2019 Report to the Community

REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY

9 North Carolina’s state orchestra, an orchestra achieving the highest level of artistic quality and performance standards, and embracing our dual legacies of statewide service and music education

GRANT LLEWELLYN, MUSIC DIRECTOR

DEAR FRIENDS, An orchestra exemplifies collaboration and teamwork, with each person playing his or her part to create something remarkable.

The North Carolina Symphony (NCS) makes an incredible team — our musicians inspire one another and continually push their artistic excellence higher.

Critics have taken note of the results, writing that the Symphony “reached a new level of artistry this season” and that “you might someday hear as good a performance but never a better.” Audiences across the state have taken note as well, evidenced by record-breaking ticket sales and significant fundraising growth. These economic and artistic benchmarks went hand-in-hand to again meet the State Challenge Grant — invaluable support from our state legislature.

A sense of collaboration and community is essential during challenging times, and our hearts have gone out to those affected by Hurricanes Florence and Michael. NCS responded with what we do best — music-making. It was our honor to bring emergency workers and others in North Carolina’s coastal communities into our concert halls as our guests, helping to restore spirits.

The Symphony’s artistry and educational mission reaches more than 250,000 children and adults each year — in the 2018/19 season, that included citizens from 92 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. The combined efforts of our incomparable Music Director, musicians, staff, volunteers, supporters, and patrons make all of this possible and have increased our financial stability, with our fifth straight year of balanced budgets in FY19.

Guided by our strategic plan, Vision2020, we continue to strive toward long-term stability.

Approaching a new era of artistic leadership, with Music Director Grant Llewellyn becoming Music Director Laureate in the 2020/21 season, my fellow Trustees in the Society and Foundation Boards and I are confident in the strength of our North Carolina Symphony team and in our vibrant future.

Sincerely,

DON DAVIS

Board Chair, North Carolina Symphony Society, Inc.

4TH AND 5TH GRADERS AT AN NCS EDUCATION CONCERT

1

5th

WORLD PREMIERE

STRAIGHT YEAR WITH A BALANCED BUDGET

8

WOMEN COMPOSERS & CONDUCTORS FEATURED

GUEST CONDUCTOR AKIKO FUJIMOTO

SEASON SUCCESSES THAT COUNT!

2

3OO+

INTENSIVE EDUCATIONAL RESIDENCIES

6

%

PEOPLE AT SPECIAL NCS YOUNG PROFESSIONALS EVENTS

INCREASE IN FIRST-TIME SYMPHONY-GOERS (23,400+ PEOPLE!)

$94K+

RAISED FOR MUSIC EDUCATION AT “FRIENDS OF NOTE” LUNCHEON

4O

PRINCIPAL HORN REBEKAH DALEY AND GUESTS AT A YOUNG PROFESSIONALS NIGHT

EDUCATION CONCERTS

(OUT OF 145 TOTAL EDUCATION EVENTS!)

7O,OOO

STUDENTS REACHED THROUGH OUR EDUCATION PROGRAM

1O%

INCREASE IN SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING

ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE ECHOES FAR & WIDE GIVING VOICE TO NEW MUSIC

STAGING STAR SOLOISTS

In eight performances — including those given on our tour of Western North Carolina — the Symphony and the Cherokee Chamber Singers shared a message of hope through the world premiere of composer William Brittelle’s Si Otsedoha (We’re Still Here). The new work featured text written by the high school students of the Cherokee Chamber Singers, reflecting on their cultural identity; it was commissioned by NCS and supported by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.

The Symphony brings some of the world’s greatest soloists to our stages — including, in the 2018/19 season, violinists Joshua Bell and Augustin Hadelich, pianist Ingrid Fliter, Broadway veteran Michael Cavanaugh, and pop/rock star Ben Folds (for our best-selling UNC REX Healthcare Summerfest show of all time!).

NCS co-commissioned a new piano concerto by composer Caroline Shaw, performed by pianist Jonathan Biss. Watermark was programmed together with the work that served as its inspiration, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3.

