Maestro Stuart Malina has seen a lot of progress in the 17 years he’s been conducting the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.
More programming, a broader range of concerts, exciting guest performers.
But now he’s itching to do even more.
So, HSO began “Let the Music Grow,” a campaign to raise $1.8 million to fund initiatives outside of its annual operating budget, which is already committed to its Masterworks, Pops and Youth Symphony programming. A few months ago, HSO surpassed the $1 million mark with a celebration at the Susquehanna Art Museum.
Executive Director Jeff Woodruff said the campaign is intended to spark artistic innovation, grow education programs and “add excitement to concerts.”
“In essence, we want to become a better orchestra and touch more lives in the capital region,” he said.
Added Maestro Malina: “The audience will see a little bit more pizzazz, the kind of programming that big orchestras can afford.”
Malina said the campaign is intended to give the orchestra more venture capital for “artistic leeway,” such as purchasing music for “new kinds of concerts,” inviting more guest artists and performing movies from motion pictures or with dance.
Specifically, the campaign involves these elements:
Artistic Innovation Fund, $600,000: This fund is intended to help attract a younger audience through such means as high-tech, multimedia shows, classic films with live orchestral accompaniment and other special events.
“I look at the Artistic Innovation Fund as a sort of a ‘venture capital fund,’” Malina said. “In return for the community’s investment, we’ll be able to deliver an artistic product that’s bigger and better than anything they’ve experienced before.”
Educational Opportunity Fund, $350,000: This allows HSO to expand its existing educational programs in area schools and explore collaborations with music educators. HSO representatives already visit and perform in area schools, and the organization sponsors the Harrisburg Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Sound and Lighting Enhancements, $350,000: This fund will help pay for new sound shields and sound-projecting acoustic shells that will boost performance clarity, as well as new speakers, microphones, amplifiers and theatrical lighting. Instrument purchases will eliminate rental costs, upgrade the percussion section—especially for timpani drums—and will provide the Youth Orchestra with specialized woodwinds not typically available to high school students.
Stage Extension, $150,000: A 10-foot removable stage extension at The Forum will provide more possibilities for performances. “Our stage is not very deep and extremely wide,” Malina said. “During my first season there, the brass section was literally sitting in an alcove offstage because there wasn’t enough room for them onstage.”
Champions Fund for Deficit Elimination, $350,000: This goal has been achieved. “We already took care of the deficit. Now we are solvent,” Malina noted proudly, adding that few community orchestras can say this.
“It takes a lot of money to support a professional orchestra, but this community stands behind us year after year to make it happen,” said Ted Reese, HSO’s director of development. “I’m always thrilled to see how surprised people are when they come to their first HSO concert. They expect a stuffy—dare I say boring—concert from an OK orchestra, and they leave The Forum saying, ‘Wow! This is Harrisburg?’”
The HSO is comprised of 75 contract players. Some are from the Harrisburg area, but most come from cities across the east coast, such as New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Musicians are sent their parts several weeks before each concert then meet in Harrisburg for four, 2½-hour practice sessions immediately before their scheduled performances.
“We put them up in a hotel, per diem,” Malina said. “It’s sort of like a college summer camp for them. They’re all professional musicians, but they’ve been playing here for a very long time, so they feel very attached to Harrisburg. Plus, this is where I made my home.”
As the HSO heads toward its 90th season, Malina expressed a solid confidence in the quality of the group’s performances.
“I worry about how great it’s going to be, not if it’s going to be great,” he said.
To learn more about and donate to “Let the Music Grow,” visit www.harrisburgsymphony.org/let-music-grow.
Author: Phyllis Zimmerman
