From the Corner Office

American orchestras, along with ballet and opera companies and other presenters of classical music, have been wondering for more than two years about the long-term effects of the pandemic and shutdown on live audiences. While it is still too early to draw definitive conclusions from data analyzed since we returned to “normal,” information gathered by the League of American Orchestras suggests that only about 74% of our pre-COVID audiences have returned.  Ticket sales for this current season show that the HHSO is within that range.

Like many of you, we have noticed the empty seats at First Presbyterian Church with concern. There are as many reasons for the vacancies as there are empty seats. While I will not itemize all the ones I have heard, there is one comment recently shared by a member of our Marketing Committee that I had not considered before: During the pandemic, people recognized anew how much they enjoyed being at home. As things re-opened, people made choices to permit them more time to stay home.

Another consideration: there is a normal attrition of symphony audiences each season; however, little effort was made during the last two seasons to attract new audience members, since it was unlikely people would want to try something new that involved sitting closely with others in a large space for a couple of hours. So, while we would naturally lose attendees, we were limited in our ability to replace those we lost.

Internally, we track our ticket sales and attendance and compare the figures with previous seasons’ data. Timing and programming can explain some variances; however, Holiday Pops tends to be a stable and predictable event each season. So, how did 2022 compare? For the two concerts this year, we saw a 3% increase in ticket sales over 2021, but 2022 was 4.8% below sales in 2019.  If our growth rate continues, might we achieve pre-pandemic levels for Holiday Pops next year?

An additional phenomenon has been noted among many of our like budget-sized orchestras (and, indeed, with much larger and smaller orchestras): attendance is down; that is, more ticket buyers are simply not attending. Again, the reasons for “no shows” are perhaps as varied as those involving ticket sales. More than 20% of the patrons who bought tickets to Holiday Pops on Hilton Head Island did not come. My unscientific observation: many of our season ticket buyers continued to subscribe during the pandemic, despite being unsure if the concerts they bought would take place or not. When concerts were cancelled or postponed, these generous subscribers would frequently say, use my purchase as a contribution. Now that in-person concerts are more likely to occur, ticket holders may be more inclined to not attend and just write off the price as a donation.

Interestingly, we have not seen similar results in our smaller offerings at SoundWaves. Our Coastal Home Supper Club, launched in September of 2021, has sold out every presentation to date—often, with a waiting list. Our new Gullah Cultural Series, launching this week as I write, is near capacity, as have been the two HHIPC Recital Series performances. So, selling 80 tickets doesn’t seem to be hard, but selling 800 is a challenge.

Rebuilding Our Audiences

Those who know me know that I proclaim myself as a “glass half full kind of guy.” So, we are looking at opportunities to rebuild our audiences. In September, we created a new brochure that included both basic information about the HHSO as well as a full schedule of our offerings. This was distributed to all donors and patrons of the past three seasons as well as new home buyers during the past two years in Beaufort County “south of the Broad.” We know there has been a significant influx of new people to our area in the wake of the pandemic and this was our first effort to let them know that a very good, professional orchestra resides right here on Hilton Head Island. We mailed notice of our Holiday Pops concerts—including the one in Bluffton—to that same list of newcomers. While we haven’t analyzed the results yet, we feel we are on the right track in connecting with our newest neighbors. (Anecdotally, we learned that the brochure mailer reminded residents who did know of the HHSO that they hadn’t been to an HHSO concert in a while.)

Despite all the high-tech, electronic marketing techniques today, some of us are still convinced that the most effective way to get someone to try out the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra is “word of mouth.” I walk across the street to my new neighbor (or approach the member of my church or club) and say, “Karen and I are going to the Symphony Sunday. Would you like to join us and then grab dinner afterward?” The likelihood of a positive response is so much greater than if that same person saw the ad in a monthly style magazine, heard the TV or radio ad, or even received a post card in the mail. If you would like to see a return to full houses more quickly, won’t you help by inviting someone new to the Symphony?

