This is not the first time the maestro has reached out to Chicago’s young offenders, but the message is getting through. Classical music is not just for the rich; it can do good at every social level. Read here.

Warrenville Juvinile Correctional Institute

Bernard R. Sanchez, former principal trumpet of the Toledo Symphony, chairman of music at the University of Toledo and president of the Toledo Federation of Musicians, has died aged 78. Report here.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has achieved record ticket sales and fund-raising for the third successive year, thanks to rising waves of enthusiasm for its music director.

Press release below.

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CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCES RECORD YEAR FOR FUNDRAISING AND TICKET SALES DURING ANNUAL MEETING

 

CHICAGO—The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA) released its fiscal year 2013 results at its Annual Meeting today at Symphony Center. The 2012/13 season marked the CSOA’s third consecutive year of record-breaking fundraising, with ticket sales at an all-time high, according to Jay Henderson, chairman, and Deborah F. Rutter, president of the CSOA, who also presented the artistic and financial highlights of the season.

“Under the leadership of Music Director Riccardo Muti, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s exceptional music making, artistic programming and community engagement initiatives continue to serve audiences of all ages and walks of life,” said Rutter. “This is what we are most proud of. While reaching audiences on tour and away from home is crucial to our global presence, it is serving this city that helps define our mission best—bettering the lives of our listeners through music. Our efforts to maintain stable operations while increasing earned and contributed revenue have helped us do just that.”

CSOA Chairman Jay Henderson noted, “The CSOA Board of Trustees is committed to maintaining the financial strength of this great institution, while preserving the CSO’s legacy of artistic excellence and supporting the vision of our music director, Riccardo Muti. We want to thank our music director, musicians, patrons, staff, donors and volunteers for their commitment to the CSO. It is through our combined efforts that we were able to achieve our excellent results this past year, and also provide a strong foundation for the future of the CSO. Thanks to the dedicated work of everyone in the CSO family and our engaging programming, we experienced record ticket sales and record fundraising results.”

Ticket Sales and Earned Revenue for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2013*

  • Ticket sales totaled $22.3 million for 305 CSOA-presented events at Symphony Center, a 4.5% increase over last year’s record amount of $21.4 million.
  • Single-ticket revenue from CSO subscription series was up 15.7% over last year, with concerts sold at 82% paid capacity.
  • In addition to ticket revenue, other earned revenue of $9.9 million was taken in from tour fees, merchandise sales, space rentals, royalties, recording fees and miscellaneous activities.
  • Nearly 381,000 tickets were sold for 235 ticketed concerts.
  • Approximately 557,000 people attended CSOA performances and presentations at Symphony Center and in other venues around Chicago last season, including 173 free events such as Civic Orchestra of Chicago concerts, the CSO’s All-Access chamber music programs, education programs and open rehearsals for students and community groups, as well as the CSO’s free performance at Millennium Park.
  • Of the organization’s total FY13 operating budget, 85% was spent directly on concerts, programs, and education and community engagement activities.

* Figures exclude concerts at Ravinia or on tour anywhere outside of the Chicago area.

Contributed Revenues for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2013

  • The CSOA ended FY13 with a record level of fundraising for the third consecutive year, raising $29.8 million in annual support—a 6% increase above last year’s total of $28.2 million.
  • Overall fundraising totaled $52 million for FY13, which includes operating support and gifts given directly to the endowment and special projects.

Financial Information for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2013

  • Operating revenues totaled $73.6 million, a 2.6% increase over FY12’s $71.8 million.
  • 44% of the Association’s operating revenue was from ticket sales and other earned revenue sources.
  • Operating expenses totaled $73.8 million, resulting in an operating deficit of $169,000, or 0.2%.

Endowment

  • Total assets increased by $37 million to $473 million, and net assets increased by $51 million to $266 million, due to an increase in contributions and investment returns.
  • Endowment investments were $257 million.
  • Under the oversight of the Investment Committee, the CSOA’s long-term endowment returns continue to rank among the highest of comparable funds with a 10-year return in the top 18%.

