2018-04-17T12:57:48-05:00 2017-06-30 450250958 Eide Bailly LLP 800 Nicollet Mall Ste 1300 Minneapolis MN 554027033 990 2016-07-01 410829498 The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Society SAIN 6512923248 408 St Peter Street 3rd Floor St Paul MN 55102 Beth Toso CFO 6512923248 2018-04-17 1 Deb Nelson CPA P01264758 6122536500 2018-04-17 50.203.45.82 2018-04-17 11:24:52 CD P D8A1E5117AA53286D53F57459EBB2DE5C7CA50FC D8A1E5117AA53286D53F57459EBB2DE5C7CA50FC 2016 2021-01-29 14:40:06Z Jon Limbacher 408 St Peter Street 3rd Floor St Paul MN 55102 13773391 0 X www.thespco.org X 1958 MN To present world-class concerts and enrich the community with education and engagement activities. 61 57 278 250 526210 414393 5756242 9238117 2212246 2121874 1380677 2136398 177175 169382 9526340 13665771 0 0 0 0 6267930 6247947 88837 89091 1115957 4185543 4436353 10542310 10773391 -1015970 2892380 42823585 48623821 2792208 3093766 40031377 45530055 X The mission of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Society is to present a world-class professional chamber orchestra in the Twin Cities, dedicated to superior performance, artistic innovation, and education for the enrichment of community and world audiences. 0 0 8321804 2121872 Organization SummaryRenowned for its artistic excellence, remarkable versatility of musical styles and adventurous programming, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) is widely regarded as one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world. Now in its 59th season, the SPCO has recently undergone transformational change with the opening of its new home, the Ordway Concert Hall, the addition of a new generation of players, and significant changes in its artistic vision. The SPCO is primarily an unconducted ensemble that performs a broad range of repertoire from Baroque to new music and works in close collaboration with a diverse series of artistic partners, including British Baroque specialist Jonathan Cohen, American pianist Jeremy Denk, Swedish clarinetist Martin Frost, Moldovan violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto. Past Artistic Partners include Roberto Abbado, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Joshua Bell, Douglas Boyd, Nicholas McGegan, Stephen Prutsman, Dawn Upshaw and Christian Zacharias.The virtuoso musicians of the SPCO present more than 130 concerts and educational programs in the Twin Cities each year. The orchestra also reaches more than 250,000 listeners annually through its free online Concert Library, and has recently begun offering both live and on-demand videos of concerts that can be viewed anytime, anywhere, on any device, completely free of charge. The SPCO is regularly heard on public radio programs that reach more than 2 million listeners each week on over 300 stations. Additionally, the SPCO has released 67 recordings, commissioned 148 new works, and tours nationally and internationally, including performances in premier venues in Europe, Asia and South America.The SPCO is nationally recognized for its commitment to broad community accessibility, its innovative audience outreach efforts, and its educational and family programming. Regular subscription series are performed in a variety of different venues across the Twin Cities metropolitan area each season, a unique commitment to geographic accessibility for a major orchestra. The SPCO offers the most affordable tickets of any major orchestra in the United States, with over 50 percent of tickets available for $15 or less, and has expanded accessibility even further by offering free tickets for children and students starting in the 2016.17 season as a part of the New Generation Initiative. The orchestra also offers an innovative ticket membership model in which members pay $7 per month to attend unlimited concerts. The SPCO's award-winning CONNECT education program reaches over 5,000 students and teachers annually in 11 Minneapolis and Saint Paul public schools, and its Free Family Music program provides engaging and educational experiences for thousands of Twin Cities children and families each year. The SPCO's Liquid Music Series (named "Best of Classical" by The New York Times) develops innovative new projects with iconoclastic artists in unique presentation formats and invites adventurous audiences to discover the new and the fascinating within the flourishing landscape of contemporary chamber music.For more information, visit www.thespco.org. 2016-17 SummaryThe SPCO once again served a record high number of unique attendees throughout the 2016-17 season, surpassing the all-time high achieved the previous season. Individual giving to the Annual Fund reached an all-time high, and the total amount contributed to the Annual Fund increased by nearly two percent from the previous year. SERVING AN EXPANDING AUDIENCEAudience growth, New Generation Initiative, free online Concert Library:The SPCO continued to build upon its long history of audience growth in the 2016-17 season, serving a record high number of unique attendees and surpassing the all-time high achieved the previous season. Nearly 116,000 people attended its 140 concerts in 24 different venues throughout the metro area, a 5 percent increase over the previous year's attendance. The orchestra also served several thousand people through its additional community engagement and