COLORADO SPRINGS PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Under the direction of the 2018 Strategic Plan, the Philharmonic will pursue four main goals:
(1) enhance musical excellence through greater musician engagement and participation, as well as meaningful artistic collaborations;
(2) engage strategic growth by identifying opportunities to attract new audiences, utilize venues, and increased development efforts;
(3) expand outreach activities; and
(4) ensure long term organizational integrity.

These goals layout long-term strategies that direct Philharmonic production, outreach, advancement, and development with expectations of significant organizational growth and expansion over the next five years.

Musical Excellence
An exciting development in musical excellence is the expansion and transition of the Al and Leigh Buettner Signature Series. The series, performed in the new Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS, promises a new and unique experience as a guest artist reveals the distinguishing aspect of their work through a concert crafted by them alone. The new location and format have allowed the Philharmonic to reach a new varied audience. This new format has kept pace with prior success but has potential to outperform previous years.

Strategic Growth
To engage strategic growth, the Philharmonic has established a new Philharmonic Foundation and is developing a robust plan to emphasize endowment growth and increase sponsorship. Additionally, in the creation of the new Ventures Fund, the Philharmonic envisions a future built on significant service to the community through long-term planning of major artistic projects. By securing sustaining partners, the Fund ensures the next series of impactful cultural community projects, planning 2019-2023 and beyond. The Fund allows the Philharmonic to prepare projects that build significant engagement and partnership while expanding the public’s perception of an American symphony orchestra.

Expand Outreach
By developing a five-year plan of festivals and events surrounding the Philharmonic seasons, the organization will expand outreach activities by partnering with dozens of arts and community organizations. The next festival, Becoming Heroes, will be held March 28-May 17, 2020, and include more than 20 community partners.

Organizational Integrity
The current progress toward long-term organizational integrity is the construction of a custom database. This crucial infrastructure surmounts the problem of stunted organizational knowledge about patrons by joining disparate donor and box office data. Creating this platform has taken patience and time, but the Philharmonic is on the verge of seeing full benefits. Overall desired outcomes include: optimization of data to assist strategic decision-making, administrative staff efficiency, full picture of patron behavior, and increased patron experience through focus on customer lifetime values.

Our greatest strengths are ...
Our musicians, and our music.
Our leadership.
Our sustainability and fiscal management.
Our patrons and our programs.
Our places.

We have made great strides to maximize orchestra excellence through solidifying contracts for our musical leadership and musician labor contracts, recruiting better talent, program expansion in two concert series, expanding the reach of the orchestra through live broadcasts on 88.7 FM KCME, and implementing a challenging repertoire. Also, building the youngest audience through programs that include Free for Kids and Philharmonic Kids. In the 2017-18 season alone, more than 4,810 children witnessed a live orchestral performance for free.