Three months after it went into a financial tailspin that ended with 20 board members resigning in a huff, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra says it has returned to solid ground.
The CSO will end its season this spring in the black, according to its administrative chief Gene Sobczak, a vast turnaround from the year before when the budget deficit exceeded $647,000.
“Our projections are sound,” Sobcek said, “And we are going to meet them.”
Sobczak sat down for a wide-ranging talk Tuesday, marking the first 100 days of the CSO’s efforts to regroup. It has been a busy period for the organization: it has two new board co-chairs, Jerome and Mary Kern, along with 10 new community members. It has a new CEO in Sobczak, who left his position leading the Arvada Center to take over operations. It has a new, flexible labor contract that was approved by 95 percent of the musicians.
The 100 days were a little painful. The CSO canceled 10 of its concerts to save money. But there was also a bit of experimentation: Last week, the symphony borrowed a trick from department store practices and held a “72-hour sale” on tickets.
Sobczak said cuts helped it make its bottom line, but he also credited community support. Not only did foundations and individuals send in money, he said, but donations came from unexpected places — a 9-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl held their own fundraisers sending in a total of $190.
There are still challenges ahead. All of the goodwill in the world won’t turn around the problem that faces all U.S. orchestras — an aging, distracted and dwindling classical music audience that has found other ways to occupy its free time.
But Sobczak said the CSO has a rare opportunity because of its new labor arrangement, which allows management to use 20 percent of its musicians’ time for efforts other than the standard classical music series.
The orchestra is already using the flexibility to expand educational programs and corporate gigs and will add several concerts to its season next year featuring smaller ensembles at venues across the region. Each of those should generate income.
“We now have the means to address chronic revenue challenges while still playing the same amount of concerts at Boettcher Hall,” Sobczak said.
If the CSO does well, meets it budget, and can sock a little cash into its reserve, it plans to bring back a profit-sharing program that will distribute money to the players.
The new spirit of cooperation between management and musicians will be on display for patrons at the CSO’s benefit in April, when the featured act will be the players themselves.
“For the first time , the Colorado Symphony Orchestra will be playing at its own gala, Sobczak said.
Ray Mark Rinaldi: 303-954-1540 or rrinaldi@denverpost.com. Follow him on Twitter: rayrinaldi
