Perspectivesfrom the Executive Director April 2013 At the end of March, The Cleveland Orchestra received a $10 million, five-year grant from The Cleveland Foundation — the largest such commitment to an arts organization in the Foundation’s history and one of the largest gifts ever received by the Orchestra. We are deeply grateful for this exceptional grant and for the confidence in the Orchestra’s strategic direction that it represents. Over the past year, the Foundation’s staff and board have rigorously assessed the Orchestra’s ongoing transformation, and we sincerely appreciate their generous support of this important work. The Cleveland Foundation grant is a testament to much more than the Orchestra’s historical ranking among the world’s best — it is an extraordinary commitment to our programming innovations and our active community engagement. Sweeping changes at The Cleveland Orchestra have taken root in recent years and are starting to bear fruit. These include our efforts to foster future audiences, to shape and focus our education programs, and our work to build strong and meaningful working partnerships across the Northeast Ohio community. We are on target for a record-breaking season in ticket sales here at Severance Hall, including a significant increase in the number of young people eagerly enjoying and energizing our regular classical concerts. These numbers are the direct result of strong marketing programs (such as Student Advantage and Under18s Free) for our core symphonic concerts and innovative programming changes (including the KeyBank Fridays@7 and Celebrity series). Our education and community programs are also scoring strong successes. Our longstanding commitment to education was celebrated in March, including a unique showcase concert featuring all our youth ensembles performing together with The Cleveland Orchestra for the first time — a special event that was telecast on WVIZ. In addition, we believe that the introduction of “Make Music!” as a focus and catalyst for our ongoing work in music education will bring new understanding and energy to these programs. New initiatives in the community include the Orchestra’s inaugural neighborhood residency, “At Home in Gordon Square,” which unleashes a week filled with free events and performances, May 11-17, as part of the vibrant renaissance of this westside neighborhood. Good news about The Cleveland Orchestra and Northeast Ohio will continue. The initial stages of our Sound for the Centennial Campaign’s endowment and special fundraising phases have been strong, as evidenced by The Cleveland Foundation’s generous gift and by commitments from additional forward-looking organizations and individuals (see pages 50-51). This Campaign spans the decade up to the Orchestra’s hundredth birthday in 2018, and comprises all our fundraising efforts across the next five years. With your support and enthusiasm, there will be more good news ahead — for The Cleveland Orchestra and the entire Northeast Ohio community.
Severance Hall 2012-13
Gary Hanson
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