—Alan Jordan, President and CEO

League of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra News

From the Other End of the Hallway

It’s been a very busy and invigorating few months as I’ve immersed myself in all things HHIPC, and I am pleased to report on some of the varied happenings, both current and upcoming…

Recital Series

We kicked off the 2022-23 Piano Recital Series at SoundWaves most successfully, with a near-capacity crowd enjoying a captivating performance by 2012 finalist Steven Lin in late October.  I was incredibly excited about our next presentation, that took place on Friday, December 16, and featured renowned jazz pianist Ted Rosenthal and his Trio in a special Holiday program, which was a sneak preview of their set the following week at Dizzy’s Club in NYC!  Like Steven Lin (and Fei-Fei, who will play a recital here next May), Ted is another pianist with whom I worked earlier in my career, so I was very pleased to introduce him to our sold-out audience here in Hilton Head!

2023 Competition

The Competition is proceeding on schedule, and just before Thanksgiving, our Competitor Selection Jury came to Hilton Head to choose the 20 young pianists who will perform for us in March 2023.  The level was exceedingly high, which made the judges’ task quite challenging to narrow the field down from 107 applicants, but the talented artists they selected have now been invited, so stay tuned for our announcement of the “20 for ‘23” competitors very soon!

All of these activities would not be possible without the essential assistance of our amazing volunteers, so I want to give a big shout out to everyone who has helped us with these activities, especially our wonderful committee chair-people!  And speaking of volunteers, we are always looking for people to lend a hand, and, in particular, I know that our Host Families committee is still looking for possible hosts for our young pianists in March, so if you are interested, please contact me and I can put you in touch with the right people!

Recent Winners

All of us at the HHIPC are incredibly proud of our recent winners, including our 2023 second prize winner Illia Ovcharenko, who was recently chosen as the top laureate of Canada’s 2022 Honens International Piano Competition (including a $100,000 CAD grand prize, plus recordings, multiple performances throughout North America, and management).  First prize winner Jaeden Izik-Dzurko also continues to excel, winning second prize at November’s Montreal Symphony Orchestra competition (winning $12,000 CAD, plus two additional prizes of $5,000 CAD each—including one for his performance in the special Bach round, which led to a last-minute recital booking weeks later at the Montreal Bach Festival!).  And speaking of Jaeden, please be sure to clear your calendar for January 8-9, 2023, when he makes his triumphant return to perform with the HHSO and Maestro JMR, performing Rachmaninoff’s richly romantic second piano concerto!

Join Us For A Musical Feast!

Looking ahead, we’ve just announced the details for our annual Musical Feast fundraiser, which is Wednesday, January 18 at the Sonesta Hotel.  In addition to a sumptuous three-course dinner, you will enjoy engaging musical performances by 2008 HHIPC First Prize winner, Ran Dank, as well as members of the HHSO, and acclaimed tenor Bernard Holcomb. Plus, we are planning a special tribute to our guest of honor – former HHIPC Director, Mona Huff, so you won’t want to miss this special night!

FYI, we are trying something new this year—in an effort to be more eco-friendly, we decided to send out the invitations via email only. Hopefully you have indeed received your invitation by now, but if not, you can also use this link to purchase your tickets or to make a non-attending contribution:  https://hhso.secure.force.com/ticket/#/events/a0S5w00000gEpvNEAS

I know this will be a stellar evening, combining world-class music, delicious food, and great company, so please consider joining us at the Sonesta on January 18 in celebration of the HHIPC and the HHSO!

I look forward to seeing you at one of these upcoming events, and in the meantime, I wish you and your family a joyous Holiday, and a very happy, healthy and musical New Year!

—Steven Shaiman, Director, Hilton Head International Piano Competition

From the SoundWaves Studio

SoundWaves Year in Review, Year in Preview

Given the November performance dates of our Orchestra Subscription Series Holiday Pops concerts, one might think it was a slow time of year here at SoundWaves. Guess what? That wasn’t the case. Enjoying a beautiful new Christmas tree welcoming guests as they arrived inside SoundWaves from the balmy December coastal weather, we celebrated the holiday season with three sold-out concert events to finish what was a remarkably resurgent 2022.

