Sydney Symphony Fellowship
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2020 IMPACT REPORT “ The concert marked the SSO’s return to its former home... the Sydney Town Hall is an attractive venue: easy to get to, grandly ornate, and nostalgic for those who remember the SSO’s concerts there in earlier years. The Victorian-era interior was spectacular... and it had a pleasing “big hall” acoustic that will lend grandeur and spaciousness to the SSO’s concerts of orchestral masterworks.” The Australian, 2020 2 Ben Folds, The Symphonic Tour, in Sydney Town Hall (March 2020). Photo: Christie Brewster 3 2020: A TRUE ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE On 13 March 2020, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was silenced for the first time in its 89-year history by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Andrew Haveron performing Tim Stevenson’s 4 Elegies as part of the Sydney Symphony at Home series. Filmed by Jay Patel The year had started boldly, with the Orchestra With a forward path identified, the Orchestra In August, Chief Conductor Designate Simone opening its 2020 Season in Sydney Town Hall quickly pivoted to digital concert production Young braved international travel restrictions as its temporary home for two years while the and expanded its website into an online concert and a two-week hotel quarantine to travel to Sydney Opera House Concert Hall was renovated. gallery. Starting in April, the Orchestra delivered Sydney and lead the musicians in their first Thirty-four season performances had already 29 Sydney Symphony at Home performances, full-group musical activities since lockdown. taken place by the time COVID-19 emerged. four Cuatro performances with the Sydney Dance There were tears of joy and relief as instruments However, that morning’s sold-out performance of Company, 18 Chamber Sounds performances were raised under her baton for rehearsals Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade would turn out recorded live at City Recital Hall with a focus and recordings at City Recital Hall and in to be the Orchestra’s final performance for 2020. on music by living Australian composers, and a Sydney Town Hall. Two full-length concert films Play It On collaboration with the Actors Benevolent were recorded and distributed internationally. What followed demonstrated the true mettle of Funds and Trusts to raise money for Australian An average of 18,000 patrons viewed the the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, its Board, artists in distress. staff and patrons. Together, they delivered an Company’s digital recordings online each month extraordinary ensemble performance - uniting As concert cancellations extended, the Australian and total online reach across all social media to ensure that one of Australia’s most important Government’s JobKeeper support and the NSW platforms averaged 1.8m viewers per month. cultural institutions would weather the storms of Government’s Sydney Opera House dislocation In October and November, the Orchestra disruption and reemerge to “#PlayAnotherDay”. support provided essential operating funds partnered with the City of Sydney to test new to sustain the Orchestra’s reduced operations. COVID-Safe concert operations in Sydney As the COVID-19 crisis unfolded Town Hall. Small, invited audiences attended At the same time, thousands of closed performances to test new entry and exit and the scale of the emerging procedures, social distancing, special seating, challenge became evident, generous subscribers and patrons mandatory masks, and other COVID-Safe hygiene donated their tickets and made protocols. The musicians tested their own new musicians and staff quickly acted “ Our first aim was to preserve philanthropic gifts to support the rules for masking, onstage physical distancing, to underwrite the Orchestra’s one-musician-per-music-stand protocols and the Orchestra and the continued Orchestra in its time of greatest future by offering shared salary performing while physically separated from engagement of our talented team need. The musicians and staff colleagues. These “practice runs” laid important sacrifices until the end of 2021 groundwork for the resumption of regular of musicians and administrators. poured their personal gratitude in new industrial agreements concert operations in 2021. It is essential that our ensemble of into handwritten thank you cards that were promptly endorsed The Orchestra’s final musical activities for world-class musicians, which has and letters sent to donors and 2020 featured nine ensembles presenting by the Fair Work Commission. taken so many years to build, is patrons, along with personalised 27 chamber music performances at Bennelong at Sydney Opera House as part Equity was ensured by those earning the most preserved. We must ensure that videos, calls and emails. of a new Bennelong Music series. taking the highest cuts, and those earning the our future performances continue least being protected to ensure their basic livelihoods. The Sydney Symphony’s ten Fellowship at the highest artistic standards musicians had their employment extended to and are