Artistic Highlights for fiscal year ending June 30, 2013

Noting the artistic highlights of the 2012/13 season, Rutter referenced the free season-opening community concert of Orff’s Carmina Burana in Millennium Park for an audience of 7,000—despite the pouring rain—led by Music Director Riccardo Muti. Maestro Muti went on to lead the CSO on tour to New York’s Carnegie Hall for its season-opening concerts, and to two cities in Mexico for CSO debuts: Guanajuato and Mexico City. His performances here at home garnered rave reviews and brought tens of thousands to Orchestra Hall, including 10,000 for the four performances of Bach’s B-Minor Mass alone. Guest conductors Lorin Maazel, Osmo Vänskä and Edo de Waart graciously stepped in for Maestro Muti in January and February for subscription concerts and on tour to Asia, which included CSO debuts in several important cities there: Taipei, Taiwan; Tianjin, China; and Seoul, South Korea.

The Citizen Musician Initiative expanded its scope here in Chicago and beyond during the 2012/13 season. CSO musicians performed free events here at home and on tour in New York, Mexico, Taiwan and China, including master classes, free recitals, and performances at churches and hospitals. Programming for youth who are incarcerated continued at the Illinois Youth Center in Warrenville and was also expanded to the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. The Civic Orchestra of Chicago undertook an artistic challenge from Yo-Yo Ma and worked tirelessly to perform a major symphony without a conductor at the end of the season.

Ending the season, the Rivers Festival, inspired by Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant Yo-Yo Ma and Music Director Riccardo Muti, was a huge success. Over the course of a month and across Chicago, the festival included dozens of concerts, symposia, school events and other activities—including a community performance at Chinatown’s Ping Tom Memorial Park with Maestro Muti leading the Chicago Children’s Choir in Verdi’s “Va, pensiero.”

In a continuing effort to reach new audiences, the CSO performed for the first time at The Morton Arboretum in DuPage County in June. The five concerts of varied repertoire led by guest conductors Richard Kaufman and Carlos Miguel Prieto were a rousing success, bringing almost 11,000 new fans to hear our Orchestra. The CSO also presented its unique concert programming for the very young—Once Upon a Symphony—with two sold-out performances of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This remarkable response indicates that there is indeed an audience to be served by the CSO in this community, and the Orchestra looks forward to returning to test our plans for sustaining a presence in the western suburbs.

CSO Trustees, Governing Members and Officers Elected

Seven new Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association trustees were elected to three-year terms: Randy Berlin, University of Chicago School of Law; Raj Fernando, CEO, Chopper Trading LLC; Rick Fezell, Vice Chairman and Managing Partner of the Midwest Region, Ernst & Young LLP; Christopher Melvin, Chairman and CEO, Melvin & Company; E. Scott Santi, President and CEO, Illinois Tool Works, Inc.; Walter Snodell, Chairman and CEO, Peerless Industries Inc.; and Robert A. Wislow, Chairman and CEO, U.S. Equities Realty.

Four new CSOA life trustees were also elected: Richard Colburn, Henley Management Company; Joseph Glossberg, Gofen and Glossberg LLC; Mary Winton Green, David Green and Mary Winton Green Foundation; and Jerry Rose, Retired Vice Chairman, Jones Lang LaSalle. In addition, 14 trustees were re-elected to additional three-year terms, and 61 men and women were made new Governing Members.

Finally, the following individuals were elected as officers of the CSOA: Jay Henderson, Chairman; Frank M. Clark, Joyce T. Green, Jane DiRenzo Pigott, Frederick H. Waddell, and Paul Wiggin, Vice Chairs; Deborah F. Rutter, President; and Scott C. Smith, Treasurer.

A moment of silence was given for those trustees who passed away during the 2012/13 season: Virginia Rogers and David Speer.

he pianist Andrei Gavrilov reports that Vladimir Putin has signed the cheque that will acquire Sergei Rachmaninov’s estate beside Lake Lucerne for the Russian people. The house, named Senar, beside Lake Lucerne, contains the composer’s favourite piano and many manuscripts and papers. Several pianists, led by Denis Matsuev, have campaigned for it to belong to Russia after the death of its long-time custodian, Alexandre Rachmaninov. The price was said to be around 18 million Swiss francs.

 

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Here’s Andrei’s excited announcement. See below for cautious update from Denis.

