News Release
Alexander and Sarah Cutler pledge $5 million
to subsidize student attendance for
Cleveland Orchestra Concerts at Severance Hall
Release date: November 12, 2011
CLEVELAND – Cleveland Orchestra Executive Director Gary Hanson will announce tonight a pledge to the Orchestra’s Endowment Fund of $5 million from Alexander and Sarah Cutler. The Alexander and Sarah Cutler Fund for Student Audiences will support existing and new programs that encourage and facilitate student attendance in perpetuity at Cleveland Orchestra concerts in Severance Hall.
The Cutler’s gift is another step toward fully funding the Orchestra’s Center for Future Audiences at $60 million, increasing the current total to $25 million. The Center, endowed by the Maltz Family Foundation, is a multi-faceted and long-term audience development initiative announced in 2010 with a lead gift from the Foundation. The Center aims to increase audiences, including more young people, each season.
The Center is taking the Orchestra in a new strategic direction where the primary goal is to create broader access for the Northeast Ohio community. This new direction aims for the Orchestra to achieve a goal to have the youngest orchestra audience in the country by the time of its centennial in 2018.
Announcing the gift, Mr. Hanson said, “We are grateful to Sandy and Sally for their extraordinary philanthropy and their belief in the future of The Cleveland Orchestra. This generous gift is an endorsement of our mission to transform the institution and our audience. We are committed to becoming an even more relevant and responsive community resource for Northeast Ohio.”
Mr. Cutler has been an Orchestra Trustee since 2000. He said, “Sally and I are honored to help the Orchestra evolve, and outreach to younger audiences is a critical element in that evolution. The opportunity to attend the performances of a truly world-class orchestra right here in our own community has meant a great deal to us and we are hopeful that our gift will enhance the opportunity of students to have this same experience.”
Last year at Severance Hall, 8,000 students attended concerts. With full subsidy, students currently making up an average of 8% of the audience should increase to 15% by 2018. Among programs serving student audiences are: an annual student weekend that launched this weekend with deeply discounted tickets available in advance, and a new Student Ambassadors program that engages college students to invite their friends and peers. The current Student Advantage Program attendance will be increased through enhanced partnerships with colleges and universities.
Press Contact
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