Classic Feature
IWith a new executive director and new vision, the CSO looks forward to 75
By Michael Kull
May 07, 2008
The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera ended its 74th season on Friday night with a program that seemed designed to appeal to everyone in the hall, from the first-time patron to the seasoned attendee.
There was a definite cross section of the community present. Interlaced with the usual restrained clapping were shouts of “Bravo!” culminating in one young man in jeans and a T-shirt who all but rushed the stage with arms thrust into a classic rock-and-roll salute after the closing notes of the signature piece, Resphigi’s The Pines of Rome.
What made this performance different?
First, instead of presenting an evening of works involving the entire orchestral ensemble, the program was tailored to feature each section of the orchestra separately (winds, strings, percussion and brass) through pieces written specifically for them. The featured work for strings, Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, for example, showcased not only the strings as a section, but individual groupings of strings.
Second, Bernhardt spoke from the podium between each work, describing something of the history, performance practice, or a personal note from the composers’ lives.
Finally, the entire concert was “simulcast” via live video projected directly above the stage onto a large screen, granting the audience visual angles not possible from the usual 50-foot perspective.
Any one of these embellishments might be considered a bold enhancement to the traditional evening at the CSO. All three taken together (with the added flair of an upstage scrim awash in colors that changed with the music) made me question, “What is the current definition of a performance by the CSO, and what should one expect next season, as the organization celebrates its 75th anniversary?”
Sasse takes the reins
There is no better time to ask this question. Two weeks ago, the symphony named Molly Sasse as its executive director. Sasse, who had been serving as interim executive director since last fall, is in charge of what the symphony and opera will look like in the future.
Prior to this appointment, she spent 15 years as the executive director of Allied Arts, Chattanooga’s primary arts and cultural fundraising organization. She holds a Masters of Art and Art Administration degree from Indiana University and has sat on the boards of the CSO, the Theatre Centre and Choral Arts.
By virtue of training, experience and inclination Sasse appears to be a good fit to lead the CSO into its 75th year.
The CSO, like nearly every symphony organization in every city in the country, runs at a deficit. Earned income from ticket sales is simply not enough to sustain such a resource-intense undertaking.
Two years ago, under former executive director John Wehrly, the CSO finished its year $400,000in the red. The main culprit was the high cost of producing fully staged operas. Opera is a hugely expensive undertaking, from set and costume to fees for soloists, directors and conductors. And while ticket prices for the opera are higher, the metrics of profitability in producing opera present challenges.
The most popular operas, such as La Boheme, Tosca and The Magic Flute, are the most expensive to produce. They have large solo casts, extensive chorus involvement, complicated sets, and require large orchestra rosters. These shows sell better in Chattanooga than more obscure works, but the higher cost of production actually hurts the bottom line, even with increased attendance.
While last year’s deficit was reduced to about half that of the previous year, Sasse maintains that her chief concern coming into the position of executive director is financial. “I see my role right now as primarily helping to stabilize finances and to bring new donors to the symphony,” she said in a recent interview with The Pulse.
Even before her official appointment, Sasse’s attention was on finances. “I spent the last nine months as interim director looking at the budget, finding ways to cut overhead without hurting the organization’s quality,” she said. Most immediately apparent last year was a reduction of staff (from 12 down to seven) and the removal of an opera performance from the season’s offerings. But even with such measures, she was only able to reduce the deficit, not eliminate it.
Ways of change
Sasse’s goal for the 2008-09 season is a balanced budget. Cutting an opera last year helped reduce the deficit. But next year’s season actually includes two operas, plus one additional orchestral performance.
“Our budget should balance this year, partly due to the reduced overhead, and also because the second opera, Puccini’s Turandot, will not be a full-blown production, but rather a semi-staged performance, which is cheaper to produce,” says Sasse. “I will also be putting more effort into corporate sponsorships and increasing the individual donor base of symphony supporters.”
Another area being looked at is the price of tickets. “Last year’s ‘Buy two, get one free’ special really opened my eyes to an opportunity,” says Sasse. “It showed me that there are lots of people who really want the symphony and opera experience, but they have to be able to afford it. In this slow economy, we have to price accordingly.”
And programming offers yet one more strategy for success in the CSO’s 75th year. “We have intentionally programmed more popular works instead of world premiers and commissions,” says Sasse.
What about the kitchen-sink approach to performance, as exhibited in last week’s Pines of Rome?
“I don’t know if we will present live video again,” says Sasse. “We had mixed opinions about that. With some modifications, we are more likely to do it again rather than not. Having Bob introduce the pieces worked really well, and I can see more of that in our 75th anniversary season. We always have to balance the tastes and expectations of the longtime patrons with those of people relatively new to the symphony and opera experience. But the CSO has always worked hard to connect with the audience, and Bob is such a wonderful ambassador for music. He really wants people to develop an appreciation, not just for classical music, but for all types,” says Sasse.
Running a mid-size symphony in is no small task, even in the best economic times. But Sasse appears to have a prudent attitude and a sincere desire to keep the CSO from becoming an ossified institution by tuning in to what the people want and can afford.
As long as the community embraces the likelihood that cultural institutions like the CSO are destined to be subsidized (as they have been since Haydn’s day), then there is no reason why it can’t provide another year of satisfying performances—and have its budget balanced, too.
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