education programs, including Music Moves, which brings free chamber music performances to those who are unable to attend traditional concerts, such as those living in assisted living facilities, as well as patients and their families at children's hospitals and cancer treatment and recovery centers. The SPCO served over 7,000 students through its CONNECT music education program in 11 Minneapolis and Saint Paul public schools, along with homeschool students and students participating in a distance pilot program in Albert Lea, Hinckley and Fairmont. In addition, the SPCO provided 13 free concerts for families and children through its Free Family Music Series, generously supported, in part, by Target. The SPCO also presented 10 performances of its celebrated Liquid Music Series, which develops innovative new projects with iconoclastic artists in unique presentation formats and expands the flourishing landscape of contemporary chamber music. The strong attendance in the 2016-17 season represents another year of continued audience expansion for the SPCO and great progress toward two audience goals established in its most recent strategic plan: to expand the number of people who experience SPCO performances, both in-person and digitally, and to increase the number of young audience members. The chamber orchestra's audience has grown by more than 50 percent in the last 13 years, during which time the SPCO has maintained its commitment to broad community accessibility, offering the most affordable ticket prices of any major American orchestra.In the most recent step in the organization's history of bold moves toward greater accessibility for the community, the SPCO announced its New Generation Initiative in 2016, a series of programs designed to dramatically expand access to classical music for young people in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area. Through generous funding from a small group of individual donors, the SPCO is making it easier than ever for young people to experience SPCO concerts through these new efforts, which include free tickets for children and students, as well as special concerts geared toward young people. Special performances for young audiences in the 2016-17 season included a 3-concert series at Icehouse in Minneapolis, a special happy hour concert at the Ordway, and a concert at Turf Club in Saint Paul, which was expanded to a 3-concert series at Turf Club in the 2017-18 season. Attendance by young people in FY17 exceeded expectations, with over 10,000 children and young adults attending SPCO concerts (not including Free Family Music performances). Over 8,000 children and students attended regular SPCO concerts, over four times as many children and students as attended in the previous concert season. In addition to those who experienced the SPCO in person by attending performances, the SPCO also shared its music via its free online Concert Library, which received over 19,000 visits from Minnesotans and over 376,000 visits from listeners worldwide in 2016-17. In June 2017, the orchestra announced a major new video initiative, adding full-length concert videos to the Concert Library and presenting its first ever live video stream of a performance in the season's closing weekend. SPCO concerts are offered as full HD video, with the accompanying audio mix provided by the SPCO's long-time broadcast partner Classical Minnesota Public Radio. The SPCO plans to live stream 7-10 concerts per season and make those concerts available for on-demand viewing, as well. This initiative builds upon the SPCO's commitment to broad community accessibility, making transformational performances available free of charge to anyone or any organization with internet access.ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENTSMusician leadership, world premieres, national and international tours, Grammy-winning recording:Firmly established as a primarily unconducted ensemble led by its own musicians, the SPCO presented 70 unconducted, musician-led performances and 13 SPCO musicians were featured as soloists with the orchestra in the 2016-17 season. Three new musicians were hired, including violinist Eunice Kim, Principal Violinist Francisco Fullana, and horn player Matthew Wilson. In addition, British conductor, keyboardist and cellist Jonathan Cohen and Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto officially began their tenures as Artistic Partners.(Continued on Page 56) 8321804 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 61 0 1 278 1 1 1 1 BD CJ LU 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 X 61 57 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 MN WI X Beth Toso 6512923248 408 St Peter Street 3rd Floor St Paul MN 55102 Jon Limbacher President & Managing Director 40.00 1.00 X X 272178 0 29360 Joseph Tashjian Chair 1.00 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Dobson West Immediate Past Chair 1.00 2.00 X X 0 0 0 AJ Huss Jr Immediate Past Chair 1.00 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Lowell J Noteboom Immediate Past Chair 1.00 1.50 X X 0 0 0 Erwin A Kelen Immediate Past Chair 1.00 1.50 X X 0 0 0 Daniel R Pennie Treasurer 1.