charleston metropolitan area.

Innovation

Bekker said the revitalization of the symphony is both a relief and an inspiration. He is planning a collaboration with the College of Charleston's composition department to present new music that challenges both players and listeners, he said. He is helping to book guest artists and up-and-coming conductors.

He is conceiving a new chamber music institution called the CSO Camerata Society, a membership organization that presents collaborative performances exploring the art, history, nature and architecture of the Lowcountry.

Bekker is enthusiastic about the prospects for rebuilding the orchestra "in a healthy way," and credits Stahl, who died in October, with setting the stage for this renaissance.

"I believe in this orchestra," Bekker said. "I believe in this town. This is a great opportunity for everyone in this community, musicians, management and patrons."