Chairman's Letter 2011/12

Dear FSO Member,

I hope you are all having/have had an enjoyable and restful summer and will soon be ready to dust off your instruments once again. As the new boy in the Chairman’s seat, I have been reflecting, between rain clouds, on the key priorities for the orchestra as we contemplate the future. It would be easy to become depressed by the continuing prospect of a bleak economic outlook, reduced public funding for the Arts and steadily diminishing disposable income for potential concert-goers. However, we have an orchestra to which we can all be proud to belong and, in spite of the financial climate, my vision for the FSO is of an orchestra which:

• Has full, high-quality membership in all sections;
• Performs exciting and challenging works with ambitious orchestrations;
• Engages high-quality soloists;
• Plays in venues that do justice to the musical quality of the orchestra;
• Has a growing audience spanning all ages.

One of the key tasks for the new Committee is to identify and pursue practical steps towards fulfilling this vision and I am already encouraged by the energy, enthusiasm and creativity they have brought to the tasks in hand. I’m sure we can all look forward to some exciting initiatives over the coming months.

As we turn our thoughts to the immediate future and the coming season, what a mouth-watering prospect we have in store: a Rachmaninov piano concerto, no doubt performed with all the characteristic Slavic flair of Irina Lyakhovskaya; a rare double harp concerto; the thrill of accompanying a 1927 silent film; and the excitement of our own 90th birthday celebration. I could hardly ask for a more exhilarating programme to get me started as the new Chairman!

However, to bring us all down to earth with a bump, we have to face the reality that such an ambitious programme comes at a cost: a £5,000 deficit to be precise. As Robin reminded us at the AGM, we can all play a part in raising funds to enable the orchestra to meet the visionary objectives I outlined above. As many of you know, we have been actively seeking new corporate sponsorship over the summer but, in addition to any success we may have on that front, I would like to invite each of you to think how you can make a positive financial difference to the orchestra. Here are some ideas:

• Make a donation to the orchestra, over and above the normal subscription, as your own 90th birthday present to the FSO. This can be done online at http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/donate/donate_b.asp?charityid=4253 or directly to Robin – if you are a UK tax payer, this will allow us to claim Gift Aid on your donation.
• Persuade your family and friends to become FSO Friends or Patrons. A new patronage scheme will be operational from this season. It is summarised in the attached document and a letter is provided for you to give to potential FSO supporters.
• Organise fund-raising initiatives (eg sponsored walk or swim). Individual customised fund-raising web pages can be created for events using the Charity Giving website above.
• Play in ensembles for events. A flyer is available and a new page is being developed for the website, advertising small groups for functions. Please talk to Robin if you are happy to be involved in any events or know of anyone who may need a small chamber group in the coming year.
• Recruit more orchestra members. The fewer “extras” we have to engage for concerts, the lower our costs.
• Sell more tickets! Clifford’s time honoured exhortation is as relevant as ever. Don’t forget that season tickets represent a “four for the price of three” offer and that Concert 1 tickets will be convertible to season tickets. These tickets are available NOW from Elspeth Todd; please feel free to give Elspeth a call or drop her an email with your requirements.

With shrinking audiences, continually rising costs and the ever-present harsh economic climate, we all need to work together to find imaginative ways of preserving the rich experience of orchestral performance that we all value. Please do your best to help!

Turning to the opening of the season, the first rehearsal will begin at precisely 7.45 pm on 8th September and I would be grateful if you could make it a priority to be there on time. Picking up the theme of membership responsibilities, the Committee has agreed a Members’ Code (attached) which is an attempt to clarify the various FSO membership “rules” in a single document; I hope this is helpful. At the interval of the first rehearsal, we will also be holding an Extraordinary General Meeting to deal with some outstanding formal business and this letter provides notice of that event (agenda attached).

I look forward to seeing you all at the first rehearsal as we embark on the opening bars of Brahms’ 4th Symphony…

Best wishes,

Peter Birkett

Chairman
Farnborough Symphony Orchestra