$1.77 million could stabilize Charlotte Symphony’s future

Group only $100,000 short of its urgent fundraising target
By Karen Garloch
kgarloch@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009
The struggling Charlotte Symphony is less than $100,000 away from meeting its year-end goal of raising $1.77 million to become financially stable.
If it meets the goal, the symphony expects to get $900,000 from the Arts & Science Council, which [...]

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Wells Fargo’s surprise: $6 million to charities

San Francisco-based bank says gifts show a continued commitment to Charlotte as recession batters nonprofits.
By Eric Frazier
efrazier@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Wednesday, Dec. 09, 2009
When Wells Fargo officials invited heads of local nonprofit groups to their uptown bank tower for a thank-you breakfast Tuesday, Kathy Ridge showed up, as requested, just before 8.
“This is so nice,” she said, watching [...]

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Classical music station may get Spanish channel

By Mark Washburn
mwashburn@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Saturday, November 7, 2009
Charlotte’s classical-music station, Davidson College’s WDAV-FM (89.9), is looking at adding a Spanish channel.
Called “Concierto,” it would be broadcast on one of WDAV’s HD radio channels and streamed on the Web. HD radio is a digital broadcasting service that requires a special tuner to pick up and enables radio [...]

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Symphony players take pay cut

The renegotiated contract will save the orchestra $700,000 this season; base pay shrinks more than 19%.
By Steven Brown
sbrown@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Saturday, Sep. 05, 2009
For the second time in two years, the Charlotte Symphony’s musicians have taken a pay cut meant to help fight the orchestra’s financial crisis.
The players will give up more than 19 percent of this [...]

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You’re now approaching Paris, Texas

The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra is at a fork in the road. Where it turns is up to you.
By Lawrence Toppman
ltoppman@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Sunday, Jun. 21, 2009
My favorite cartoon shows a landscape that’s barren except for a bottle, a can, a tire, a pencil and a few pebbles. The caption reads “Life Without Mozart.”
I could substitute Louis Armstrong, [...]

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Cutbacks are front and center for arts groups

37% drop in ASC fund drive likely means reductions in jobs, performances – or worse
By Steven Brown
sbrown@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Monday, May. 18, 2009
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/local/story/730644.html
Charlotte Symphony’s last concerts of the season, energized by jazzy music, revved up the audience and surpassed the box office goal.
Yet the orchestra and Charlotte’s other cultural groups are caught in the same recession as [...]

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WDAV to air more local flair

From the May 16, 2009 edition of The Charlotte Observer
By Mark Washburn
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/413/story/726682.html
Stations looking to cut costs are turning increasingly toward syndicated shows.
But WDAV-FM (89.9), the classical music voice of Davidson College, is turning the other way.
Beginning July 1, WDAV will drop its overnight service “Music Through the Night,” which originates from Minnesota Public Radio, and [...]

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Charlotte Symphony gets donation

From the May 10, 2009 edition of The Charlotte Observer
By Mark Price
Posted : May 11, 2009
The Leon Levine Foundation has committed to giving $25,000 to the financially strapped Charlotte Symphony.
Foundation board members learned of the symphony’s urgent cost-cutting in a story in Friday’s Observer, including a request that players renegotiate the contract governing their pay and [...]

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Our music, our selves

An educator shows how music can map the inner workings of our soulBy Karl Paulnack
Special to the Observer
Posted: Sunday, May. 10, 2009
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/165/story/710453.html
EDITOR’S NOTE: Karl Paulnack, director of the music division at Boston Conservatory, first gave this speech to parents of students in 2004. It has made the rounds on e-mail locally among honchos in the [...]

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Symphony must act to avoid swan song

From the May 8, 2009 edition of The Charlotte Observer
By Steven Brown
Posted:  Friday, May 8, 2009
Orchestra plans to cut costs, renegotiate the musicians’ contract and pursue donations.
Suffering a critical blow from the recession on top of several years of financial troubles, the Charlotte Symphony is turning to urgent cost-cutting and fundraising in hopes of staying [...]

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