Annual Report SEASON 2011 Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Musicians PAGE 2 2011– Degraves MELBOURNE St SYMPHONY ORCHESTRa – ANNUAL REPORT 2011 Melbourne Symphony Orchestra PTY LTD Annual Report Contents Page Chairman’s Report 2 Managing Director’s Report 4 Corporate Governance Statement 8 The Year in Performance 12 Artistic Self-Assessment Process 18 Artistic Panel 2011 20 Audience Access To The MSO 21 Education and Community Outreach 22 Government and Private Sector Support 28 Donors 30 Key Performance Statistics 31 Annual Financial Report 33 Sponsors 60 2011 MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – ANNUAL REPORT PAGE 1 Chairman’s Report By any definition, 2011 was a big engaging people of all ages in the live presence, acknowledging the need to year for the Melbourne Symphony experience of great classical music. implement a new customer relationship Orchestra. As it began, we were management system and build a new The inaugural Education Week, in facing our first full year outside the website. These are major structural June, saw us interact with some 10,000 Arts Centre’s Hamer Hall and were projects for the Company, time- and students in five days, in events ranging planning such landmark events in resource-intensive, that will help us from Family Jams to the project in the Company’s history as Education transform our relationships with our which MSO musicians played alongside Week and the Beethoven Festival – customers, and the ways in which the the members of the Melbourne Youth both firsts for us. Orchestra is represented across all Orchestra, Share the Chair. digital platforms. At year’s end, with many successes During these two “tent pole” activities behind us despite the challenging The year was also marked by of 2011, the concerts and pre-concert financial environment, we posted a intensive discussion with many of discussions which took place in the small surplus of $72,345. This is a our stakeholders about the MSO’s main auditorium were complemented significant turnaround from our deficit rehearsal, recording and education by break-out sessions in other rooms, position of just two years earlier. home. In our current situation within ranging from talks and lectures to the ABC’s Southbank complex, we are The Beethoven Festival was one of teacher development workshops. blessed with excellent ‘landlords’ who the highlights of the year for MSO staff, In fact, throughout the week, we used are genuinely happy for us to remain instrumentalists and choristers – as the foyer spaces as the first showcase in the building. However, in the spirit of an artistic achievement, in the quality of the Orchestra’s Education App, looking ahead to the changing needs and popularity of the ancillary activities MSO Learn. You can read about this of audiences (of all ages) and funding that helped illuminate the concert in more detail in the report on our partners, the Company must plan for presentations, in the way in which we Education and Outreach activities, a future that will not entirely resemble communicated the inclusive nature of but in brief: this world-first orchestral our present, and in that spirit we are the event across all media platforms, education app for the iPad integrates instigating further discussions on this and as a project that brought many live performance, education and issue in 2012. people to the MSO for the first time. communication technology to create a So we were particularly thrilled that the The Orchestra’s versatility, and success superbly successful introduction to the Festival won the inaugural People’s in engaging a wide range of interests, world of the orchestra for people of all Choice category of the 2011 Arts came to the fore in our concerts with ages. As I write this, MSO Learn has Hub awards. From Graham Abbott’s iconoclastic Australian composer/ been downloaded more than 20,000 talk Beethoven and You, which he comedian Tim Minchin at the Palais times, all over the world. gave before a capacity audience, Theatre in St. Kilda; in the Peter to the extraordinary involvement MSO Learn is a potent symbol of our and the Wolf season, in which MSO of community choirs working with move towards a fully integrated digital musicians performed to a new animated the MSO and its Chorus, under future. Early in 2011 management and film of the classic children’s tale, at Chorus Master Jonathan Grieves- Board together took important steps the Australian Centre for the Moving Smith, in Beethoven 9 in a Day, the towards making significant structural Image, during school holidays, and in Beethoven Festival succeeded in improvements to the Company’s online the diversity of our Pops programs, PAGE 2 2011 MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRa – ANNUAL REPORT which included the celebration of Davis for two weeks in September. Sir be annoyed if Matthew was chosen for