Executive Director's Report

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Executive Director’s Report
September 2017

Finances

Audit: Our auditors will begin work on Monday, Sept. 25. They will be onsite at the Cantus office on Tuesday (9.26) and Wednesday (9.27), along with our accountants.
Cash flow: We are exiting the tightest point of the fall, and in the first week of October we should receive sizeable payments from the Taiwanese presenter and the Orchestra Hall box office for Sweet Honey. As of 9.22.17:

Asia tour

South Korea: A successful tour, with performances in Busan and Daegu.
China: A mixed bag – some enthusiastic audiences, but occasionally unsatisfactory (moldy, dirty) accommodations and a variety of surprises (requests for extra repertoire, delayed payment, etc.). The entire ensemble, and especially Matt as tour manager, dealt with quite a lot, and did so with good humor and patience. Cantus ultimately received its fee in full.
Taiwan: The ensemble leaves early in the morning of Sept. 25 and returns about midnight on Oct. 2. They will have two performances in Taipei, including a solo concert on Sept. 27 and a portion of a collaborative concert on Sept. 30, in which they will premiere a new work with ensembles from Taiwan and Europe.

Sweet Honey in the Rock

Overall: The concert appeared to be well received by the audience, and – anecdotally, based on conversations in the lobby – there seemed to be some attendees who were previously unfamiliar with Cantus.
Financial: The concert was indeed profitable, netting approx. $31K by initial calculations. However, its gross of $67K falls short of its budgeted goal of $94K because we had to rescale ticket prices and attendance was at 68 percent capacity rather than 85 percent.
Broadcast: MPR recorded both audio and video for later distribution.

Strategic Planning

The executive and governance committees (combined) will meet 5-7 pm on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at the Cantus office. Thanks to the finance and engagement committees who met with the planning consultant this month.
Board/Singers/Staff planning day: Sat., Oct. 14, 10:30 am-3:30 pm, Salo office (20 South 13th Street, Minneapolis)

Music Accord

In early September, we received $10,000 to reimburse Cantus for what was paid out for the Romeo & Juliet commission last year. The ensemble will work with Libby Larsen on an entirely separate 10-minute commission, funded solely by Music Accord, which will be included in the 2018-19 touring program.

VISION