Symphony for Amelia already receiving great press

The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, in partnership with the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, invites high school students to compete in the 18^th Annual Young Artist Competition on Saturday, November 20, 2010. Prizes are awarded in both the preliminary and finalist rounds for a total of $5,000, one of the largest combined prize winnings in the state.

This competition, generously sponsored by the Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation, draws high school students from across Florida to compete in one of four categories: piano, strings, brass/woodwinds, or voice.  Competition winners have gone on to study at prestigious schools such as The Juilliard School and Northwestern University, and many now lead successful music careers.

Soprano Janette Zilioli, winner of the First Annual Young Artist Competition, now has a successful performing career and will join the Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra October 23 and 24, 2010, for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and the World Premiere of Jaron Lanier’s Symphony for Amelia. Ms. Zilioli made her debut at Carnegie Hall at the age of 17 and has since performed nationally and internationally. She is the winner of numerous awards, including two notable fellowships in 2004 and 2008 to the Music Academy of the West to study with Marilyn Horne and Warren Jones.

Applications due Wednesday, November 3.

Get more information.

As part of Orange County Arts and Cultural Affairs’ Cultural Tourism Grant program, the Bach Festival Society (BFS) conducted a professionally administered audience research report measuring the economic impact of the Bach Festival Society’s 75^th Anniversary Celebration, which took place February–April 2010. The results show that the Bach Festival Society has both a strong artistic and economic impact in our community.

Although this report provides data about only a portion of the BFS’s programming, the results highlight how quality arts organizations positively affect their communities.

Facts

• Economic impact estimate: Total audience spending by both local residents (residents of Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake Counties) and out-of-town visitors was $785,706. Out-of-town visitors spent $655,907 in the Central Florida region, of which $352,324 was incremental revenue to the region—spending by out-of-town visitors who would not have been in Orange County if the Bach Festival programs were not taking place.

• Event satisfaction: 96% of all respondents said they were “very satisfied” with the 75^th Anniversary Celebration event they attended. Dozens of positive comments were collected, including “What a wonderful event to offer the community” and “I am so impressed with the sophistication and incredible professionalism of this society!”

• Visitor origin: Local residents made up 58.7% of attendees, with the remaining 41.3% coming from out-of-town. Nearly 13% of visitors were “incremental,” meaning that they were in Orange County specifically to attend a Bach Festival Society event AND they would not have been in Orange County if the event were not taking place.

• New attendees: Over one-quarter (26%) of all respondents were first-time attendees to a Bach Festival Society performance.

John L. Mica of Florida stood in the U.S. House of Representatives to recognize the 75th Anniversary of the Bach Festival Society. Here is the official record of his recognition.