A very different little orchestra
MAESTRO'S THOUGHTS!
SPECIAL PLEA for Sponsors and Supporters
On a serious note, you must already be aware that support for concerts
everywhere has significantly diminished. Orchestras and opera companies
are canceling scheduled concerts due to a lack of sponsorship. As for
the Tokyo Sinfonia, our rigourously lean budget may protect us somewhat.
Certain sponsors traditionally linking their public image to classical
concerts and CSR promotion might now find us a welcome alternative. We are actively
seeking such sponsors who see benefit in identifying their corporate branding with elegant classical
music before our discerning audiences.
Please visit our Sponsors page for
more information
CAN YOU 'SELL' THE SINFONIA?
If so why not come and be our salesperson?
We are seeking a person for the position of director of marketing/sales for the Tokyo Sinfonia. A dedicated salesperson who loves to sell what they believe in, and who genuinely enjoys classical music -- I would love to work with someone like that!
We offer the advantages of a highly portable and cost effective operation of high quality and considerable flexibility. And we have projects and leads. We just need the legs to follow up. I write music and conduct the orchestra, and dream of all we could be doing if we only had three or four more people to help us do it. We'll be generous about commissions. Are you one of the persons we need? If so, let's talk.
SUMMER MUSINGS
Once again, this time of the year seems to yield several thoughts to share with you, quite apart from the usual announcements of coming programmes in the Tokyo Sinfonia performance schedule.
SPONSOR:
We are delighted to welcome the Tokyo Sinfonia's newest Gold Sponsor, Sangi Co Ltd., the makers of 'Apagard' the enamel-restorative toothpaste. Our relationships with our sponsors and supporters are perhaps unusually personal, and Apagard is no exception.
President Shuji Sakuma graduated from university with a degree in literature and a vibrantly questioning mind. His experiments produced a formula for an essential substance in teeth care which he patented successfully and turned into a healthy company and a highly respected product line, including the most expensive toothpaste in the world.
You may have noticed that Tokyo Sinfonia members have beautiful smiles. We are pleased indeed to welcome Apagard to the Sinfonia family. Apagard's Gold Sponsorship began with the Schubert Serenade Symphonies for Strings champagne concert in September 2009.
SPONSOR:
We are also delighted to tell you that Minato-ku has extended their association with the Tokyo Sinfonia for a second year as Platinum Sponsor of the Symphonies for Strings champagne concerts. This year the ward office has deepend their partnership with us by arranging for the orchestra to present Sinfonia-in-the-Schools performances in several of Minato-ku's public schools.
I love teaching, and this programme has long been close to my heart. It is through the youth that we can reach directly to families, and families are truly the heart of society. Following our performances in the schools, we give every student a special coupon offering them free admission to a regular performance of the Tokyo Sinfonia when accompanied by an adult.
You may have noticed young people in our concerts in Oji Hall before. One three-year-old brought her mother to all the Symphonies for Strings concerts, and they sat right in the front. You may see more youngsters in our audiences in the future. Isn't Tokyo a great place to live?
SPEECHES:
In recent times I have been invited to give luncheon addresses for the Rotary, and for several of the foreign chambers of commerce in Japan.
The presentations have produced some unexpected and delightful results. Discussions are already under way which I hope soon to be able to tell you about. In the meantime, initial arrangements have been made for me to speak sometime in the fall for the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, and possibly for a group of the Nordic countries as well.
I am always happy to be invited to speak about the Tokyo Sinfonia, its special qualities, and its lessons for the business world and society in general. For example: our potential audience is drawn from the upper ten percent of the populace living and working within one hour from the concert hall where we perform. Think about that for a moment.
That's only a tenth of 34 million people, or some 3 million people. That many people would fill Oji Hall 10,000 times. If we were to present concerts 4 times every week, it would take the Tokyo Sinfonia 45 years to perform for them, and we would reach each person only once. For that reason we do not attempt to recycle the existing concert audience, as other orchestras do, but concentrate on reaching out to attract new people to hear an orchestra -- our orchestra -- in live performance for the first time.
The next time you plan to come to the Tokyo Sinfonia, please consider inviting a friend or friends to join you, especially someone who has never before heard an orchestra to the full throb of live performance. They'll be glad you did. You'll be glad you did. We'll be glad you did.
See you at the Sinfonia,