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 David L Lillehaug Secretary 1.00 0.00 X X 0 0 0 Daria Adams Ex-Officio/Violin 30.00 0.00 X 69292 0 8477 Betty S Andrews Ex-Officio 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Daniel Avchen Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Jo Bailey Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Lynne Beck Ex-Officio 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Debra J Berns Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Theresa Bevilacqua Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Thomas M Brown Director (thru July 15, 2016) 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Penny Chally Ex-Officio 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Jon C Cieslak Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Richard J Cohen Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Steven Copes Director/Violin 30.00 0.00 X 195264 0 41454 Sheldon W Damberg Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Jeffrey DeYoung Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Judith Garcia Galiana Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Kathryn Greenbank Ex-Officio/Oboe 30.00 0.00 X 98249 0 27371 Bonnie Grzeskowiak Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Ingrid Lenz Harrison Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Lowell W Hellervik Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Andrina Hougham Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Amy Hubbard Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 James E Johnson Director 1.00 1.00 X 0 0 0 Arthur W Kaemmer MD Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 D William Kaufman Director 1.00 1.00 X 0 0 0 Robert L Lee Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Laura Liu Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Wendell Maddox Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Stephen H Mahle Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Richard M Martinez Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Jerome Miranowski Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Alfred P Moore Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Betty Myers Ex-Officio 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 David E Myers Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Eric Nilsson Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Jenny Lind Nilsson Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Robert M Oberlies Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Robert M Olafson Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Deborah J Palmer Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Paula J Patineau Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Nancy McGlynn Phelps Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Nicholas S Pifer Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Eric Prindle Ex-Officio 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Shawn Quant Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Andrew J Redleaf Director 1.00 1.50 X 0 0 0 Peter Remes Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Barb Renner Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Paul C Reyelts Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 David Rosedahl Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Donald E Ryks Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Anthony C Scarfone Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Daniel J Schmechel Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Kathleen Schubert Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Fred Sewell Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Ronald Sit Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 James Donald Smith Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Scott Wilensky Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Alan Wilensky Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Elizabeth Willis Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Paul Wilson Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Priscilla Zee Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 Beth Toso Chief Financial Officer 40.00 0.00 X 127943 0 15622 Kyu-Young Kim Artistic Director/Violin 40.00 0.00 X 246068 0 16285 Ruggero Allifranchini Musician/Violin 30.00 0.00 X 157092 0 20517 Julie Albers Musician/Cello 30.00 0.00 X 125913 0 10769 1291999 0 169855 6 0 1 0 SD & A Teleservices 5757 West Century Blvd 300 Los Angeles CA 62041 Telefunding and Telemarketing 132668 Success Computer Consulting 6130 Golden Hills Drive Golden Valley MN 55416 Consulting Services 109606 2 35435 3269783 524237 5408662 3592624 9238117 Ticket Revenue 711130 1839204 1839204 Concerts For A Fee 711130 219518 219518 Other Revenue 711130 63152 63152 2121874 557459 526210 31249 1390793 270000 0 81854 1390793 188146 1578939 1578939 8765 35435 25766 -17001 -17001 Other Investment Income 900099 186383 186383 186383 13665771 2121874 526210 1779570 1149137 805690 163039 180408 169200 169200 3920776 3211139 261096 448541 270127 232129 14071 23927 381816 307094 20078 54644 356891 289092 27791 40008 36201 4916 30054 1231 33714 33714 30200 20600 9600 89091 89091 192183 192183 84500 84500 175034 145956 702 28376 268429 159907 48359 60163 233774 168212 20592 44970 320652 175792 87193 57667 522484 464591 20873 37020 43982 7998 35984 10905 10905 232302 201958 11254 19090 18183 18183 Concert/Production Expe 1875301 1875301 Other Investment Expens 334940 334940 23569 146 2202 21221 10773391 8321804 1335630 1115957 316570 564525 3850480 2733290 22024 29377 151039 205207 3273983 2214720 886398 1059263 18394422 23572304 15565296 16685960 82241 73145 3555115 3700750 42823585 48623821 831409 1068741 1106163 1026865 215984 638652 998160 2792208 3093766 X -2823501 -473627 3628600 6191044 39226278 39812638 40031377 45530055 42823585 48623821 X 2892380 2324026 282272 X 0 1 X 1 0 X 7785647 5677767 8385674 5767932 9238119 36855139 7785647 5677767 8385674 5767932 9238119 36855139 4699918 32155221 334513 424678 628403 664131 557458 2609183 177377 183463 188672 192054 186383 927949 40392271 9100683 0.79610 0.85740 X Schedule A, Part II, Line 10, Explanation of Other Income: Distribution from perpetual trust - 2012 Amount: $ 177,377. 