BY JESSIE WANG, LEAD WRITER (COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL AWARENESS)
When you hear the word ‘charity’, what kind of image is conjured up?
Chances are, you are thinking of the health setting, where doctors and nurses and psychologists provide access to their services for those who do not have it. Or you might be thinking of other social services, whether they are for women, people with disabilities, or other marginalised communities.
No matter what image you have in mind, these charities operate under the same idea – providing access to vital resources to those who do not have it.
But what about music?
For us musicians and music lovers, we’d like to think that music is an essential part of everybody’s life. So, judging by our understanding of charity as access, couldn’t there be charities that bring music access to those who do not have it?
That’s exactly what The Metropolitan Orchestra had set out to do – bring music to those who have not had access to it, with the aim of breaking down misconceptions and perceived barriers associated with the genre.
Whether that’s through its Met Concert Series, Composer Development Program, or Conductor Mentorship, at every TMO event, the audience is a crucial part of the music-sharing.
We chat with TMO founding artistic director and chief conductor Sarah-Grace Williams about the past, present, and future of this music charity.
It’s aiming to crowdfund $30,000 by 31 July, achieving enough funding to save its Met Concert Series (and it’s well on the way to its goal).
Hi Sarah-Grace, such a pleasure to talk to you today. So, who are the musicians working hard to bring The Metropolitan Orchestra to the people of Australia?
The musicians of TMO are the most vibrant, passionate musicians around Sydney and are regularly recognised as being so. Our musicians are all active freelance musicians, so in addition to performing with TMO, you will see many of our musicians playing in the pits for opera, ballet, and music theatre productions; as well as on stage with other professional orchestras and organisations.
Many of our musicians also teach music at schools and in studios. We have a very strong core of TMO, with several musicians playing with us since our very first concert.
What are some of the other programs that TMO runs, other than its concerts? And why did you think extra programs were necessary?
Because of our severe resource restrictions – we currently receive no government funding support – it is very difficult for us to implement as many of the additional programs that we would like to. Having said that, The Metropolitan Orchestra’s mission, as stated on our website, “is to support Australian artists, which includes orchestral players, composers, conductors, and soloists”. We do this in a number of ways and formats, from providing first-class performance opportunities to development opportunities – such as our Composer Development Program, which has allowed us [to provide] new opportunities to Australian composers, some of which have gone on to work with several of Australia’s large state funded orchestras. Additionally, we have launched a Young Artist Program and a Conducting Mentorship for young conductors.
In 2019, we initiated a new program to support Chris O’Brien Lifehouse cancer hospital, which included giving them a component of our VIP ticket sales, in addition to offering our musicians to perform for their staff and patients. This is a way we can use the power of music to give back even more to the community and those less fortunate than ourselves.
We can achieve a lot on the slimmest of budgets, but there is so much we have ready to go once we have the resources to deliver.
It seems TMO certainly aims to make classical music more accessible for a wide range of audiences.
We achieve this by breaking down the traditional barriers and misconceptions often associated with our genre. We’ve found that if someone truly loves music, then if we can get them along to experience the passion and extraordinary sound of a professional standard orchestra in an intimate setting, it completely changes their perception of the music. We make our concerts accessible by performing our self-produced concert series at smaller, friendly venues, with lower ticket prices; and steering clear of traditional concert etiquette, such as expected dress code or when to clap! It’s all about just coming along and bathing yourself in the music.
This year is your 11th year as the founding artistic director and chief conductor. How has the orchestra transformed in this time?
TMO actually launched as MCO (Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra). It wasn’t long into our journey that we realised the scope of what we were setting out to achieve, and would call upon bigger forces, and in 2012 we rebranded to The Metropolitan Orchestra.
TMO’s self-produced annual concert season has grown to incorporate a variety of concert experiences, including our mainstage Met Concert series, our ever-popular family concerts, and Babies Proms, plus intimate chamber concerts.
Our perception in the marketplace as a real genre game changer and a viable alternative to the big state funded orchestras is important. We are highly flexible and easy to work with, which not only reflects in the number of engagements we get outside of our self-produced series, but has enabled us to deliver a range of extremely exciting performances over the years.
