‘It’s very grim’: Punta Gorda Symphony in desperate need of cash to survive

The Punta Gorda Symphony, which garnered national attention last spring when it abruptly canceled a concert two hours before it was to begin, is in danger of shutting down after 46 years unless leaders can raise at least $50,000 by the end of February.

A large infusion of cash would ensure that the group’s final concert of the season on March 17, featuring George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” could go on as scheduled, said Development Manager Jenifer Welch. The scheduled Feb. 18 concert will be replaced by something smaller and feature fewer musicians.

Welch, the only full time staff member remaining after the recent resignation of Executive Director Jennifer Bitner, said it costs about $50,000 for each concert and the organization would like to raise $150,000 to allow planning for future programming.

“I have six weeks to make it happen,” said Welch, adding that without the money, the organization would likely have to shut down. That would make it the first non-profit arts organization in Southwest Florida  to close following the COVID pandemic. Many arts organizations across the country have struggled because attendance has not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

“It’s very grim if we don’t get this money,” she said. “I look at the bank account every day. I know what’s coming in and what’s going out, and if we don’t get the support of the community there will be no orchestra for the community to support.”

Impact of a canceled concert

Welch said the canceled concert in April 2023 may be part of the organization’s undoing.

“It seems that the funding for the symphony based on the abrupt cancellation last year has sort of dried up,” said Welch.

She joined the organization a few weeks after police escorted then-music director Raffaele Ponti out of the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center two hours before he was to lead his final concert. Musicians also had to be escorted inside after a dinner break to retrieve their instruments, and patrons arriving for the concert were stunned to see police on the scene.

At the time, symphony officials said they were concerned about false reports being spread by Ponti that “led to what we interpreted as a physical threat from him.” Ponti has denied any threats or ill intentions.

Months later the board of directors named Richard Stoelzel, principal trumpet for four years, as the new music director. Stoelzel put together a six-concert season featuring several guest conductors and soloists and a mix of pops and classical favorites. Feedback from concerts held so far this season, including one on Jan. 14, “has been very positive,” Welch said. Stoelzel said he was already working on plans for the 2024-25 season.

Welch said some small donations are coming in, but several major donors who had previously given as much as $25,000 reduced their gifts to $5,000 or less after the canceled concert. In a coincidence of timing, a five-year $1.4 million grant from the Elizabeth B. McGraw Foundation came ended in 2023.

“The success of the symphony this year and the concerts has been overwhelming and we thought that might bring new life to the symphony,” she said.

The board of directors sent a letter to subscribers and donors sharing news of the financial distress, noting that the orchestra retained 95% of its musicians from last season, reduced costs and administrative overhead and that Stoelzel donated his services over the past six months.

The letter said that “without significant community financial support” the Jan. 14 concert would be the last.

Welch said she is working with several people who have been in touch about scheduling fundraising events that must come together quickly.

The staff is now just Welch and a part-time bookkeeper. “We cut back as far as we can,” she said. “We shut down our office and are working remotely and we have donated office space that allows us to store our music library.”

Concerts cost the organization about $50,000 for performance fees, travel and housing for musicians and guest artists, most of whom come from outside the area for each concert program.

“We used to have a program where people opened their homes to the musicians when they were here for concerns, which reduced costs,” Welch said. “But that stopped during COVID and we’re going to try to reintroduce that now that people are more apt to open their homes.”

To reach the Punta Gorda Symphony: 941-205-5996; pgsymphony.org.

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Punta Gorda Symphony needs $50k in six weeks to continue performing