SEATTLE CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY JAMES EHNES Artistic Director 2013 ANNUAL REPORT OUR MISSION Seattle Chamber Music Society fosters the appreciation of chamber music in our region by presenting performances featuring world-class musicians in accessible and inviting formats, with an emphasis on developing a broad-based sustainable audience through education and community outreach. SEATTLE CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY CONTENTS // Letter from the President 4 2013: The Season in Review 5 Engaging the Community 9 Remembering Toby Saks 13 Ensuring Our Artistic Vision & Stability 14 Sponsors and Donors 15 Board of Directors and Staff 19 2013 Financial Report 20 2013 Summary of Activities 21 Festival Musicians 23 COVER: From left to right; violinists James Ehnes and Jesse Mills, pianist Andrew Armstrong, cellist Julie Albers, and violist Cynthia Phelps 2013 ANNUAL REPORT // 3 PRESIDENT’S LETTER // The recently completed 2013 season was one of and musicians new to SCMS. The world premiere high artistic successes, but also great sadness. of Lawrence Dillon’s Sanctuary – described as a Seattle Chamber Music Society’s beloved founder “musical musing for piano, horn and strings on the Toby Saks passed away shortly after the Summer many meanings of the word” – was an especially Festival ended, devastating the musicians, staff, well-received work, and a tribute to the foresight board and entire community. Our hearts go out to of the SCMS’s Commissioning Club, now in its Toby’s family, and SCMS is seeking ways to honor eighth year. Toby’s vision and provide a legacy to commemorate her many contributions to the arts community, not SCMS’s community and outreach programs continue only locally but worldwide. to delight and educate our audiences, including free pre-concert recitals and live concert broadcasts, The year also marked the passage of two other the Classical Conversation series, programs in the persons who contributed greatly to the success schools, family concerts, and the second year of our of the Festival: Arlene Wade, who was one of the successful free Volunteer Park Concert. And look founding Board members, and long-time Board for two new commercial recordings next year! member Helen Gurvich, who was instrumental in launching SCMS’s Endowment. I am pleased The hard-working staff and Board of SCMS are to report that the Endowment now exceeds $1.3 constantly challenged to help meet the artistic million, with effective leadership contributing to vision of James Ehnes, who is carrying on the high robust financial performance. Happily, SCMS again artistic standards set by Toby Saks. None of this finished the year in the black. would be possible without the ongoing generous support of our patrons, and for that we are most During this second year of James Ehnes’s grateful. Your support helps ensure our financial programming as Artistic Director, we saw strong stability long into the future. Our heart-felt thanks attendance at both the Winter Festival (now six to all of you who helped make this a successful year. concerts, including a special concert that featured all six of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos), and the DIANA K. CAREY Summer Festival, which featured several works Board President ABOVE: Board President Diana K. Carey with Artistic Director James Ehnes 4 // SEATTLE CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY 2013: SEASON IN REVIEW // Our second year under the leadership of Artistic Director James Ehnes continued the celebrated level of excellence that audiences have come to expect of performances by the Seattle Chamber Music Society (SCMS). This excellence is represented in everything SCMS has done over the past year at Benaroya Hall and throughout the community to deepen relationships with attendees of our concerts since Toby Saks founded SCMS in 1982. James Ehnes has carried on the legacy of the late Toby Saks by continuing to program the finest pieces of chamber music. During both Winter and Summer Festivals there was unique programming like the complete Brandenburg Concerti by J.S. Bach this past winter. Several other programs featured the rarely heard harpsichord at SCMS concerts; during the summer concert programs included works by American composers that will lead to the latest SCMS recording for the Onyx Classics label. Along with a number of returning Festival favorites, this season saw sixteen musicians make their SCMS debuts. A few highlights included Luc Beauséjour, a renowned harpsichordist, joining us for three concerts this winter and Jens Lindemann, former lead trumpet of the Canadian Brass, and Alexander Velinzon, the concertmaster for the Seattle Symphony, making their SCMS debuts this past summer. Beyond the glorious concerts, SCMS continued to participate in the community by hosting a number of free events. These gave audiences the opportunity to watch how a performance comes together with Open Rehearsals, learn more about individual musicians with the Classical Conversation series and Meet the Artists, and enjoy performances by world-class musicians with Pre-Concert Recitals, Music Under the