PARTNERING WITH NEIGHBORS In our third collaboration with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, projected imagery of water from North Carolina locales accompanied the Symphony performing sea-inspired works by Debussy and Sibelius. Concerts took place in both Raleigh and Wilmington.

Joining museums and other organizations statewide as part of Lift Off NC — a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing — we put on a special space-themed program at UNC REX Healthcare Summerfest hosted by the Town of Cary, complete with activities with the Morehead Planetarium.

“The orchestra’s playing has reached a new level of artistry this season…”

GEOFFREY SIMON, CVNC

Extraordinary NCS artists were also spotlighted as soloists in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Wilmington, and Southern Pines. Concertmaster Brian Reagin was featured in Chausson’s Poème, Associate Concertmaster Dovid Friedlander shared selections from Swan Lake and a tango encore on a Valentine’s program, and Assistant Concertmaster Karen Strittmatter Galvin and Principal Second Violin Jacqueline Saed Wolborsky were soloists in Anna Clyne’s ethereal Prince of Clouds.

RECORDING A NEW ALBUM Cellist Zuill Bailey and violist Roberto Díaz joined NCS for performances of Strauss’ Don Quixote, which was recorded live for future release. The album will be the Symphony’s sixth recording project with Music Director Grant Llewellyn.

RECORDING WITH ZUILL BAILEY

Delight

AU T H E N T I C

MAG IC A L

DRAMA EXPRESSION

Energy

S TU NN I NG

Virtuosity A R T I S T RY Standing Ovation BE AU T Y

Karen Galvin and Jackie Wolborsky

Joy I M PR E S S I VE

SOULFUL

EXCELLEN T

ALIVE

Words of praise for Symphony performances have rung out in publications across North Carolina!

World Premiere in Cherokee

Joshua Bell

Collaboration with North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

S U PE R B

MUSIC EDUCATION PROGRAM ORCHESTRATES THE FUTURE

What Defines the Most Extensive Music Education Program of Any Symphony Orchestra?

Education Concerts

Music Discovery

Full-orchestra performances that teach the fundamentals of music

Music and literacy program for preschoolers and families — part of PNC’s Grow Up Great initiative

Ensembles in the Schools Interactive performances by small groups of NCS musicians

Instrument Zoos Children (and sometimes adults!) try out the instruments of the orchestra

Ovations, Concerto Competition, and Master Classes Opportunities for middle school, high school, and college students to work with NCS musicians and perform for NCS audiences

“I learned that there are all different types of music around the world.”

JU’TIEYA, 4TH GRADE STUDENT, HENDERSON, NORTH CAROLINA

Programs for Lifelong Learners Pre-concert talks, lectures at community and residential venues, and continuing studies programs

Teacher Workshop Annual training where music educators share lesson ideas that will prepare students for Education Concerts

Virtual Interactive Stage An interactive distance-learning program that uses technology to bring Education Concerts into classrooms

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Education Concert in Clinton, side-by-side concert with Sampson County students, Instrument Zoo at Marbles Kids Museum, Education Concert in Raleigh, Instrument Zoo at Meymandi Concert Hall

“In chamber music groups coached by Symphony musicians, I’ve learned things like leadership and communication.”

Catherine, 8TH GRADE STUDENT,

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

Creating an Artist Ambassadors Program Supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, NCS launched our Artist Ambassadors initiative, inviting pianist Michelle Cann, composer Caroline Shaw, and cellist Zuill Bailey to share their expertise at educational and community events designed to make the arts inclusive and accessible.

Our 2018/19 Artist Ambassadors visited students at The Governor Morehead School for the Blind and special-needs adults at Able to Serve; worked with young musicians of Kidznotes, Philharmonic Association, North Carolina Chamber Music Institute, Meredith College, UNC-Chapel Hill, and public schools; and welcomed students to NCS rehearsals.

Culminating Two Multi-Year Residencies Our residencies in Sampson County (supported by the Simple Gifts Fund) and Cherokee (in partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and supported by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation) proved what is possible when communities have frequent access to live music and professional musicians.

In Sampson County, our three-year residency culminated with band students performing alongside NCS musicians in a community concert.

