by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
No more than a few sour notes were struck during last week’s good news overture, but they will have to be smoothed over if the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra is to thrive.
And the city’s new mayor is eager to provide whatever harmonies he can.
Pete Carpenter, chairman of the Symphony Association board, noted during the annual meeting that many nearby orchestras, including those in Savannah and Boca Raton, have been forced to close their doors.
He vowed the same would not happen in Jacksonville.
“We have very, very good news here, but we still face challenges,” Carpenter told the members and volunteers. “Unlike orchestras in so many nearby places . . . some that are closing, the word ‘bankruptcy’ isn’t even on our tongue.
“We’re going to make this thing go. We’re having creative ideas come forward, and we’re going to continue to work this thing out.”
Arts organizations, particularly orchestras, are usually hit early and hard when economies begin to falter, suggested Paul Witkowski, director of public relations for JSO.
Their bad news may be taken as a warning sign by others.
Their renewed health may also be taken as a sign of hope.
“We’re the canary in the coal mine,” said Witkowski.
And how’s the canary doing now? he was asked.
“We’re singing.”
Many people, including orchestra members, made “a lot of sacrifices” to reduce the $911,000 “shortfall” in the 2001-02 season to an estimated $200,000 deficit this year, Carpenter said.
In addition, he said, “an awful lot of people who love this organization continued to step up at a fairly heavy level . . . because of the good work ( immediate past board chairman) John Peyton had done some three years ago to talk a number of us into giving at a level that, quite frankly, may not be sustainable into the future.”
Then the mayor-elect, Peyton ,rose from his seat in the front row to say, “You’ve got a friend at City Hall.”
While congratulating the association’s volunteers and encouraging the members, Peyton said, “I don’t know if the symphony has ever had a mayor that’s more in tune with the dynamics of this institution. Having fought the battle not too long ago, I will tell you I am deeply committed to the arts.
“I will do everything I can as we go through the list of priorities in the city to make sure this organization and others like it — that really are responsible in many ways for the cultural life in Jacksonville — make sure that we maintain our viability.”
Several significant events added up to an encouraging picture.
One was “a great contribution” of $200,000 from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Carpenter said. Individuals and businesses responded to the challenge laid down by that donation with their own $301,897 in contributions.
In addition, 1,851 new ticket buyers attended concerts, and there was an increase of 339 donors making contributions.
“We have had some declines,” Carpenter conceded. “But the state of your orchestra is that the quality is very, very high.”