Oregon Symphony Association

THE OREGON SYMPHONY INSPIRES AUDIENCES AND BUILDS COMMUNITY BY CREATING OUTSTANDING MUSICAL EXPERIENCES.

THROUGHOUT FY21, THE OREGON SYMPHONY FOUND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO MEET OUR MISSION, EVEN IN THE FACE OF AN ONGOING GLOBAL PANDEMIC, CHALLENGES FROM EXTREME HEAT AND WILDFIRES, AND REDUCED STAFF CAPACITY. WHILE OUR CONCERT HALL WAS CLOSED FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR DUE TO COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS, STAFF AND MUSICIANS ALIKE LEARNED NEW SKILLS, FOUND NEW WAYS TO CONNECT AND SHARE MUSIC DIGITALLY, AND EXPANDED OUR ONLINE PRESENCE TO BRING MUSIC TO MORE PEOPLE IN EVERY CORNER OF OREGON AND AROUND THE WORLD. THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF MANY DEDICATED PARTNERS, WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE IMPORTANT ARTISTIC AND COMMUNITY IMPACT, AS WE PRESERVED ORGANIZATIONAL RESOURCES AND PREPARED FOR OUR UPCOMING RETURN TO LIVE PERFORMANCE. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE OWHILE WE END THE FISCAL YEAR IN A STRONG CASH POSITION, WE CONTINUE BUDGETING CAUTIOUSLY WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT POST-PANDEMIC RECOVERY IS LIKELY TO TAKE SEVERAL YEARS.

INNOVATING ARTISTICALLYTHIS YEAR, WE MET OUR MISSION BY SHARING EXCELLENT ART THAT INSPIRED, EDUCATED, UNITED, AND HEALED OUR COMMUNITY WHILE THE CORONAVIRUS KEPT US PHYSICALLY SEPARATED. BOTH OUR STAFF AND MUSICIANS DEMONSTRATED FLEXIBILITY, INGENUITY, AND COMMITMENT TO RESPOND TO CONSTANTLY CHANGING SCENARIOS AND NEW WAYS OF OPERATING. WITH THE CONCERT HALL STILL CLOSED, OUR OPERATIONS TEAM HAD THE CHALLENGING TASK OF TRANSFORMING A BLANK WAREHOUSE SPACE INTO A USABLE CONCERT HALL/FILM SET, INCLUDING THE APPROPRIATE SOUND ENGINEERING, SET DESIGN, AND LIGHTING, AND ENGAGING CREATIVE DIRECTORS WHO WOULD HELP CRAFT EACH SERIES THOUGHTFULLY. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)OUTFITTING THIS SPACE ENTAILED SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE FOR THE ORGANIZATION IN EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL, AND WAS CRUCIAL TO OUR ABILITY TO DELIVER ON OUR MISSION.DURING THE WINTER, WHEN GATHERINGS OF ALL KINDS WERE PROHIBITED, OUR MUSICIANS CONTINUED PRODUCING AND SHARING FREE MINUTE FOR MUSIC PERFORMANCES FROM THEIR HOMES; THERE ARE NOW 83 VIDEOS IN THIS SERIES AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE, A FIGURE THAT CONTINUES TO INCREASE EACH MONTH. AS VACCINATION RATES ROSE AND HEALTH RESTRICTIONS RELAXED, WE WERE ABLE TO GATHER SMALL GROUPS OF MUSICIANS TO PRODUCE INTIMATE, MOVING PERFORMANCES TO SHARE FOR FREE WITH OUR COMMUNITY. THIS WORK RESULTED IN THREE NEW SIGNATURE DIGITAL SERIES DURING THE FIRST HALF OF 2021, THAT COLLECTIVELY GARNERED MORE THAN 375,000 VIEWS ON OREGON SYMPHONY SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS. THESE SERIES INCLUDED:ESSENTIAL SOUNDS RELEASED IN JULY AND AUGUST OF 2020, THIS SIX-PART SERIES PROVIDED AN ARTISTIC RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC THAT USED MUSIC, STORYTELLING, AND IMAGERY TO HONOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS IN FIELDS LIKE HEALTH CARE, FOOD SERVICE, EDUCATION, AND SOCIAL SERVICES. THESE HALF-HOUR EPISODES FEATURED DIVERSE OREGON SYMPHONY MUSICIANS, GUEST ARTISTS, AND COMPOSERS SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES AND THEIR ART DURING QUARANTINE. EACH EPISODE ALSO FEATURED A LOCAL NONPROFIT WORKING IN EACH SECTOR, GIVING VISIBILITY TO IMPORTANT WORK AND DRIVING DONATIONS TO COMMUNITY PARTNERS. LATER IN THE FALL, WE CREATIVELY