Cash-short Philly Orchestra announces big pledges (AP)

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Orchestra has received several major gifts and pledges toward its effort to emerge from bankruptcy and establish solid financial footing, leaders said Wednesday.

Since filing for bankruptcy reorganization in April, the orchestra has received $11.2 million from foundations, philanthropists and its board, chief executive officer Allison Vulgamore said. An additional $16.3 million has been promised in the form of challenge pledges, which will be awarded if the orchestra raises $17.5 million more by the end of the year.

Orchestra officials regarded the funding as a vote of confidence in its five-year plan to secure big donors, fill more seats and build a nest egg. The orchestra did not release specific amounts given by donors, which include the William Penn Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, cable mogul and philanthropist H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest, the Neubauer Family Foundation and members of the orchestra board.

"These gifts provide significant momentum for our ongoing fundraising efforts," Vulgamore said. "And as we turn our attention toward the future, we do so with confidence knowing that our plan ... has the support of such outstanding civic leaders."

The 111-year-old orchestra, among the world's most renowned symphonies and the ensemble behind the soundtrack to Walt Disney's 1940 film "Fantasia," stunned music lovers by becoming the first major U.S. orchestra to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It has struggled with dwindling attendance and donations, shrinking endowment income, the recession and an aging audience that's not being replaced.

Management told a federal Bankruptcy Court judge that it wants to save money by changing the pension plan for musicians, negotiating a new lease with the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and cutting financial ties with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops.

The judge allowed the orchestra time to reorganize its finances and plot its short- and long-term future without canceling the current concert season.

While orchestra officials were buoyed by the new funding, it is a fraction of what's needed to secure its financial and artistic future. A five-year strategic plan sets an ambitious fundraising goal of $100 million for the endowment and $60 million for operations, programming and other expenses — an amount to be raised concurrently with the orchestra's annual funding appeals.

"We're taking one step in front of the other," Vulgamore said. "We're getting the infusion of commitment and we are on target to the funding we need to secure our future for generations to come."

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Online:

Philadelphia Orchestra: http://www.philorch.org

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Cash-starved Philly Orchestra asks public to help (AP)

PHILADELPHIA – The financially troubled Philadelphia Orchestra is kicking off a new campaign aimed at rallying both classical music devotees and novices to support the ensemble by attending concerts and making donations.

The "Listen with Your Heart" initiative announced Wednesday will include public events, fundraising and public awareness campaigns in the city's restaurants, hotels and shops. A key message of the effort is that the orchestra, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization last month, is essential to the city's vibrancy and everyone — music lovers or otherwise — has a stake in its success.

"The orchestra is not just for those of means or those who may have a particular appreciation for classical music or a trained ear," said Mayor Michael Nutter, who joined orchestra officials at a press conference inside the Ritz-Carlton hotel's soaring marble lobby. "It's actually for every citizen."

Former concertgoers, lapsed season-ticket subscribers and those who have "somehow, some way" never attended a performance or made a donation can help the orchestra and the city as a whole, he said.

"In addition to its inherent cultural value, the orchestra and the businesses its supports are truly a force in the local economy," Nutter said.

The orchestra, among the world's most renowned symphonies and the ensemble behind the soundtrack to Walt Disney's 1940 film "Fantasia," became the first major U.S. orchestra to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Management said it was facing a $14.5 million shortfall on a $46 million budget and would run out of cash by June.

It has struggled with dwindling attendance and donations, shrinking endowment income, pension costs and rent prices at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Some officials also have blamed the economic recession and an aging audience. A federal Bankruptcy Court judge has allowed the orchestra time to reorganize its finances and map its short- and long-term future without canceling the current concert season.

Orchestra president and chief executive officer Allison Vulgamore said the new initiative seeks to reconnect Philadelphians with the orchestra and to drum up awareness by displaying "Listen with Your Heart" posters and buttons in local businesses.

"We join all who believe that the Philadelphia Orchestra is a legacy that must continue," she said. "We are deeply rooted in regaining our financial stability, but not losing the incredible musical excellence of this institution, and we must remain a destination orchestra not just for our musicians ... but also for our audiences."

She reported "brisk sales" of subscriptions for the 2011-2012 season and $2.6 million in donations from 1,200 people, both in the month since the orchestra's April 16 bankruptcy filing.

"With the end of the 2010-11 season, we will now have a season on which we have balanced: We are no further declining in our sales this year," she said. "Thank you, Philadelphia, for getting us ready to build sales moving forward."

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Online:

Listen with Your Heart campaign: http://www.philorchtoday.org

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