2013 Amount: $ 183,463. 2014 Amount: $ 188,672. 2015 Amount: $ 192,054. 2016 Amount: $ 186,383. RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 36652459 253540 4155538 1565903 249477 39246157 38962172 174293 -574038 1648333 261635 36652459 39433543 124597 1303679 1609334 290313 38962172 37046470 19003 4212178 1597770 246338 39433543 36159926 140000 2512142 1586604 178994 37046470 0.97610 0.02390 1 1 1 72998 21526 51472 3176985 2193194 983791 24000 24000 1059263 Absolute Return Strategies 11842969 F Private Equity 1831802 F Real Assets 3011189 F 16685960 Beneficial interest in charitable trusts 3700750 3700750 Deferred gifts 323160 Line of credit 675000 998160 X 15492761 2324026 30087 2354113 13138648 527123 527123 13665771 9994083 0 9994083 527123 252185 779308 10773391 Part V, Line 4: The Endowment consists of pooled funds restricted for the long-term support of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. The Endowment is invested for purposes of earning income (dividends, interest, and realized and unrealized gains). The income can generally be used to offset fund management expenses, operating fund additional support, or be reinvested in accordance with the SPCO's investment policy. Restricted endowment income is used for its intended purpose. Part X, Line 2: SPCO is organized as a Minnesota nonprofit corporation and has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as exempt from federal income taxes under Section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code as an organization described in Section 501(c)(3), qualifies for the charitable contribution deduction under Section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi), and has been determined not to be a private foundation under Section 509(a)(1). SPCO is annually required to file a Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990) with the IRS. In addition, SPCO is subject to income tax on net income that is derived from business activities that are unrelated to the exempt purpose. SPCO files an Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Return (Form 990-T) with the IRS to report its unrelated business taxable income. SPCO believes that it has appropriate support for any tax positions taken affecting its annual filing requirements, and as such, does not have any uncertain tax positions that are material to the financial statements. SPCO would recognize future accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits and liabilities in income tax expense if such interest and penalties are incurred. Part XI, Line 2d - Other Adjustments: Change in value of beneficial interest in charitable trusts 145,635. Change in value of gift annuities -52,503. Change in discount on pledges receivable 198,490. Change in discount on accrued liability -9,350. Fundraising Expense -252,185. Part XII, Line 4b - Other Adjustments: Fundraising expenses 252,185. Central America and the Caribbean - Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, 0 0 Endowment Investments 8155000 Europe (Including Iceland & Greenland) - Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium 0 0 Endowment Investments 602000 Europe (Including Iceland & Greenland) - Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium 0 1 Program Services Performances 243000 0 1 0 0 0 1 9000000 0 9000000 1 0 0 1 1 0 Part I, Line 2: The organization does not award grants or assistance outside the United States. The organization has investment activities and touring program activities outside the United States. Schedule F, Part IV, Line 4: The organization invests in partnerships that hold direct or indirect interests in passive foreign investment companies. The investment partnerships have properly filed Form 8621, or the underlying investments did not generate any unrelated business income. Under these facts, it is not necessary for the organization to file an additional Form 8621. Schedule F, Part IV, Line 5: The organization has an ownership interest in a foreign partnership. However, the organization is below the ownership percentage that would trigger the filing of the Form 8865 and also does not meet the dollar threshold for transfers during the year. Therefore, no Form 8865 has been filed. X X X X X X X 1 S D & A 5757 W Century Blvd 300 Los Angeles CA 90045 Telefunding 0 126074 89091 36983 126074 89091 36983 MN WI Opening Night 19506 17356 2150 9896 780 1206 Jeremy Denk Dinner and Concert 24694 18079 6615 12019 1865 44200 35435 8765 21915 780 3071 25766 -17001 X X X X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jon Limbacher President & Managing Director 246770 0 25000 0 408 0 13200 0 16160 0 301538 0 0 0 Steven Copes Director/Violin 