RE-PACKAGED THE MUSICAL PERFORMANCES FROM THIS SERIES INTO "ESSENTIAL SOUND BITES," SHARING THEM WITH FRESH MESSAGING ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS AND IN OUR E-NEWSLETTER TO FURTHER ENGAGE WITH OUR CORE AUDIENCE.CLASSICAL SESSIONS: CARLOS@18 THIS 12-EPISODE SERIES, DEBUTED IN APRIL 2021, FEATURES MUSIC DIRECTOR CARLOS KALMAR AT THE PODIUM, LEADING OREGON SYMPHONY MUSICIANS IN A PERSONALLY CURATED SERIES OF CHAMBER AND SMALL ENSEMBLE WORKS. CELEBRATING CARLOS' 18-YEAR TENURE AS MUSIC DIRECTOR, THE SERIES ALLOWS FOR AN UP CLOSE, INTIMATE LOOK AT THE WAY CARLOS LEADS HIS MUSICIANS. CARLOS PERSONALLY INTRODUCES EACH PIECE, SHARING HIS INSIGHTS ABOUT THE PIECE AND THE COMPOSER TO PROVIDE CONTEXT FOR THE LISTENER. BEHIND-THE-SCENES FEATURES ALSO TAKE THE VIEWER INTO THE REHEARSAL SPACE TO SEE HOW OUR ARTISTS WORK TOGETHER TO PRODUCE THE TRANSCENDENT MUSICAL MOMENTS AUDIENCES ENJOY ON THE STAGE AND THE SCREEN.NOTATIONS BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS OF ESSENTIAL SOUNDS, OUR NEW NOTATIONS SERIES EXPLORES THE WAYS THAT PERSONAL HISTORIES INSPIRE CREATIVE WORK. THROUGH THE LENS OF FIVE LOCAL MUSICIANS ALL OF WHOM ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR VIEWERS EXPERIENCE THE DEEP CONNECTION BETWEEN MUSICAL EXPRESSION, CULTURE, PERSONAL HERITAGE, AND THE INDIVIDUAL ARTIST'S LIFE JOURNEY. EACH EPISODE FEATURES AN ARTIST SHARING THEIR PERSONAL STORY THROUGH A COMBINATION OF STORYTELLING, MUSIC, AND IMAGES. THIS SERIES CELEBRATES THE RICH AND COMPLEX CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF AMERICA, AND THE MANY WAYS THAT MUSIC, CULTURE, AND LIFE ARE INTERCONNECTED. THE FIRST EPISODE PREMIERED IN JULY 2021 AND NEW EPISODES ARE BEING RELEASED THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER.AS OUR DIGITAL ASSETS GREW, WE NEEDED TO INVEST IN AN IMPROVED ONLINE HOME TO MAKE OUR DIGITAL ARTWORK EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY, NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE. STUDIO 125, WHICH WENT LIVE IN APRIL, IS THE NEW "DIGITAL DESTINATION" FOR ALL OREGON SYMPHONY DIGITAL PERFORMANCES. GROWING OUR DIGITAL REACH IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF ENVISIONING THE FUTURE OF OUR ORCHESTRA. EVEN ONCE WE RETURN TO THE CONCERT HALL, WE WILL CONTINUE INVESTING IN DIGITAL CONTENT CREATION THANKS IN PART TO A GRANT FROM THE MURDOCK TRUST THAT HAS ALLOWED US TO CREATE STAFF POSITIONS FOCUSED ON OUR DIGITAL ARTISTIC PRODUCTS. WE WERE HONORED THAT THE SYMPHONY'S ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE CONTINUES TO BE RECOGNIZED ON A NATIONAL SCALE, THIS YEAR ON TWO NOTABLE OCCASIONS. THE SYMPHONY GARNERED ITS THIRD GRAMMY NOMINATION IN THE CATEGORY OF BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE, FOR OUR RECENT ALBUM ASPECTS OF AMERICA: PULITZER EDITION. THE ALBUM, RELEASED ON THE PENTATONE LABEL, FEATURED PERFORMANCES OF MODERN AMERICAN SYMPHONIC WORKS THAT WON THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR MUSIC DURING THE 20TH CENTURY. ADDITIONALLY, CUBAN-AMERICAN COMPOSER TANIA LEN WON THE 2021 PULITZER PRIZE FOR MUSIC FOR HER PIECE STRIDE, A WORK CO-COMMISSIONED BY THE OREGON SYMPHONY AND THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC. WE LOOK FORWARD TO PERFORMING THE WEST COAST PREMIERE OF THIS WORK FOR OUR LOCAL AUDIENCES, AND CONTINUING OUR RICH TRADITION OF COMMISSIONING SIGNIFICANT WORKS THAT PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF OUR ART FORM IN NEW DIRECTIONS, AND THAT INCREASE REPRESENTATION FOR HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED VOICES IN THE CLASSICAL MUSIC