January 18, 2010
 Dear Friends of the Charlotte Symphony,
Happy New Year and welcome to Encore! the Symphony newsletter.
At the start of 2010, the Symphony has good news to report. Our first concerts of the new year were a huge success, with both concert weekends exceeding our projected ticket sales goals. Click here to read a review of the January 8 performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, which featured the Symphony’s own concertmaster, Calin Lupanu.
As 2009 came to a close, the Symphony matched a $500,000 challenge grant offered this summer by Sandra and Leon Levine and completed its drive to raise $1.77 million in special “bridge” funding required to balance our budget for this fiscal year. This “bridge fund” is being raised to help maintain balanced budgets over the next five years as the Symphony continues its work to improve its annual operating revenue and build a larger endowment fund. Thank you to all the many donors who have contributed to this fund.
This month, the Symphony welcomes new additions to the orchestra, the Board, and the staff. Read in Encore! about our new family members, as well as some interesting insights from musicians who have traveled from across the globe to make the Charlotte Symphony their home. Our CSO musicians have played an integral role in rebuilding our financial stability by, in effect, donating nearly $750,000 this year alone back to the CSO in the form of salary reductions as part of their new four-year employment contract. Thank you to all of our musicians – they are the heart and soul of the CSO and are dedicated partners in our rebuilding efforts.
Christopher Warren-Green, the CSO’s Music Director Designate, returns to Charlotte next month to conduct the orchestra in Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 on February 12 & 13. Read here about his love for this work, and get a sneak preview of his debut season!
The Symphony is dedicated to music education, and we are delighted to announce the addition of two education concerts to our Spring calendar. Read about our music and literacy programs for elementary students and the upcoming Youth Festival, sponsored by The Symphony Guild of Charlotte, Inc.. You won’t want to miss this exciting concert on February 24, featuring the Charlotte Symphony, the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras, and senior winners of The Guild’s Young Artists Competition.
For more than five decades, The Symphony Guild has supported youth music education activities, raising money in part through its Designer House. This spring, see the work of 19 designers at the Metropolitan MetTerraces. I took a tour this week of the properties, and I can tell you first-hand that this will be one of the most exciting, captivating experiences you will have in the many years of successful Designer House projects. Don’t miss it!
In the past six months, the community has confirmed its commitment to the Symphony’s future. As we enter the new year, the Symphony pledges to serve the Charlotte region with renewed dedication. We thank you for being a part of that promise.
See you at the Symphony!
Sincerely,
Jonathan Martin
Executive Director
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