194774 0 0 0 490 0 18553 0 22901 0 236718 0 0 0 Kyu-Young Kim Artistic Director/Violin 245578 0 0 0 490 0 14897 0 1388 0 262353 0 0 0 Ruggero Allifranchini Musician/Violin 156602 0 0 0 490 0 13834 0 6683 0 177609 0 0 0 Schedule J, Part II, Column (B)(ii): Jon Limbacher, President & Managing Director, received a $25,000 signing bonus as part of his employment contract with SPCO. Elsa Nilsson Family Member of Current Board Member 73067 Compensation 0 Charles Ullery Spouse of Family Member of Current Board Member 96133 Compensation 0 X 47 3587289 Average High/Low X Other 3 5335 Cost 0 0 1 0 Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 1 The Board of Directors may designate an Executive Committee with such members and duties as may be specified by the Board of Directors from time to time. All Executive Committee members shall be Directors. The Executive Committee shall at all times be subject to the control and direction of the Board of Directors. One-third (1/3) of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum. A majority of the votes cast shall govern in every matter voted upon. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 2 Paula Patineau and Joe Tashjian have a family relationship. Jenny Lind Nilsson and Eric Nilsson have a family relationship. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 6 The organization's voting members consist of the members of the Board of Directors and the Governing Members of the organization. All persons and organizations that contribute or pledge at least $2,500 during the organization's most recent or current fiscal year may elect to be designated as a Governing Member. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 7a Each year the Governance Committee of the Board of Directors submits a list of recommended nominees for approval by the voting members at the Annual Meeting. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11b The return is reviewed by the Chief Financial Officer and Finance Committee prior to Board review. A copy of the Form 990 is provided to the Board and approved before it is filed. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12c All officers, directors, and key employees are required to sign a conflict of interest form annually. The Executive Assistant reviews the forms and forwards any items noted to the Governance Committee for review. The restrictions imposed on a person with a conflict are determined by the Governance Committee and would typically include a restriction from voting on matters related to the conflict. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 15 For the President & Managing Director position, rebuttable presumptions data is compiled and reviewed and the general parameters of the employment agreement is compared against this data before the employment agreement is finalized. Annually, a review committee of board members undertakes a performance evaluation of the President and addresses the President's compensation. Other officers or key employees follow the regular organization-wide practices where compensation is reviewed periodically with industry salary survey data and is commensurate with the position and experience of the individual. Annual reviews are conducted that are linked with changes in compensation. If appropriate, rebuttable presumption data is reviewed and compared for the other officers or key employees. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 The organization posts its audited financial statements on its website, and these statements are also available upon request. Governing documents and the conflict of interest policy are available to the public upon request and at the organization's discretion. Form 990, Part XI, line 9: Change in value of beneficial interest in charitable trust 145,635. Change in discount on pledges receivable 198,490. Change in discount on accrued liability -9,350. Change in value of gift annuities -52,503. Form 990, Part III, Program A: The SPCO performed premieres of numerous new works, including City Stanzas, a new piano concerto by Sally Beamish as the second installment in its five-year Beethoven/5 Project with pianist Jonathan Biss, which pairs newly commissioned piano concertos with one of Beethoven's five piano concertos that inspired it. Additional works by George Tsontakis, Dai Fujikura, Marcos Balter and Pierre Jalbert were premiered. The SPCO's Liquid Music Series presented the world premiere of Music for the Long Emergency, a commissioned collaboration by Berlin's vibrant s t a r g a z e (in their U.S. debut) and internationally-renowned Minneapolis band Polica, which will be released as an album in February 2018. The Liquid Music season also featured premieres of works by Ambrose Akinmusire, Roomful of Teeth, Nick Zammuto and TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe. The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra went on both domestic and international tours in the fall of 2016, with a performance at Dartmouth College's Hopkins Center for the Arts on October 14, followed by a performance in New York City on October 15 to open 92nd Street Y's 2016-17 season, both with Artistic Partner and pianist Jeremy Denk. In November, the SPCO and Artistic Partner Patricia Kopatchinskaja embarked upon a European tour, performing a special arrangement of Schubert's Death and the Maiden in Rome, Bologna, Siena, Berlin and Vienna. In addition to taking the Death and the Maiden program on tour in Europe, the SPCO and Kopatchinskaja recorded the program during live performances in Saint Paul and the album from the recording session was released in October 2016 to critical acclaim. The New York Times included the recording in its list of the year's best classical releases and it recently won the 2018 Grammy award in the "Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance" category. SPECIAL PROGRAMMING Sphinx Virtuosi Co-presentation, Cutting the Circle of Sounds, Northside Celebration, Where Words End Festival, programs exploring the horrors of war: In October, the SPCO joined fellow members of the Arts Partnership (the Ordway, Minnesota Opera and Schubert Club) in presenting Sphinx Virtuosi, a chamber ensemble comprised of the nation's top black and Latino string soloists, at the Ordway Concert Hall. In February, renowned flutist and MacArthur Fellow Claire Chase joined the SPCO and 183 community-sourced amateur flutists to perform Salvatore Sciarrino's Cutting the Circle of Sounds, an immersive composition performed by four flute soloists and migrating flutists of all ages and abilities. A highlight of the 2016-17 season was the Northside Celebration. Building upon the SPCO's 8-year partnership with the Capri Theater in North Minneapolis, the SPCO and the Capri joined forces with North Minneapolis musicians Sanford Moore and Dennis Spears to present two collaborative performances that celebrated the North Minneapolis community through music. For 90 captivating minutes, spoken word, stories and reflections were woven through musical selections. The Northside Celebration Choir, made up of singers from North Minneapolis churches and organizations, sang a mixture of traditional gospel pieces and newer works. The SPCO performed the rousing piece Strum by American composer Jessie Montgomery and punctuated Master Storyteller Nothondo Zulu's stories of growing up on the Northside with the music of William Grant Still. The centerpiece of the concert was the world premiere of True North for community choir and chamber orchestra. The music was composed by long-time Northside resident Timothy C. Takach and the lyrics were written by hip hop and spoken word artist Desdamona, who frequently teaches young people on the Northside. Her words were inspired by written responses from young community members who were asked timely and pointed questions about what community meant to them. The result was powerful lyrics set to compelling new music that drew from multiple musical traditions. In May 2017, the SPCO presented a festival led by Artistic Partner Pekka Kuusisto titled Where Words End, inspired by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius's quote, "For me, music begins where words end." The festival brought together artists of various disciplines and backgrounds to join the SPCO in exploring themes of immigration and cultural identity through the lens of the Nordic music and heritage that is so deeply woven into the cultural fabric of our community. Festival events included concerts that were part of the SPCO's regular season, as well as a special Happy Hour concert at the Ordway and a co-presentation with the American Swedish Institute (ASI) featuring an outdoor performance by Pekka Kuusisto and Iceland's Bedroom Community in conjunction with ASI's Weather Diaries visual art exhibit. Another thematic focus woven into programs throughout the season was music born out of the horrors of war. Important works by Gideon Klein and Erwin Schulhoff, Jewish composers murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust, were performed, as well as seminal chamber orchestra works written in the shadows of World War II, including Bartok's Divertimento for Strings and Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony based on his Third String Quartet. In conjunction with these performances, the SPCO hosted Transfer of Memory, a touring exhibition featuring photos and stories of local Holocaust survivors, presented in collaboration with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas. Together, the music performed by the SPCO and the stories told in the exhibit offered audiences the opportunity to explore art's potential to express, interpret and transcend tragedy. This was all made possible by the generous support of the Twin Cities community, with $6,462,460 contributed as operating support to the SPCO by individuals, foundations, corporations and institutions in fiscal year 2017. 5,509 donors contributed to the SPCO in the fiscal year, with nearly 900 making recurring monthly gifts as Sustainers. Oakleaf Endowment Trust for the SPCO 1800 IDS Center Minneapolis MN 55402 416429380 Support St. Paul Chamber Orchestra MN 501(c)(3) Line 12a, I St Paul Chamber Orchestra Society 1 Chamberleaf Inc 3033 Excelsior Blvd Ste 300 Minneapolis MN 55416 263062443 Support St. Paul Chamber Orchestra MN 501(c)(3) Line 12a, I St Paul Chamber Orchestra Society 1 Arts Partnership 345 Washington Street St Paul MN 55102 262507419 Support Arts Partners in Twin Cities MN 501(c)(3) Line 1 N/A 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Oakleaf Endowment Trust for the SPCO S 186383 Accrual Chamberleaf Inc C 3045381 Accrual Arts Parnership C 224402 Accrual Chamberleaf Inc S 715893 Accrual