MY DEAREST GUYS! … THE GREAT REAL ESTATE “SENAR” (SE-rgey-NA-tasha-R-achmaninov) IN LUCERNE WILL BE BOUGHT BY RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT. A YEARS OF MY SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE DEATH OF GRANDSON OF RACHMANINOV LAST YEAR, WITH A HUGE HELP OF RUSSIAN DIPLOMATS (I BOW TO ALL OF THEM, WELL DONE GUYS!!!) IN SWITZERLAND BROUGHT OUR MUTUAL ENTHUSIASTIC WORK ON THE TABLE OF PUTIN. BEING A MANIC OF AMBITIOUS PROJECTS (IN THIS CASE WE USED IT FOR GOOD) HE SIGNED AND GAVE THE MONEY FOR THE ONLY LIVE-LIVING HOUSE OF WORLD MOST BELOVED DARLING GENIUS. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A NIGHTMARE IF THE ONLY REAL, JOLLY, LIVLY RACHMANINOV’S PLACE WOULD HAD GONE PEACE BY PEACE FROM DIFFERENT AUCTIONS! I CONGRATULATE YOU ALL FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! IT IS SO GREAT THAT WE CAN’T REALLY UNDERSTAND YET WHAT AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN REVIVING AND DEVELOPING MUSIC THIS FORTUNATE HAPPENING CAN PLAY IN HISTORY OF MUSIC. I AM READY TO OFFER ALL MY SKILLS TO BRING NEW LIFE TO THAT WONDER (IF WOULD BE GIVEN ANY POSITION THERE). IMAGINE – WE CAN HAVE INTERNATIONAL SEMINARS, INTERNATIONAL MASTERCLASSES WITH ONLY THE BEST OF THE BEST TEACHERS, NICE CROWDS OF TOURISTS (5 MILLION IN LUCERNE EVERY YEAR), RECORDINGS ON ORIGINAL GREAT RACH’S PIANO, “RUSSIAN TEA SESSIONS”, NICE BOAT TRIPS FROM LUCERNE AND BACK AT ANY TIME OF THE YEAR, FESTIVAL NON-STOP AND SO MANY FANTASTIC THINGS, HARD TO IMAGINE. THE HOUSE IS IN A SUCH STATE AS RACH WAS THERE 5 MINUTES AGO AND JUST POPED OUT FOR A DRINK  HIS DRESS ARE THERE, ALL HIS THINGS,PERSONAL BELONGINGS, NOT SPEAKING ABOUT HUGE ARCHIVE INCLUDING RHAPSODY AND MANY OTHER MASTER PEACES. IF WE WILL SUCCEED TO BUILD A NICE CONCERT HALL THERE (THERE ARE 10.000 SQUARE METERS OF LAND ) – THE BEST EVER WORLD COMPETITION GUARANTEED! TO CUT IT SHORT – IT IS SO BIG, SO GREAT THAT VERY FEW UNDERSTAND IT NOW AND WILL NEED QUITE SOME TIME TO REALIZE HOW BIG IT IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED! SOMETIMES GOOD WONDERS ARE HAPPENING EVEN IN OUR SAD TIMES. HUG YOU ALL AND CONGRATULATIONS WITH A TRUE MIRACLE!

AG

UPDATE from Denis Matsuev:

  • Mr.Gavrilov talked about his personal opinion and attitude to the situation with SENAR (S.V. Rachmaninoff’s residence in Switzerland). As the artistic director, the person who protects interests of The Rachmaninoff Foundation and the head of Public Council at the Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation I am the one who’s initiated and coordinates all the process. I believe it is crucially important to clear up the situation for the correct vision to be formed. It is widely known, that I brought up the question about SENAR’s future at the meeting of Council of Culture with the participation of President Putin on 2nd of October in Kremlin. The President listened to me very attentively and said that he got all needed information. Soon he gave the commission to the Ministry of Culture to monitor the situation and find a solution. At the moment Minster of Culture V. Medinsky and I are working over all legitimate variants of solving the problem and trying to find the best one that will satisfy everybody. It is a common knowledge that the decision of state level is not made in haste. It has to go through all needed legal procedures and be approved by experts as well. Especially when we talk about crucially important for Russian Culture heritage. We talk about a long prestarting procedures, thoroughly elaborated plan and a working-out of the final decision, that will be legitimate and best for all. I believe firmly, that this is the only position we must adhere to and we will proceed this way in future.((Here is the original Russian TV report.)