If doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome is insanity, there may be some sane folks at the Charlotte Symphony. At least they are trying a new approach.
The symphony has struggled financially for years, and last year its money woes nearly silenced it. But executive director Jonathan Martin, board chair Jim Martin and music director Christopher Warren-Green appear to be ever-so-slowly dragging the orchestra away from the precipice.
Its gradual comeback is borne of desperation. A year or so ago, the symphony faced the possible near-elimination of $2 million in Arts & Science Council funding along with a stagnant economy and a business model that yielded large and persistent deficits. Not changing was not an option.
The symphony received several generous gifts last year that helped keep it afloat, including from the McColls, the Spanglers, the Levines and board members. That money, though, just bought more time for the symphony to achieve two things that will be even harder: Developing a new approach that can entice new audiences and donors; and raising $25 million or more for an endowment.
Symphony leaders are moving on both fronts. They announced this week a new concert series aimed at a younger, more casual audience. It will feature a shorter show (limited to one hour), cocktails and appetizers, video paired with the music at one, and conversation with the musicians, all at the new, inviting (1,200 seats) Knight Theatre.
At the same time, the orchestra is assembling an endowment campaign cabinet aimed at raising $25 million to $30 million over the next five years. The campaign, which will be central to the symphony's fate, will start in the next few months.
These are smart moves, even if the new concerts are no panacea and the success of the endowment campaign is no lock. The symphony has to try new things, because its fate is evident if it doesn't. It's still running a six-figure annual deficit and faces, Jonathan Martin says, "a sobering amount of work still to be done."
Here's hoping the Martins' financial efforts and Warren-Green's charisma pay off. The symphony is a treasure for this city and its arts scene, and losing it would be tragic.