A 12th grade bassoonist shared that her opportunities with NCS over the past three years inspired her to pursue a music education degree, while an 8th grade horn player noted that the Symphony taught her self-expression and the value of hard work.

In Cherokee, the capstone of our three-year residency was an eight-concert tour featuring Cherokee choral students in Si Otsedoha (We’re Still Here). The students who sang and helped create the new work stated that their experiences with NCS gave them a sense of confidence and cultural pride.

FROM TOP: Caroline Shaw (second from left) at UNC-Chapel Hill, Zuill Bailey coaching a master class, concert with Cherokee Chamber Singers, Michelle Cann at The Governor Morehead School

SUPPORT MAKES A CRESCENDO

Completing Meymandi Concert Hall

Thanks to the generosity of many Symphony friends, Meymandi Concert Hall is now complete. With the installation of an acoustical canopy above the stage, our musicians now have an acoustical soundscape and performance space that matches their talent. The canopy allows them to more effectively hear each other as they rehearse and perform, and positions the Symphony to deliver an even higher level of performance excellence for generations to come.

woolner stage During the 2018/19 season, to honor the extraordinary generosity of Ed and Darliene Woolner over the course of more than four decades, Meymandi Concert Hall’s stage was named Woolner Stage.

Driving Music Education Across the State A grant from the SECU Foundation provided funding for a new vehicle to carry music education programming across North Carolina. The van is custom-designed to transport Symphony musicians and their instruments for programs statewide, such as Ensembles in the Schools, Music Discovery, and the Instrument Zoo — including to areas of the state that otherwise would have little or no access to music education.

Special events help us say “thank you” to some of our most loyal Symphony friends.

Chairman’s Circle Trip to France

CONCERTMASTER’S CIRCLE RECEPTION

PRE-CONCERT PICNIC DINNER in New Bern

FINANCES HIT A HIGH NOTE

+

RECORD TICKET SALES

Fundraising Excellence

FY19 was our best-selling season of all time, with 20 sold-out concerts and ticket revenue exceeding $4.4 million.

=

Our Annual Fund (gifts from individuals) increased by 5% compared to FY18.

We achieved record-breaking ticket sales for our Pops and Summerfest series.

70% of FY18 donors continued their support in FY19 — a rate far above the national average.

Season-ticket subscription sales increased by 3%, defying national trends for orchestras.

We saw a 27% increase in recruitment of new donor households.

NCS achieved a balanced budget for our fifth straight year, with a small surplus.

30

%

As a percentage of the Total Operating Budget Ticket Sales & Performances Contributions State of NC • Grant Funding & Administrative State of NC • Challenge Grant Annual Distribution from Endowment

18%

As a percentage of the Total Operating Budget

13% 8%

31%

NCS again met the State Challenge Grant, which provides $2 million once we have earned $9 million through ticket sales and fundraising — an additional 22 cents for every dollar of your investment in the Symphony.

14% EXPENSES BY CATEGORY 9% Statewide Service & Music Education Programs Audience Services Administrative Fundraising

6%

71%

lamar stringfield society (LSS) households

218

TOTAL ENDOWMENT ASSETS $8,491,210

$10,672,900

$11,265,100

$13,128,300

$17,030,500

$18,630,400

$19,555,400

TOTAL

FY12

FY13

FY14

FY15

FY16

FY17

FY18

$30,309,000

INCOME BY CATEGORY

An Even Greater Impact

FY19

The North Carolina Symphony endowment ensures long-term sustainability.

LSS HOUSEHOLDS

NEW 6 +

LSS HOUSEHOLDS ADDED IN FY19

The Lamar Stringfield Society (LSS) celebrates individuals who have included the Symphony in their estate plans or established endowed chairs or special funds.