2022 IN REVIEW: Gullah Me, Gullah You. HHSO’s new Gullah Cultural Series, a partnership with the Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island and Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, presented Gullah 101, a novel collaborative talk-show style event emceed by John Campbell. The evening featured Gullah community members John Simmons, Meldon Hollis, and Lola Campbell, and was facilitated by Gullah Cultural Series artistic advisor and past HHSO board member Lavon Stevens.

2023 PREVIEW: Mark your calendars. TheGullah Cultural Series continues Friday, February 3, 2023. Program details will be released in early January. Future programs will feature not only music, but storytelling, visual arts, sweetgrass basket making, and Gullah cuisine.

2022 IN REVIEW: In December, SoundWaves hosted the second installment of the 2022-2023 Hilton Head International Piano Competition Recital Series, welcoming leading New York City Jazz pianist, Ted Rosenthal, headlining his namesake Trio in a powerful performance that dazzled the capacity concert and dessert audience, following IPC favorite Steven Lin’s greatest piano hits solo recital in November.

2023 PREVIEW: Keep up with Competition happenings at www.hhipc.org for news about Musical Feast, our 2023 Competition, and future recitals. Look for the next IPC SoundWaves installment in April 2023.

2022 IN REVIEW: Pairing two of Coastal Home Supper Club’s favorite artists, this sensational series, now in its second season of sold-out events, featured vocalists Gretchen Kristine Stelzer and Tony Starlight, who made sure that all who were either naughty or nice this year were ready for Santa’s annual visit.

2023 PREVIEW: The January 2023 Coastal Home Supper Club brings music by two of Broadway’s most influential creators: composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II. Vocalist Gretchen Kristine Stelzer is joined by another vocalist, Historic Savannah Theater’s F. Michael Zaller, to headline this evening of R&H beloved melodies from some of the best-known musicals of the early-to-mid-twentieth century. Music from Oklahoma, South Pacific, and more! Supper for this one is provided by our good friends at Sandbar Beach Eats at Coligny Plaza.

There’s room for everyone! Join us as an audience member or as volunteer usher. Either way, you will find the experiences at SoundWaves most entertaining. As always, there’s lots of great music ahead, so when you are out and about town, tell your friends about our cozy home.

Stay tuned and remember: I’ll see you at SoundWaves!

—Mario Incorvaia, Chief Operating Officer

Upcoming Events 

Sunday, January 8, 2023, 4:00 PM
Monday, January 9, 2023, 7:30 pm

Buy Tickets for Sunday Buy Tickets for Monday

January 9 performance sponsored by TidePointe, A Vi Community

---

Wednesday, January 18, 2023, 6:00 pm

Sonesta Resort, HHI

A Musical Feast to benefit the HHIPC and HHSO

Please join us for our annual benefit, as we celebrate the HHIPC’s 27 years of excellence in promoting and nurturing talented young pianists! This engaging and entertaining evening features delights for both your ears and your palate, including:

• Musical performances by 2008 HHIPC First Prize winner, Ran Dank, plus members of the HHSO, and acclaimed tenor Bernard Holcomb.
• A tribute to our guest of honor – former HHIPC Director, Mona Huff.

Buy Tickets

---

Sunday, January 22, 2023, 4:00 pm
Monday, January 23, 2023, 7:30 pm

Buy Tickets for Sunday Buy Tickets for Monday

Performance Weekend sponsors are Boys Arnold Wealth Management and the League of the HHSO

---

Buy Tickets

Supported by The Bargain Box, Breedlove Foundation, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, and Mary Briggs Youth Foundation

---

---

Sunday, February 5, 2023, 4:00 pm
Monday, February 6, 2023, 7:30 pm

First Presbyterian Church, 540 William Hilton Parkway, HHI

Buy Tickets for Sunday Buy Tickets for Monday

February 6 performance sponsored by McGriff Insurance Services and PURE Insurance

Performance weekend sponsor is Group 3 Designs and Pyramids

---

Sunday, February 19, 2023, 4:00 pm
Monday, February 20, 2023, 7:30 pm

First Presbyterian Church, 540 William Hilton Parkway, HHI

Buy Tickets for Sunday Buy Tickets for Monday

February 19 performance sponsored by Boatwright Law Firm

---

Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors