President Dick called the meeting to order and asked Michael Ross to lead us in the pledge. Larry Gross gave the “thought for the day”. He talked about how communication works. Only about seven percent is your words, 38% is your tone of voice and 55% is body language and facial expressions. Remember a “text” is only 7% of effective communication.

 

RAFFLE KNOW HOW:  Brian Nickerson led the Raffle and although Art Howe is a lucky fisherman, he drew no queen.

 

HAPPY DOLLARS: Next President Dick asked if anybody had happy dollars.He said he had happy dollars because he had gotten a thank you for our support from the interact Club at Deering High. Lots of members also had reasons to give happy dollars.

 

CONGRATS! Dick read off our birthdays and anniversaries for June, with only Peter Goffin there in person to sing happy birthday to. Of all the anniversaries, Tom Talbott lead the pack with his 37 years as a member.

FORT WILLIAMS NEEDS YOU: Ellen Niewoehner encouraged members to join us this Saturday June 22 at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth from 9-11am for a special Environmental Committee project. The scope of the project has been revised; now instead of planting and mulching we will concentrate on cleaning up an area of the park overlooking Casco Bay, as well as some invasive renewal in the same area. To bring:  The usual - work gloves, water, sunscreen.  Also, lopers and/or folding hand saws were also recommended.  And don't forget to wear your Rotarian at Work shirt! Let Ellen know if you can join- email her today!
 

Carol Nishon introduced us to the Portland Symphony Orchestra which will be celebrating its 100^th season of enriching lives in our community through music. Many Rotarians have participated in and enjoyed the PSO “Magic of Christmas” celebration during the holiday season. Others are enthusiastic supporters of the classical and pops music presentations. We learned that the PSO offers much more: Discovery Concerts for families (where children can try playing an instrument) before the show, youth concerts for school children who come to Portland from across the state and KinderKonzerts where small ensembles of PSO musicians travel across the state to perform. A new program with Portland Public Schools, called PSO Explorers, was introduced that uses music as a tool to enhance the current school curriculum in kindergarten to 3^rd grade. Portland Schools and the PSO have conducted academic studies that demonstrate the positive impact using music has on enhancing math and literacy skills.

Carolyn started working for the Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO) in August of 2008. It was not an auspicious time to join the PSO, which was at an inflection point after many years of annual operating deficits. It came close to closing. She was 22 years old and took up the challenge of putting the PSO on a financially stable footing. She outlined a comprehensive community wide strategic planning process that involved PSO Board members and staff, musicians, and community stakeholders in a difficult but collaborative sustainability assessment of the PSO. As a result of these efforts, the PSO reduced some programming, concentrated its offerings, built partnerships with its unionized musicians and community groups to gradually worked itself back financially and diversify its programs.

 

Then Covid happened in 2020/21. Like so many businesses, the PSO was challenged medically and fiscally, especially for an organization where financial success depends on the size of a large, closely seated audience. Carolyn related how the PSO musicians and staff quickly adapted. They created in-house broadcasting: Portland Symphony TV, that allowed masked and safely distanced musicians to play with their performances accessed online. Even the Magic of Christmas was delivered as an entirely digital performance using individually recorded i-Phone videos of chorus singers that were stitched together and synchronized with the PSO orchestra. A resiliency fund was created to assist musicians who were unable to perform, and an fundraising program was developed to rebuild the PSO endowment. Thanks to all hands working creatively and communicating collaboratively, the PSO managed itself through the crisis. Current challenges include rebuilding audience that left during Covid and attracting and retaining new subscribers from an increasingly younger and more diverse Portland community.

 

Today, the PSO has 16 staff members, 82 part-time musicians, thousands of ticket buyers, patrons and sponsors, and many community partners.

 

In September the PSO kicks off its 100^th season. Carolyn shared some of the program highlights planned for the coming year with us which will start off with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, a YoYo Ma performance with the PSO Orchestra, a La Boheme collaboration with Opera Maine, A Star Wars, a New Hope orchestral presentation, the return of all living former PSO conductors, a musical “Block Party” on Mrytle Street next to City Hall. The Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ, Portland Stage, and Portland Ballet will all be part of a season long celebration.

 

We can look forward to a year of outstanding music and a few surprise appearances beginning this fall. (Doreen Rockstrom  and Carolyn Nishon)