“A nine-member task force, created by Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and Mayor Ron Nirenberg earlier this year, unveiled its strategic plan for the San Antonio Symphony Tuesday—a plan that symphony officials said was just the first step toward gaining long-term fiscal stability,” writes Deborah Martin in Teusday’s (6/19) San Antonio Express-News (TX). “Kathleen Weir Vale, chairwoman of the symphony board, said many of these goals are already under way. ‘We’ll get it done,’ she said. The plan calls on symphony leadership to develop outside-the-box programs…. Suggestions include virtual reality experiences that put people in the middle of the orchestra during a performance; [having] local celebrities, such as Spurs, [participate] in marketing campaigns; expanding its outreach offerings … to perform in different parts of the community…. The task force also recommends that future public funding be contingent on the symphony implementing the plan and meeting a series of benchmarks over the next year…. The symphony board intends to implement the plan, Vale said, adding that those benchmarks are do-able and that hiring a full-time executive director is at the top of the list. Karina Bharne, who came in as interim executive director in January, is leaving to become executive director of Symphony Tacoma.”
Posted June 21, 2018
