A note from Sinfonia Board Chair Tina Enberg, and Artistic Director, Jay Fishman:
Our greetings, and we hope you, and your families are all well and staying safe.
Given the substantial chaos caused by the Coronavirus, we thought it would be a good idea to send a recap of our recent activities, and explain how we have been dealing with the unanticipated circumstances.
Our year started in typical and successful fashion. We successfully performed three of our Winter Concert Series and three holiday concert programs, completed two successful tours to rural Minnesota communities, and worked with eight schools as part of our Music in the Schools program.
And then the virus struck, bringing havoc and upheaval. We cancelled all of our remaining winter and projected summer concerts and our reminaing Music in the Schools programs.
Unable to go into the schools for Music in the Schools, and after consulting with teachers and administrators from both Minneapolis and St. Paul districts, we had our musicians create (in their homes) short videos, introducing themselves, and explaining their instruments and the music, which we then sent to the Minneapolis and St. Paul district music supervisors, who in turn distributed the videos to classroom teachers.
Unable to perform live concerts, we have had our musicians create video performances (again in their homes) that we will soon be airing on our website, YouTube and social media. These will include small groups of musicians playing chamber music, and a special composite video of the last movement of Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony. “Broadcasts” will begin in the middle of October and will lead up to a special gala this fall, which will include a virtual online auction and the premiere of the Mozart video. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements!
We are very happy to report that we just hired Amy Lindqvist to be Sinfonia’s new manager. She has officially joined us after recently finishing her obligations with the Cincinnati Museum of Art. Amy exudes a contagious sense of enthusiasm and commitment to her new job, and she brings social media, grant writing and website knowledge, all which will result in excellent and long-lasting results for the Sinfonia.
These are very trying times for all of us at Sinfonia. We recognize the difficulties we will encounter maintaining a top-quality music and education organization, and the need for creative and flexible approaches to these tasks. Without equivocation, I can assure you that we are absolutely up to the challenge. With your continued support, we will maintain and build on our outreach to thousands of our community members, regardless of their ages, ethnicities, financial and/or educational levels. This is our commitment, and this is our charge. Thank you, and again, we wish you to be well and stay safe.
Jay and Tina