Stars, and Chamber Music in the Park, our 2nd annual live concert at Volunteer Park. Our emphasis on education took a central role with a Family Concert during each Festival, and Chamber Music in the Classroom, introducing student musicians to chamber music. We also had education programs for adults with our Festival Previews at local libraries and clubs, and special events for the Commissioning Club. In every regard, SCMS has met our mission statement, all while balancing the budget in challenging economic times. It wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support from our loyal patrons, the overwhelming generosity of our donors, and the dedication of our hard-working Board and staff. Thank you to everyone who helped make the 2013 Festival Season such a stunning success! ABOVE: Left; Audience at Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall — 2013 Winter Festival. Right; cellist Julie Albers 2013 ANNUAL REPORT // 5 “The four performers wasted no time getting down to business — the quartet pushed the pedal to the metal in the piece’s opening phrases and rarely looked back, keeping excitement levels dialed up high for much of the performance.” THE SUNBREAK WINTER FESTIVAL: JANUARY 18-26 We expanded the Winter Festival this year from four concerts over a long weekend to six concerts over two weekends and it was a huge success! Nearly 2,900 people attended the main concerts – an increase of more than 800 ticket buyers from the previous year – with an average capacity of 89%. The Festival featured 26 artists, a new record for the Winter Festival, including eight making their debuts, performing works that spanned over 250 years of musical history. Highlights included several works by Benjamin Britten to mark his upcoming centennial; Steve Reich’s musical memoir Different Trains for string quartet and tape; a unique arrangement of Claude Debussy’s Sonata No. 4 by Kenneth Cooper for oboe, French horn, and harpsichord; and a sold-out concert featuring all six of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. SUMMER FESTIVAL: JUNE 29-JULY 26 The 32nd season of the Summer Festival attracted 5,389 people to its 12 main concerts. Audiences filled Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall, at times to maximum capacity, to experience the talents and incredible music making of 39 of the world’s finest musicians, eight of whom made their SCMS debut. Festival highlights included a world premiere by Lawrence Dillon; works by American composers Barber, Bernstein, Carter, Copland, and Ives , which were recorded for a compact disc project with Onyx Classics; a second recording for the Onyx label featuring the Ehnes Quartet performing two Shostakovich quartets; and a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring for Piano, Four Hands. ABOVE: Left; clockwise from left: violinist Augustin Hadelich, violinist Ida Levin, cellist Ronald Thomas, and violist Rebecca Albers. Right; violinist Augustin Hadelich 6 // SEATTLE CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY COMMISSIONING CLUB “I leave a salon with a feeling SCMS’s Commissioning Club supported the world premiere of Lawrence of expansiveness. By the Dillon’s Sanctuary for horn, string quintet and piano. This was the time Larry Dillon came to seventh new work commissioned by the Club since its establishment in our third and final salon of 2006 to support the creation of one new chamber work each year from the year, we as a group were an established, accomplished composer. In preparation for the premiere truly ready and eager to hear of the work the club held several events, including an interview with the what he had created for us.” composer and a special rehearsal of the septet. COMMISSIONING CLUB MEMBER OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS “The combination of these Patrons enjoyed great chamber music and mingling with Festival excellent musicians, their musicians on a more intimate level at three Special House Concerts superb performances, the in private residences, with performances by violist Richard O’Neill in variety of music played and November, pianist Jeremy Denk in the spring and violinist Amy Schwartz the intimacy of a relatively Moretti and cellist Efe Baltacıgil in late September. small venue provide one of the best opportunities for A special patron trip to Los Angeles in March included concerts at listening to classical music Los Angeles Philharmonic and Camerata Pacifica, tours of private art collections, architectural tours, and dinner at the home of Richard in Seattle.” O’Neill, with special surprise guests James Ehnes and Robert deMaine. AUDIENCE MEMBER ABOVE: Clockwise from left: violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti, violist Che-Yen Chen, cellist Julie Albers, and oboist Nathan Hughes 2013 ANNUAL REPORT // 7 8 // SEATTLE CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY // Community Engagement and Education programs help us share chamber music with broader audiences and nurture a life-long love of this great art form. Programs are designed for children, young music students and adults, experienced concert-goers and first-time listeners of chamber music.