by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Stacy Ridenour moved into the executive director’s office at the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra (JSO) only three weeks ago, but she has already discovered quite a lot about the city and the classical-music-based cultural organization.
Ridenour and her husband, Rich, a touring concert pianist, have embraced the riverfront lifestyle in Arlington, and have already discovered biking and hiking in Blue Cypress Park.
“We have been very busy, but the welcome here has been gracious and warm,” she said.
Her first several weeks as executive director will be spent, Ridenour said, “Listening and learning – getting to know the staff, the board of directors, the musicians and what the orchestra has to offer.
“The product line here is much more extensive than we had in Kalamazoo (Michigan, where Ridenour was executive director of that city’s symphony before coming to Jacksonville).”
Ridenour has also spent quite a bit of time in Jacoby Symphony Hall at the Times-Union Center listening to the orchestra perform a variety of styles of music.
“Every performance has been so exquisite,” she said. “I went to all three Masterworks concerts and the audience gave the orchestra a standing ovation at every performance.”
A veteran of more than two decades in orchestra administration, Ridenour said the business model has completely changed in that time.
“Twenty years ago, the wisdom was that the orchestras with the highest percentage of single-performance ticket sales were the most sustainable,” she said. “The thinking today is the orchestras with the best prospects for future sustainable revenue — like subscriptions, annual individual giving and endowments — will be the most successful. Even if you could present 10 special concerts and sell $100,000 worth of tickets to each, you can’t count on that $1 million.
“Corporate and government funding has certainly become more volatile and orchestras must diversify their revenue streams. We do that by deepening relationships with people who can be long-term supporters. The (symphony’s) board (of directors) has charged me with focussing on fundraising and ‘friend raising.’ One of the keys to our continued success will be improving the orchestra’s connection with the community and I’ll be identifying ways to do that.”
In addition to the symphony’s classical season and traditional specialized series, Ridenour said two areas she plans to explore are increasing the orchestra’s educational outreach to young people in schools and creating more, “quality experiences for families.”
Having last year’s contract dispute with the JSO’s musicians resolved positions the organization for even more growth, said Ridenour. In addition to 53 full-time musicians, the JSO employs 20 full-time front office personnel as well as a part-time staff. Other than expenses to bring guest artists to the stage, 95 percent of the JSO’s payroll stays in the community, she added.
“We are all about hope and optimism. Last year was tough because of the labor issues, but now we are beginning five years of labor stability,” she said. “That’s a gift and it allows us to focus on other things.
“I’m in sales. It’s my job to sell this wonderful orchestra to the community by letting everyone know we invite them to come participate with their home town orchestra.”
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