John Williams’ music in March, Star Andrew’s ongoing appearances with this, and equally annoyed if he were Wars and Beyond, and the return of us are something to celebrate. So of not. Matthew was offered the position, conductor and pianist Bramwell Tovey course is our relationship with Principal and as a result left the MSO in for our tribute to Gershwin, Rhapsody Guest Conductor Tadaaki Otaka; our February 2012. He made a big impact in Blue, in November. long association with ABC Classics on this Company in the two years he is allowing us to capture some of the was with us, and the eagerness with During 2011, Matthew VanBesien highlights of Maestro Otaka’s work which the New York Philharmonic and I worked intensively with the with us, including the newly-released sought him out speaks highly of the management team and musicians on CD taken from his 2010 concert regard in which the MSO is held the appointment of the Company’s performances of Rachmaninov’s around the world, the quality of our next artistic leader. The role of Symphony No. 2. staff, instrumentalists and choristers, the Orchestra and Chorus in our and the bright future the organisation is community is undergoing a great During the year I was honoured to be crafting for itself. deal of change; for many of our asked to serve a new three-year term customers, the MSO will always be an as the Company’s Chairman, and felt organisation that presents classical privileged to accept. One reason for subscription concerts while, for many my ready acceptance is the dedication others, the MSO represents a world- of each Board member to the success class Education program, or an arena of the Orchestra and Chorus, and the event with an artist from the world of Board’s high level of involvement in the popular music, or a connection through MSO’s activities. Harold Mitchell AC our Facebook page. It is this multi- Emirates, our Principal Partner since Chairman faceted organisation for which we are 2004, renewed their partnership with seeking an artistic leader. It is our plan us to the end of 2013. Thanks to to appoint this person during 2012. this enduring relationship, and to the The quality of our classical support of our many other corporate presentations during the year was partners, donors and the MSO Friends, consistently fine. Particular highlights we are able to present an ever- for me were the debut of young broadening range of programs, allowing Czech conductor Jakub Hru°ša in us to reach out to the community more a program featuring the MSO and effectively than ever before. Chorus in Orff’s Carmina Burana in Towards the end of the year, I became June; Edward Gardner’s reading of aware that Managing Director Matthew Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra in July; VanBesien had been approached by Douglas Boyd’s compelling approach the New York Philharmonic to take up to the Beethoven symphonies the role of Executive Director there. I throughout the Beethoven Festival in recall saying at the time that I would August, and the return of Sir Andrew 2011 MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – ANNUAL REPORT PAGE 3 Managing Director’s Report While 2011 might be characterised as a Our small surplus – some $72,345 – education facility in the Southbank year of transition for the Orchestra and tells of a year in which, like many other precinct, which would incorporate a Chorus, that does scant justice to the performing arts companies in 2011, rehearsal, recording and administrative range of projects we delivered across our we struggled to meet tickets sales and home for the Orchestra and Chorus. City and State during the year, projects sponsorship targets. I’m pleased that In practical terms, these are early that helped re-define the relationship the generosity of our donors and the discussions, but they are crucial, as between instrumentalists, choristers and excellent work of my colleagues in our they will define the scale and scope the communities we serve. Development area meant that personal of a project that will, inevitably, require donations to the organisation exceeded significant external support to complete. With the Hamer Hall renovation having our expectations. begun in mid-2010, and our return to Given the increasing importance of the Hall not scheduled until mid-2012, The year began with a tremendous our education work to the community, 2011 found us performing in 34 venues season of Sidney Myer Free and our ambitions for this aspect across Victoria, in projects ranging Concerts, which had two climactic of our work in the years to come, from the Chorus’ Pilgrimage to moments in the final program: firstly, there is exceptional potential for an Santiago program in Bendigo’s Sacred the announcement of Benjamin innovative and unique facility built Heart Cathedral to our first Secret Northey as the Orchestra’s Associate for this purpose.