Over the past decade, TMO has performed more than 500 concerts including national and international tours in addition to several album recordings. The level of attention we now get is one of the great drivers for some of the exciting changes we will be announcing regarding our 2020 season – hush hush. To be announced soon!
So what have been some of your most memorable moments with TMO?
Offering so many sensational Australian musicians – soloists, orchestral musicians and composers – the opportunity to perform at the highest level where they would not have otherwise had the opportunity is one of our primary mission components.
We’ve also delivered a number of Australian and world premieres, and given many musicians a leg-up in maintaining and developing their professional music careers in what is a very challenging market for them to stay in music.
It has been an incredibly exciting and diverse 10 years of music making and we have been fortunate enough to work with a very impressive roster of internationally renowned artists […]. TMO is amazingly versatile and passionate, and regularly performs across genres, outside the ‘standard classical concert hall’, which is testament to our flexibility and versatility as a young and passionate ensemble.
Note: You can check out the TMO’s impressive performance history on its website.
TMO is a privately run, not-for-profit organisation, and a registered charity. What does this mean?
This means that we are able to take tax deductible donations from people who want to support the arts, and in particular, classical music performers and performance. Being privately run and currently non-government-funded means that we are very aware of every dollar that we spend. Everything we do needs to achieve an outcome, and we must make every dollar count. There is absolutely no waste in how our organisation is run.
We have so many plans and opportunities coming up, but lack of adequate funding hampers what we can do. Needless to say that we are looking for more supporters, and very keen to find corporate partners who want to be a part of our incredible journey and be a part of changing the musical culture in our great city.
The other thing about our flexibility is that we can work closely with those who want to invest in TMO so that they can also achieve a greater level of personal or corporate achievement as part of our partnership.
You’re running a crowdfunding campaign to raise this support for TMO. Tell us about the challenges involved in working to make an orchestra financially sustainable.
Being in the arts in Australia is very challenging. As a registered charity and not-for-profit organisation, we are up against all types of charities – including those in the health sector and humanities – that are very well funded and very well known. This means we need to identify with people who understand the vital importance of the arts and the significance of what we are doing at TMO.
Like all charities, we rely on the generous support of personal philanthropists, and the engagement of partner corporations to get involved to help us to achieve on our mission. We are highly flexible and will work with every partner to make their engagement with us an extremely rewarding and satisfying experience.
The Met Concert Series [for which we are crowdfunding] is truly the backbone of everything we do, but it is very challenging to consistently put up to 80 musicians on stage to perform at the highest levels without serious financial resources.
After 10 years, we are still considered a relatively new player, but we are now very well known for our ability to offer first-class alternatives to the well-funded major performing arts companies in our sector.
We hope we achieve greater awareness and support from both personal philanthropists and corporate partners who want to see live music, and premium musician opportunities thrive.
What message would you like to send to people who are considering donating to your campaign?
We are changing the game and will continue to make a massive difference in 2020. TMO is a proven player of resilience and first-class quality.
We are making a difference in the lives not only of the excellent musicians who are a part of TMO, but of the many audience members who’ve attended our concerts, many of which had never seen or even considered a classical music concert prior to coming to a TMO event. This includes kids who come along to our Cushion Concerts (Babies Proms) who then go on to take up an instrument and hopefully become a musician themselves one day.
The arts in Australia faces many challenges in so many ways, both as an entertainment option and a career path. But there is no denying that without access to high quality arts companies who are prepared to take the risks to make real differences, we would not be anywhere near the lucky country that we are today.
Come along and experience the difference that TMO makes. Speak to our musicians or chat with our management team. We are here to stay, and with additional funding and resources, we will change the way people not only in Sydney, but hopefully throughout Australia, perceive classical music – and hopefully, the arts in general.
It’s a big statement, but one we’re not afraid of.
The Metropolitan Orchestra has raised more than $27,000 in crowdfunding to support its Met Concert Series. You can help or find out more on the website until 31 July.
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