Every once in a while, someone will ask what the next Schubert Club performance is. It can be embarrassing when my mind goes blank for a few seconds, as I try to focus on the near future. I’m usually able to recover pretty quickly, but the truth is that often, my mind is focused on the longer-term future, as that is what we’re always planning.
Today at the beginning of February 2015, all programs for our 2014-15 Season are of course set and advertised. We are just a couple of weeks away from announcing the 2015-16 Season – at least the International Artist Series (at the Ordway) and Music in the Park Series (in St Anthony Park), so you shouldn’t be surprised to know that artists and ensembles for these concerts are pretty much finalized. (And we’re excited about them!)
But there’s also a deadline approaching related to the 2016-17 season. As a “resident organization” and member of the Arts Partnership, The Schubert Club has preferential access to scheduling our recitals in the Ordway. That preferential scheduling access for the 2016-17 season runs out on March 1, meaning our exclusive right to specific dates in both Ordway venues for the International Artist Series passes. After this date, dates in the calendars of both the Ordway Music Theater and Concert Hall open up to all organizations and artists who wish to present or perform in the Ordway. That’s not to say that we, The Schubert Club, need to confirm our whole season within the next 28 days – and it’s highly unlikely that we could, even if we wanted to – but it will be important for us to confirm the dates we can, and be aware that after March 1, access to some dates (particularly on the weekends) will be gone.
We, The Schubert Club, are one of four organizations that make up the Arts Partnership. Together with the Ordway, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Opera, we have been fortunate to benefit from the support and generosity of the Twin Cities community raising over $80 million to build the new Concert Hall and establish an endowment fund to subsidize our activity in the Ordway. The Arts Partnership is a remarkable achievement.
But as we’re busy planning the 2016-17 season, I won’t forget our next two performances this current season – the Schubert Ensemble of London (one of the UK’s consistently top-performing chamber music ensembles) in Music in the Park Series on February 15th and the young, exceptional British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor at the Ordway on February 24th. I hope you can join us for those.