WELCOME LETTER
2.8 viewers, so we estimate more than 600 viewers for each of our digital concert offerings. Our virtual concerts reached 37 states, with 61% of viewers being from the Duluth-Superior area and 17% from the Twin Cities. We had a total of 557 accounts who viewed at least one DSSO virtual concert this past season. One of the best comments we received was, “I enjoy attending live concerts, but it has become more challenging as my husband uses a wheelchair when we leave our home. Streaming the concerts in our home has been a real gift to us!!”
BRANDON VANWAEYENBERGHE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WELCOME LETTER
There are several words that could be used to describe the last season, and really the last 18 months. Challenging is an apt one, when we had to program the 2020-21 Season twice in order to accommodate the regulations and protocols placed around our performances. Restricted is another great one as we had to limit the number of musicians on stage to less than half of our traditional compliment and limit audiences to 10% of seating capacity at Symphony Hall. However, this last year can also be described as transformative. The DSSO and WDSE partnered to livestream seven concerts via our website, make them available for on-demand viewing, and had them broadcast over the air. The DSSO’s online audience averaged 190 households per livestream and 60+ ondemand views per concert. Each household averaged
9 DULUTH SUPERIOR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
I would also use the word steadfast to describe our work this past season. We continued to offer Twin Ports’ students’ musical instruction via our all-virtual Youth Orchestras program, reaching more than 100 students. In October 2020, the DSSO was one of, if not the first orchestra in Minnesota to perform to a live audience since the COVID-19 shut down concerts in March 2020. While our audiences were only around 150 for our first few shows, we ended the season with more than 400 inperson attendees for our May 2021 season finale. We have continued to produce musical experiences for our community, providing much needed art and entertainment during these unprecedented times, and doing it all in a fiscally stable manner. We could not be here without your support as subscribers, single ticket buyers, donors, youth orchestras parents, volunteers, and community music lovers. On behalf of our musicians, we look forward to being able to connect with you on stage through the language of music this season.
Brandon VanWaeyenberghe, Executive Diretor Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra
