Eugene Symphony Association

After a year of COVID-19 restrictions on indoor performances, ESA opened its 2021/22 Season with a series of free outdoor symphonic concerts, held in parks in Eugene and Cottage Grove. These events engaged a total 5,500 people of all ages, providing attendees with much-needed opportunities to reconnect with the Symphony and with fellow community members through the shared enrichment of concertgoing. In September 2021, ESA welcomed audiences back to full orchestra concerts at the Hult Center for the first time since March 2020. Programming from September through December 2021 included works by Florence Price, Felix Mendelssohn, Brahms, Bartok, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky, and featured guest artists Michelle Cann (piano), Alexi Kenney (violin), Joyce Yang (piano), Paul Huang (violin), and Erina Yashima (conductor). A total 3,587 in-person patrons attended these four performances. For patrons who did not feel comfortable returning to the Silva Concert Hall, ESA recorded the September, October, and November 2021 Symphonic series concerts on video, making these concerts available for on-demand, delayed streaming. An additional 169 paying viewers accessed these performances online. ESA opened four Symphonic series dress rehearsals at the Hult Center to a limited paid audience, physically distancing attendees throughout the concert hall. ESA also made a limited number of seats available to student attendees at no cost. ESA devoted the second half of the 2021/22 season to major artistic initiatives that had been postponed due to the pandemic, including Amplify Eugene, which aimed to deepen audiences connection to classical music and to appeal to new patrons through concerts that celebrate Eugenes unique history, culture, and environment.In June 2022, ESA premiered the multimedia work PREFONTAINE as a single-ticket Special concert. Part of the Symphonys Amplify Eugene initiative, PREFONTAINE commemorates the life of the influential Olympic and NCAA runner, Coos Bay native, and University of Oregon alumnus Steve Prefontaine. Commissioned by ESA from composer David Schiff and writer Curtis Anderson, and developed with creative consultant Linda Prefontaine, the work blends Schiffs score with spoken-word components--performed by actors from Eugenes Oregon Contemporary Theatre--as well as with projected still imagery of Prefontaines upbringing and career. The concert was a highlight of community celebrations around the July 2022 World Athletics Championships held in Eugenewhich was the first time this prestigious international track and field event has taken place in the United States.Beyond the concert hall, ESA provided a number of music enrichment opportunities designed to strengthen community engagement with the Symphony. The 2020/2021 season programs included monthly Symphony Happy Hours at local bars/restaurants, hosted by Music Director and Conductor, Francesco Lecce-Chong, and which featured his insights on ESA programming; and SymphonyGO!, which offered pop-up chamber concerts in local and nontraditional music venues. Spring 2022 also marked the launch of ESAs new Vets Connect initiative. Aimed at engaging Lane County veterans, active military, and their families, the program leverages cultural offerings to support veterans in connecting with each other, reintegrating with their families and the community at large, pursuing new interests, and/or deepening longstanding enthusiasm in music. In addition to increasing the number of free ESA tickets designated for veterans, the program includes invitations to ESA dress rehearsals, a backstage tour of the Hult Center, and informal pre-concert gatherings at an accessible community venue close to the Hult Center.

ESA strives to foster an appreciation of classical music among people of all ages and backgrounds. Through its Education and Community Engagement (EdCE) Program, ESA annually extends quality opportunities for music education, participation, and enrichment to youth, adults, and seniors throughout the Willamette Valley. As a professional orchestra residing within a particularly active music community, ESA also strives to mentor regional musicians at every stage of their musical development and to serve as an incubator for the next generation of classical music talent. To this end, ESA regularly collaborates with area music programs--including the University of Oregon (UO) School of Music and Dance, community-based youth orchestras, and numerous middle- and high-school ensembles--to provide ongoing artistic development opportunities for pre-professional and aspiring musicians. Through remote and in-person activities, ESAs 2021/22 EdCE programs have served 6,241 community members of all ages to date, and have extended participation to residents in six counties (Lane, Benton, Douglas, Clackamas, Marion, and Multnomah).