supported by excellent the end of 2021 to ensure that their full training professional administrators.” program could be completed, and more than 20 musical and administrative vacancies were left unfilled to save money. All musicians and Terrey Arcus AM, administrators willingly participated and all existing Chairman, Board of Directors employment was preserved on a reduced basis. Sydney Symphony Orchestra 4 5 CHAIR’S LETTER On behalf of the Board and Simone Young’s leadership, charisma and physical presence in Sydney lifted our spirits and focused the entire company, I thank our us on the brighter days ahead. She led the creation government funders for sustaining of full-length concert films recorded in Sydney At the beginning of 2020, the Sydney Symphony Town Hall and City Recital Hall and advanced plans their ongoing investment in for her official debut as Chief Conductor in 2022. successfully launched its two-year temporary this year of need. We were also The Board’s goal is to complete the Orchestra’s relocation to Sydney Town Hall while the Sydney pleased to recently receive five-year journey of venue dislocation, COVID-19, Opera House Concert Hall is renovated. confirmation of continued return to the Concert Hall, and Simone Young’s funding under the new National debut seasons as Chief Conductor in 2022 and The Orchestra gave 34 well-received concerts 2023 on a breakeven financial basis across the Performing Arts Partnership before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. six-year period between 2018-2023. An operating framework from 2021-2024. surplus for the 2020 year of $7.8m recoups a $3.3m reduction in reserves incurred in 2018 We greatly appreciate our long-time corporate and 2019 preparing for our venue dislocation, supporters who found creative new ways to and will help to fund our future operations and Like so many other cultural organisations across This outpouring of community affection boosted stay with us in 2020, particularly Principal plans as we transition to the next phase of the Australia and around the world, the loss of the morale of our musicians and was never more Partner, Emirates; Premier Partner, Credit Orchestra’s journey. Our 2022 expectations for performance ticketing income dealt the Sydney meaningful than in 2020, when our need was Suisse; and Major Partner, Abercrombie & Kent, returning to the Concert Hall are modest and Symphony Orchestra a multimillion-dollar blow so great. Later in the year, we also unexpectedly along with the many corporate sponsors, trusts we anticipate that it will take some time to and required immediate emergency action received $3.0m in bequest gifts, contributing and foundations, philanthropists, subscribers rebuild our audiences to their previous levels. by the Board. COVID-19 subsequently prevented to a one-time 57% increase in philanthropic and patrons whose financial support underpins Notwithstanding these complex factors, 2020 the Orchestra from presenting public performances and sponsorship support, from $5.4m to $8.5m. our continuing sustainability. demonstrated the breadth and generosity of from mid-March, resulting in a 92% decline in I am deeply indebted to our Board of Directors community support for the Sydney Symphony ticket revenue from $19.5m to $1.6m. This was Unrelated to the pandemic, we were separately and our senior executives led by CEO Emma Orchestra and its world-class musicians. partially offset by a 73% reduction in direct dealing with the severe economic impact of Dunch who all worked tirelessly to preserve The warm feedback and encouragement performance costs from $15.1m to $4.1m. being dislocated from our home at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall for two years while it and protect the Sydney Symphony Orchestra received from so many represents a strong We are very grateful to our musicians and staff, is renovated. In June 2019, the NSW Government for the community through some of the vote of confidence in our vibrant future. who quickly agreed to underwrite their Sydney confirmed a funding commitment of $10 million most difficult circumstances in our history. We thank you for being with us on this journey Symphony Orchestra by offering shared salary over two years to support the Orchestra during All provided invaluable perspectives and informed and we look forward to welcoming you to sacrifices until the end of 2021 in new industrial 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 against a shortfall business counsel on the extremely challenging Sydney Town Hall in 2021 and to a renovated agreements that were promptly endorsed of $18.9m, with the Orchestra to fund the balance, circumstances we faced this year. In May, we Sydney Opera House Concert Hall in 2022. by the Fair Work Commission. All employees which it has done. The Orchestra received the farewelled Ewen Crouch after his distinguished participated on a proportionate basis, with salary 2019/2020 instalment of $5m in July 2020. 11-year tenure on the Board and in November, floors instituted to protect the most vulnerable. The 2020/2021 instalment of $5m has not been we welcomed Samantha Meers as a new Director.