“The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra finished in the black last season,” writes Lawrence Toppman in Monday’s (9/15) Charlotte Observer (North Carolina). “Let’s repeat that, because it hasn’t happened since 2002: The CSO exceeded its $9.4 million budget projection by $71,000 for fiscal year 2013-14. A long-term deficit of $6.1 million remains, but President Bob Stickler and his team reversed a troubling trend.… ‘The whole CSO family is responsible for this,” says Stickler, who has just finished his first year as CEO. … The rebound seems especially dramatic for an organization rocked five years by the recession.… Increased effort paid off this year, but so did innovation…. This kind of reinvention is part of a national trend, as orchestras change to stay afloat. Jesse Rosen, president of the League of American Orchestras, said at the beginning of last season that two-thirds of the U.S. orchestras in Charlotte’s class broke even or reported surpluses for 2012. He noted last week: ‘We are seeing signs of recovery, as the severe impact of the recession diminishes. It is a testament to … the board, staff and musicians that the Charlotte Symphony achieved a surplus this year.’ ”
Posted September 19, 2014
