1
00:00:01,668 --> 00:00:03,504
[gentle orchestral music]
2
00:00:03,570 --> 00:00:05,439
- Robert Reed: When someone
turns 100 years old,
3
00:00:05,506 --> 00:00:06,773
that's huge.
4
00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:11,278
As an organization, to turn 100
is also just as large.
5
00:00:11,345 --> 00:00:16,283
Many nonprofits in particular
never make it this long.
6
00:00:16,350 --> 00:00:17,718
My name is Robert Reed.
7
00:00:17,784 --> 00:00:20,754
I'm the executive director of
the Madison Symphony Orchestra.
8
00:00:20,821 --> 00:00:22,956
We're celebrating 100 years.
9
00:00:23,023 --> 00:00:26,693
An amazing thing is we've only
had four music directors,
10
00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:29,429
so that means that they usually
have had an average tenure
11
00:00:29,496 --> 00:00:31,365
of 25 years apiece.
12
00:00:33,267 --> 00:00:34,835
- John DeMain: One, two,
three, four.
13
00:00:34,902 --> 00:00:37,471
[bright orchestral music]
14
00:00:37,804 --> 00:00:39,773
- Robert: Our current
music director, John DeMain,
15
00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:43,644
is gonna be stepping down
after 32 years.
16
00:00:45,746 --> 00:00:48,782
We have 91 musicians
under contract.
17
00:00:48,849 --> 00:00:52,252
One of the things I love about
being an orchestra of our size,
18
00:00:52,319 --> 00:00:55,722
our musicians, they are here
because they want to be here.
19
00:00:55,789 --> 00:00:59,359
They want to play, they want
to have fun doing that.
20
00:00:59,426 --> 00:01:01,228
It's not just a job.
21
00:01:01,762 --> 00:01:04,398
And you come here,
and all of a sudden,
22
00:01:04,464 --> 00:01:07,768
you've developed
a sense of family.
23
00:01:07,835 --> 00:01:10,370
Many venues across the country
and world,
24
00:01:10,437 --> 00:01:13,106
you can't fully hear
the orchestra.
25
00:01:13,173 --> 00:01:15,609
I'm not making an exaggeration.
26
00:01:15,676 --> 00:01:18,212
I think our hall
is one of the top 20 halls
27
00:01:18,278 --> 00:01:21,281
in the United States of America.
28
00:01:21,582 --> 00:01:24,484
When you come here, it is served
to you on a silver platter,
29
00:01:24,551 --> 00:01:26,353
and so you hear everything,
30
00:01:26,420 --> 00:01:28,689
and you hear this
lush string sound,
31
00:01:28,755 --> 00:01:31,658
and you hear all these things,
and it becomes exciting,
32
00:01:31,725 --> 00:01:33,193
and you know, lifts your spirit
33
00:01:33,260 --> 00:01:35,362
when you're sitting
in your seat.
34
00:01:35,429 --> 00:01:37,798
The symphony
is for the community.
35
00:01:37,865 --> 00:01:40,234
And so, when we were thinking
about what are we gonna do
36
00:01:40,300 --> 00:01:42,703
to celebrate the
100th anniversary season,
37
00:01:42,769 --> 00:01:44,137
we thought, we have to have
something
38
00:01:44,204 --> 00:01:49,776
that is as blatantly obvious
a community event as possible.
39
00:01:51,078 --> 00:01:55,549
We are involving
40-plus different arts groups.
40
00:01:55,616 --> 00:01:57,684
[operatic singing]
41
00:01:57,751 --> 00:02:00,387
So, five performance spaces
in the Overture Center,
42
00:02:00,454 --> 00:02:04,124
it's gonna have a revolving door
of performances.
43
00:02:04,191 --> 00:02:08,529
- ? Somewhere up in Laventille,
many years ago ?
44
00:02:09,496 --> 00:02:11,031
- Robert: The symphony should be
the anchor
45
00:02:11,098 --> 00:02:13,634
of the festival weekend.
46
00:02:13,700 --> 00:02:15,569
We want to make sure
that we perform music
47
00:02:15,636 --> 00:02:18,972
that everybody's going to know,
and then so,
48
00:02:19,039 --> 00:02:22,376
doing some of the
best-known selections
49
00:02:22,442 --> 00:02:25,012
of a symphonic repertoire.
50
00:02:26,246 --> 00:02:31,718
[Symphony No. 9 in D Minor,
Op. 125 by Ludwig van Beethoven]
51
00:02:31,785 --> 00:02:33,453
From the final movement,
"Ode to Joy,"
52
00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:35,923
Beethoven's Symphony No. 9,
53
00:02:35,989 --> 00:02:41,228
to doing American in Paris,
to movements of The Planets.
54
00:02:41,828 --> 00:02:45,299
[ The Planets, Op. 32
by Gustav Holst]
55
00:02:50,671 --> 00:02:51,772
If they've heard nothing else,
56
00:02:51,839 --> 00:02:54,308
if they've heard movies
and soundtracks,
57
00:02:54,374 --> 00:02:56,844
they will know this music.
58
00:02:57,878 --> 00:03:01,782
[ An American in Paris
by George Gershwin]
59
00:03:02,749 --> 00:03:05,085
So, we want people to walk away
feeling like,
60
00:03:05,152 --> 00:03:08,121
"You know,
the symphony is for me too."
61
00:03:08,188 --> 00:03:10,123
Any nonprofit could fail
62
00:03:10,190 --> 00:03:13,260
if it doesn't have the support
of the community.
63
00:03:13,327 --> 00:03:14,895
We're getting enough affirmation
64
00:03:14,962 --> 00:03:17,331
from people buying tickets
to our concerts,
65
00:03:17,397 --> 00:03:19,566
for people who make their
donations to the symphony
66
00:03:19,633 --> 00:03:20,901
on the annual basis.
67
00:03:20,968 --> 00:03:24,171
So, the community is saying
to us, "We want you here."
68
00:03:24,238 --> 00:03:28,709
You know, we're not begging
people to please let us survive.
69
00:03:28,775 --> 00:03:31,245
People want us here,
and that feels great,
70
00:03:31,311 --> 00:03:33,447
that we're wanted
and that we're needed,
71
00:03:33,514 --> 00:03:36,183
and that we're serving
a purpose.
72
00:03:36,250 --> 00:03:39,152
[energetic orchestral music]
73
00:03:40,020 --> 00:03:42,155
[cheers and applause]