North Carolina in the United States is not renowned for its cultural output, at least concerning music. Nevertheless, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra there achieved something remarkable for its standards. It raised $50.1 million (granted, American scales are different, of course…) through sponsorships, fulfilling the goal set by its President and CEO, David Fisk. The organization had set this three-year goal and managed to achieve it on time with proper planning. In fact, the involvement of Bank of America was particularly beneficial, and the local state branch in Charlotte assisted in designing the advertising campaign through its president, while its current and former CEOs also provided similar assistance.
The orchestra’s social action has been praised in various ways in recent years, and within the framework of their sponsorship campaign, they sought to expand their activities to completely unconventional venues and audiences. Thus, they performed in breweries, homeless shelters, and underprivileged areas of Charlotte, while also constructing a mobile stage on wheels that can be moved and used wherever 12.5 square meters are available. In this way, the Orchestra reached people more quickly instead of waiting for them to come only to the concert hall. Furthermore, the Orchestra demonstrates its commitment to inclusivity, as an African-Canadian, Kwame Ryan, born in Trinidad, was recently appointed as its first principal conductor, breaking years of stereotypes.
Dear readers, I don’t know if you are aware of how cultural organizations operate in such countries. The central idea is that they do not rely on state subsidies, and if they receive any assistance, it is certainly not enough to ensure their operation. Therefore, their leaders must be able to secure sponsorships and money from the concerts they perform to continue offering their cultural product to the public.
It is certain that with this funding, the orchestra aims high and wants to establish itself on a national and—why not?—international level. For example, the first thing its board announced is that it will use part of the money to expand its activities to nearby states and collaborate with other local orchestras for joint concert productions. Thus, it expands the boundaries of its activity, helping others to come into contact with music. Of course, it does this with several concerts featuring particularly “accessible” repertoire (pop classics, concerts using technology, and even concerts with repertoire from Beyoncé’s pieces!).
The only comment I could make is that this orchestra and this organization are truly a role model. I wish many in Europe (including Greece, of course) thought the same way and that there were enough “bad” bankers (as we are used to calling them here…) who wanted to help with the selflessness shown by the people at Bank of America.
