Plugging the Holes before Filling the Barrel (2009) – We Salute You!…

My first Music Directorship was with the San Angelo Symphony (TX), and there were a lot of trial by fire moments that one can normally expect first time up at the plate.  From the very beginning though I had always thought of an orchestra as a community service organization…..

San Angelo is home to Goodfellow Air Force Base, which is virtually a separate community.  We saw very few men and women in uniform in and around the city.  I introduced an idea at a board meeting:

Since we have availability why don’t we provide to the base say 40 tickets per concert to thank them for their service.

Within 5 seconds a board member (a radio station owner) jumped to his feet and offered to sponsor the program by purchasing the tickets.  A simple gesture sold 40 subscriptions, and we had men and women (many in uniform) at all of our concerts.

Several patrons remarked that they felt that by coming to the Symphony they would get a chance to thank these men and women personally for their service to our country!  I soon realized that we were now also a liaison to the Gooodfellow Air Force Base community!  In short we took a step towards becoming a community service organization.

I remember going onto the base to deliver tickets one time and the warm greeting and thanks I received from an officer.  It was so humbling to be thanked by someone who had dedicated his life to protect us.  A moment I wil never forget.


Next time – Taking it to the bank……… the ticket bank!

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