The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra failed to meet its fundraising goal by Friday and will not receive a second installment of emergency money from the county legislature.

The organization’s fundraising attempts to raise money to cover operating costs fell $144,913 short of the March 4 goal of $820,000, according to a press release issued Friday. The SSO began their fundraising campaign, ‘Keep the Music Playing,’ earlier this year in hopes of raising $1.75 million by Aug. 1. The SSO cannot collect another $100,000 from the county legislature without first raising this amount through private donations, according to the release.

Without this cash, the SSO will be forced to suspend operations in the coming weeks, SSO Interim Executive Director Paul Brooks said in the release.

The SSO has raised enough funds to operate through March and has set monthly fundraising goals in April and May of $400,000, according to the release. It has received more than 2,000 donations and raised $675,087, according to the release.

The organization’s financial troubles have been caused in part by ‘declining ticket sales, corporate funding and government support over the past three seasons,’ according to the release. Each was down by 23 percent, 24 percent and 32 percent, respectively. 

Officials from the SSO could not be reached for comment.

The cause is something many in the SU community have chosen to support. Freshmen SU music education majors began a recycling fundraiser to support the SSO three weeks ago. So far, they have raised more than $200 and plan to donate the money at the end of the semester.

Meghan O’Keefe, a freshman music education major, helped place collection bins outside of residence halls to collect bottles and cans and then cash them in for donation money. She and her fellow volunteers will also pick up recyclables from students who live off campus, she said.

‘Up here, the SSO is really the only organization that puts on full-length programs like the Chicago symphony or the Boston symphony,’ O’Keefe said. ‘It’s a legitimate symphony and the only way people can be exposed to the arts, unless you go to the four concerts the university puts on each year.’

Maria Varonko, the freshman class representative for SU’s collegiate chapter of Music Educator’s National Conference, said Daniel Hege, the conductor of the SSO, has spoken to students on multiple occasions about what musical educators will need to do in the future.

The SSO is a great resource, especially for music students, Varonko said.

‘It gives us a standard to see where we have to be to be good musicians. They’re great role models because the next step in our careers as college musicians is going into the professional world,’ Varonko said.

Even though the SSO’s completion of the 2010-11 season may be up in the air, Varonko said it is important to continue supporting the organization.

‘They have been very beneficial to us in the past,’ Varonko said, ‘so we are returning the favor.’

jianthon@syr.edu

Published on March 6, 2011 at 12:00 pm