REPERTORY, PARTICULARLY WOMEN AND PEOPLE OF COLOR. FINALLY, WE ANNOUNCED A MAJOR ARTISTIC TRANSITION WITH THE SELECTION OF DAVID DANZMAYR AS OUR NEXT MUSIC DIRECTOR. A UNANIMOUS PICK BY THE SEARCH COMMITTEE FOLLOWING A FIVE-YEAR PROCESS, DANZMAYR WILL TAKE OVER AS OUR NEXT ARTISTIC LEADER AT THE START OF THE 21/22 SEASON. DANZMAYR IS WIDELY REGARDED AS ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED AND EXCITING CONDUCTORS OF HIS GENERATION. HE IS A PRIZE-WINNING CONDUCTOR WHO HAS APPEARED WITH ORCHESTRAS AT SOME OF THE MOST PROMINENT CONCERT HALLS ACROSS EUROPE, NORTH AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, AND THE UK. DANZMAYR HAS WON PRIZES AT SOME OF THE WORLD'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS CONDUCTING COMPETITIONS, INCLUDING AT THE INTERNATIONAL GUSTAV MAHLER CONDUCTING COMPETITION AND THE INTERNATIONAL MALKO CONDUCTING COMPETITION. HE HOLDS A STRONG BELIEF THAT EACH COMPOSER'S MUSICAL EXPRESSION IS SHAPED BY THEIR PERSONAL ENVIRONMENT, FAMILY HERITAGE, AND CULTURE. THIS BELIEF WILL GUIDE HIS WORK AT THE OREGON SYMPHONY, INCLUDING THE FORMATION OF A NEW CREATIVE ALLIANCE OF CULTURALLY DIVERSE THOUGHT-LEADERS AND MUSICAL INNOVATORS PARTICULARLY WOMEN AND PEOPLE OF COLOR WHO BRING THEIR PERSONAL HERITAGE AND LIVED EXPERIENCE TO THE ART THEY SHARE ON OUR STAGE.

INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITYTHE DIGITAL ARTISTIC WORK DESCRIBED ABOVE AND MADE AVAILABLE FOR FREE TO THE ENTIRETY OF OREGON AND BEYOND WAS ONE IMPORTANT WAY WE INVESTED IN OUR COMMUNITY. BRINGING THE JOY OF INSPIRING PERFORMANCES INTO PEOPLE'S HOMES WAS PARTICULARLY MEANINGFUL AS A WAY TO CONNECT EMOTIONALLY WHILE WE WERE PHYSICALLY SEPARATED. ADDITIONALLY, WE WORKED CLOSELY WITH OUR MANY SCHOOL-BASED AND COMMUNITY-BASED PARTNERS TO IDENTIFY TARGETED, SPECIFIC COMMUNITY NEEDS THAT WE COULD MEET THROUGH MUSIC. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE ODESPITE CHALLENGES RELATED TO THE PANDEMIC, AND WEATHER EVENTS LIKE WILDFIRES AND EXTREME HEAT THAT LIMITED OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES, OUR MUSICIANS NEVERTHELESS FOUND WAYS TO ENRICH THE LIVES OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF OREGONIANS.BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS OF OUR FIRST SEASON, WE LAUNCHED A SECOND DIGITAL SEASON OF SYMPHONY STORYTIME. THESE SIXTEEN VIDEOS IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH HAVE BEEN VERY POPULAR WITH EDUCATORS AND FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN. WHEN DEVISING THE SECOND SEASON, WE INCORPORATED FEEDBACK FROM AN EXTENSIVE VIEWER SURVEY THAT INDICATED STRONG COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR DIVERSE ON-SCREEN HOSTS, AND STORIES THAT HIGHLIGHTED DIVERSE CULTURES. WE ALSO PARTNERED WITH REACH OUT AND READ OREGON TO SHARE OUR VIDEOS IN PEDIATRICIANS' OFFICES TO HELP FOSTER CHILDREN'S LITERACY. MORE THAN 315,000 VIEWERS WATCHED A SYMPHONY STORYTIME VIDEO DURING FY21, FROM ALL CORNERS OF OREGON, ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND EVEN AROUND THE WORLD. OUR MUSICIANS HAVE BEEN ACTIVE IN SUPPORTING STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR. THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH DISTRICTS AND MUSIC TEACHERS, 30 OREGON SYMPHONY MUSICIANS HAVE PROVIDED FREE PRIVATE ONLINE LESSONS FOR APPROXIMATELY 60 HIGH-NEED STUDENTS IN PORTLAND METRO AND SALEM AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL- AND HIGH SCHOOL-LEVEL ORCHESTRAS AND BANDS. WORKING DIRECTLY WITH OUR MUSICIANS HAS HELPED KEEP STUDENTS ENGAGED DURING A DIFFICULT SCHOOL YEAR, AND SUPPORTED THEM IN THEIR GROWTH AS MUSICIANS. WE UTILIZED OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CARNEGIE HALL WEILL MUSIC INSTITUTE TO SHARE ONLINE MUSIC EDUCATION MODULES WITH DOZENS OF SCHOOL PARTNERS AROUND THE STATE FOR USE IN THEIR CLASSROOMS.WE ALSO LISTENED TO THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND WORKED WITH THEM TO DEVISE SPECIALIZED OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET THOSE NEEDS. ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR NORMAN HUYNH, FOR INSTANCE, FIELDED A REQUEST BY A HIGH SCHOOL SPECIAL ED TEACHER IN CAMAS, WA WHOSE STUDENT WAS ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN CONDUCTING. NORMAN SET UP A VIRTUAL VISIT WITH THE CLASSROOM, TALKED TO ALL THE STUDENTS ABOUT WHAT A CONDUCTOR DOES, AND LED THEM IN PRACTICING SOME CONDUCTING TECHNIQUES TOGETHER. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, OUR STRING QUARTET MADE TWO VIRTUAL CLASSROOM VISITS TO 4TH GRADE MUSIC CLASSES IN THE WARM SPRINGS SCHOOL DISTRICT. THEY DEMONSTRATED THEIR INSTRUMENTS AND ANSWERED QUESTIONS FROM THE STUDENTS IN AN INTERACTIVE SETTING. STAGE MANAGER LORI TREPHIBIO FOLLOWED UP WITH AN IN-PERSON VISIT TO TALK WITH STUDENT GROUPS FROM THE CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF WARM SPRINGS. AS A PERSON WITH NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE WORKING IN THE ARTS, SHE SHARED HER EXPERIENCES WORKING IN THE ARTS AND ENCOURAGED THE STUDENTS TO CONSIDER THE WIDE VARIETY OF OPPORTUNITIES AND ROLES AVAILABLE FOR CAREERS IN THE ARTS SECTOR.AS PART OF OUR GALA 2021 FUNDRAISER, WE PRODUCED A FREE, LIVE CONCERT EVENT AVAILABLE TO ALL ON OUR WEBSITE. REACHING OUT TO OUR NETWORK OF WORLD-CLASS SOLOISTS, COMPOSERS, AND OUR OWN OREGON SYMPHONY MUSICIANS, WE PUT TOGETHER MORE THAN AN HOUR OF PERFORMANCES SPECIALLY PRODUCED TO CELEBRATE THE OREGON SYMPHONY AND CARLOS KALMAR. HOSTED LIVE IN STUDIO BY SCOTT SHOWALTER AND FIVE OF OUR MUSICIANS, VIEWERS ENJOYED PERFORMANCES FROM THE LIKES OF JOSHUA BELL, WYNTON MARSALIS, CHRIS THILE, EMMANUEL AX, AGUSTIN HADELICH, AND OREGON SYMPHONY BRASS, PERCUSSION, AND STRING ENSEMBLES. MORE THAN 6,800 VIEWERS ENJOYED THIS FREE PERFORMANCE.INDIVIDUAL AND SMALL GROUPS OF MUSICIANS HAVE BEEN SPREADING JOY AND THE HEALING POWERS OF MUSIC WITH FREE, SPONTANEOUS POP-UP OUTDOOR PERFORMANCES AROUND PORTLAND. CONCERTS IN PIONEER SQUARE, WATERFRONT PARK, AND OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND PORTLAND HAVE SURPRISED AND DELIGHTED HUNDREDS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH MUSIC AS THEY GO ABOUT THEIR DAY. AS PART OF NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK, NINE OREGON SYMPHONY MUSICIANS PERFORMED SMALL ENSEMBLE OUTDOOR RECITALS AT EIGHT PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL LOCATIONS AND ONE PAROCHIAL SCHOOL. THESE "SYMPHONY SERENADES" WERE SHARED AS A THANK YOU TO TEACHERS AND PARENTS, AND BY PERFORMING AT DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP TIMES, TEACHERS, PARENTS, AND STUDENTS COULD ALL ENJOY THE MUSIC TOGETHER. MUSICIANS VISITED THE OREGON CONVENTION CENTER TO PLAY A POP-UP 'THANK YOU' PERFORMANCE FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS ADMINISTERING THE COVID-19 VACCINE AND ALL THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN LINE FOR THE VACCINATION. MUCH OF THIS COMMUNITY-BASED WORK WAS POSSIBLE THANKS TO PPP LOANS, WHICH HELPED TO KEEP OUR MUSICIANS ON PAYROLL. WE ENCOURAGED THEM TO SHARE CREATIVE PERFORMANCES WITH THEIR COMMUNITY, FOLLOWING THEIR OWN INSPIRATION TO MAKE AN IMPACT BY BRINGING MUSIC INTO UNEXPECTED VENUES AND SPACES.