STATEWIDE IMPACT

Montgomery

Granville

Orange

Alamance

Durham

Johnston

Anson

Richmond

Greene

Hoke

Sampson

Robeson

Counties served by both NCS performances and NCS education programs in 2018/19

Washington

Beaufort Craven

Tyrrell

Dare

Hyde

Pamlico

Jones Duplin

Scotland

Counties served by NCS performances in 2018/19

Martin

Pitt

Lenoir Cumberland

Union

Wayne

Harnett

k

Stanly Mecklenburg

Wilson

n

Cleveland

Moore

Edgecombe

Wake

Chatham Lee

Cabarrus

Gaston

Nash

uc k

s

Catawba Lincoln

Randolph

Rowan

Bertie

Franklin

n n de ota am squ

Iredell

Davidson

Rutherford Polk

Transylvania

Guilford

a ow

Macon

Burke

Forsyth

Davie

an

Clay

Henderson

Jackson

McDowell

Yadkin

Hertford

Halifax

Cu rrit

im

Cherokee

Buncombe

Alexander

Gates

Pa

Swain Graham

Haywood

Caldwell

Yancey

Northampton

Warren

Ch

Madison

Wilkes

Avery

Caswell Person

qu

Mitchell

Rockingham

r Pe

Watauga

Stokes

Surry

C

Alleghany

Ashe

Vance

Presenting 300 concerts, education programs, and community engagement events annually, no other orchestra in America serves its state to the extent that the North Carolina Symphony does.

Onslow

Bladen

Carteret

Pender New Hanover

Columbus

Counties served by intensive education residencies in 2018/19

Brunswick

2O18/19 HIGHLIGHTS ONSLOW

Jacksonville teacher Perry Ditch received the Maxine Swalin Award for Outstanding Music Educator.

FORSYTH

Violinist Luca Kevorkian of Winston-Salem won the Kathleen Price and Joseph M. Bryan Youth Concerto Competition.

SAMPSON

Middle and high school students learned from NCS musicians as they prepared for and performed a side-by-side concert.

HERTFORD

During a Music Discovery program at a Winton library, NCS double bassist Erik Dyke and intern Jay Attys led a jazz improvisation.

SWAIN

Students collaborated on the composition of Si Otsedoha (We’re Still Here), performed in the Cherokee language.

PASQUOTANK & GATES

An Education Concert was streamed into classrooms, with Associate Conductor Wesley Schulz hosting live via digital technology.

CRAVEN

NCS provided complimentary tickets to our Holiday Pops concert in New Bern for those affected by Hurricanes Florence and Michael.

The North Carolina Symphony, in grateful acknowledgement of its generous grant-in-aid and Challenge Grant, performs under the auspices of the State of North Carolina.

CUMBERLAND

More than 500 people attended our free community concert at Methodist University in Fayetteville.

JACKSON

Students from every elementary school in Jackson County learned the fundamentals of music at an Education Concert at Western Carolina University.

WATAUGA

NCS musicians, composer William Brittelle, and Symphony staff members held master classes and lectures for Appalachian State University music students. edgecombe

We welcomed more than 400 people to a free summertime Concert in Your Community on the Tarboro Town Common.

The North Carolina Symphony gratefully acknowledges financial support from the City of Raleigh and Wake County.

BOARDS OF TRUSTEES North Carolina Symphony Society, Inc. The Society Board is the governing, policy, and operating board of the Symphony Society. It secures financial resources, approves program goals, engages in strategic planning, and oversees budgets, continuing the Society’s mission to achieve the highest level of artistic quality and performance standards, and embrace the dual legacies of statewide service and music education.

