The Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra announces a matching campaign in partnership with the Frank and Ellen Remai Foundation.
The Share in the Future Campaign is searching for 2000 donors of $100 each to be part of something very special – aside from the gift to the campaign, each donor will be welcomed to a free donors-only concert on November 21st to celebrate the orchestra’s 85th anniversary.
Each gift to the campaign, up to $200,000, is matched thanks to the generosity of the Frank and Ellen Remai Foundation.
The Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra is experiencing one of the strongest seasons of its 84 years. As the largest arts employer in the city, and the city’s oldest arts organization, the SSO has experienced a tremendously effective turnaround over the course of last twelve months. The organization has made radical advances to how it operates, and on March 4th will announce its 16th music director.
In the present season the SSO has had a 20% increase in subscription sales and a 25% increase in single ticket sales – to date every single concert event has generated a surplus directly linked to the increased ticket sales.
The Share in the Future campaign will allow the organization to focus on continuing the year’s successes – retiring the organization’s deficit, expanding its educational programming, and facilitating long term planning over the next three seasons for a significant pay raise for its musicians.
The 85th anniversary gala concert event will take place at TCU Place on November 21st, 2015. There will be no tickets to the concert – the only way to get in to the concert is to be a donor to the Share in the Future campaign.
“We wanted a chance to say thank you in the most meaningful way to our donors – there are so many successes that need to be celebrated for the SSO right now,” said board chair Bryn Richards.
“In a way, this campaign identifies our stakeholders,” said SSO executive director Mark Turner. “Create a concert full of people who support music in Saskatoon – we get to throw a special concert for our 85th anniversary celebration, and giving a free concert for donors is something that only the SSO can do. There is a very special surprise guest that is going to make the night extremely memorable.”
“We are so grateful to the support of the Frank and Ellen Remai Foundation – Ms Remai’s dedication to the arts sets this city apart in western Canada for our recent arts achievements. We should be so proud of where our orchestra is going.”