Mr. Don Davis, Chair, Raleigh Dr. Wm. Charles Helton, Vice Chair, Raleigh Mr. Joe Bastian, Treasurer, Chapel Hill Mr. Terry L. Stevens, Assistant Treasurer, Raleigh Dr. Sally C. Johnson, Secretary, Raleigh Ms. Sandi M. A. Macdonald, President & CEO, Raleigh Ms. Deborah M. Aiken, Raleigh Dr. Tim Altman**, Laurinburg Dr. Trude R. Bate, Cary Mrs. Janie W. Bird, Raleigh Mr. Jud Bowman, Durham Ms. Patty Briguglio, Holly Springs Mr. Steve Burriss, Raleigh Mr. Tim Clancy, Raleigh The Honorable Roy Cooper*, Raleigh Mr. Jeffrey A. Corbett, Raleigh Mr. David R. Crabtree, Raleigh Mr. Richard L. Daugherty, Raleigh Mr. Robert C. Doherty, Raleigh Mr. Keith Donahue**, Raleigh Mrs. Ruth Dzau, Durham Mr. Rick Gardner, Raleigh Mr. Mike Golden, Raleigh Mr. Michael Gering, Raleigh Mr. Donald A. Haile, Raleigh Mr. David Haines, Cary Secretary Susi H. Hamilton*, Wilmington Mrs. Elaine Bryant Hayes, Fayetteville Mr. Richard E. Hinson, Chapel Hill Mr. Douglas C. Hornberger, Raleigh Mr. Kevin Howell**, Raleigh Mr. Michael P. Hughes, Raleigh The Honorable Mark Johnson*, Raleigh Mr. L. Dwain Joyce*, Fayetteville Mrs. Cecelia Eckert Kennedy, Morrisville Dr. Robert Lacin, Raleigh Mr. Robert MacNeill, Jr., Durham Mr. Branford Marsalis, Durham

Mrs. Louise Miller, Cary Mr. James Morgan**, Raleigh Mr. Graham Mosely, Wilmington Mrs. Florence Peacock, Chapel Hill Dr. Emily Mann Peck, Raleigh Mrs. Ashley Matlock Perkinson, Raleigh Ms. Margaret Smedes Poyner, Raleigh Dr. Ramachandra P. Reddy, Cary Mr. Richard H. (Dick) Robinson, Jr., Chapel Hill Mr. Jeffrey B. Sheehan, Raleigh Mr. Jason Smith, Raleigh Mrs. Tracey Fodor Smith, Farmville Mr. David Sontag, Chapel Hill Mrs. Linda J. Staunch*, New Bern Ms. Sandy Sully, Cary Mrs. Jennie H. Wallace, Raleigh Mr. Dereck Whittenburg, Raleigh Mr. Larry Wilson*, Raleigh Mr. Tim Yull, Raleigh

North Carolina Symphony Foundation The Foundation Board holds the permanent endowment of the Symphony, solicits additions to the endowment, safeguards and invests assets, and prudently expends funds for the exclusive use and benefit of the Symphony Society.

Mr. Larry Wilson, President, Raleigh Mr. D.S. (Steve) Hodges, Vice President, Durham Col. Matt Segal, Treasurer, Cary Ms. Dianne C. Sellers, Secretary, Raleigh Mr. Thomas H. Roberg, Past President, Raleigh Mr. Chip Anderson, Raleigh Ms. Catharine Biggs Arrowood, Raleigh Mr. Richard L. Daugherty, Raleigh Mr. Don Davis*, Raleigh Dr. Robert N. Eby, Chapel Hill Dr. Warner Hall, Raleigh Dr. Wm. Charles Helton, Raleigh Dr. Ted Kunstling, Raleigh Mr. Henry Mitchell, Raleigh Dr. Shaler Stidham, Jr., Raleigh Mr. Josiah Stevenson IV, Pinehurst *Ex Officio Member

LIFETIME TRUSTEES The Society and Foundation Boards gratefully recognize these individuals as a Lifetime Trustee for extraordinary involvement and leadership of the Symphony over a significant period of time.

*Ex Officio Members **Governor’s Appointee Dr. Assad Meymandi • 2015 Inductee, Raleigh

Mr. Edward O. Woolner • 2016 Inductee, Cary Trustees as of June 30, 2019

ncsymphony.org | 919.733.2750 | 877.627.6724

3700 Glenwood Ave, Suite 130, Raleigh, NC 27612

state headquarters

Printing of the 2019 Report to the Community is courtesy of Jerry’s Printing Service

2O18/19 SEASON CORPORATE SUPPORT

Thank you to the generous individuals, businesses, foundations, and community partners who support the North Carolina Symphony through contributions each season. The successes highlighted in this report, including our extensive music education program, community engagement initiatives, and continued artistic excellence, are made possible by your support. Thank you!