Judy Sirota Rosenthal Photo
New Haven Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Natalie Forbes
The New Haven Symphony Orchestra has announced that it will begin providing “administrative support services” to the New Haven Chorale. “The scope of services will initially focus on marketing and promotional support,” according to a press release issued by the orchestra on Wednesday.
Natalie Forbes, who announced in February that she’ll be stepping down as executive director of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra at the end of May, said the administrative partnership with the New Haven Chorale came about through strategic planning discussions the orchestra has been having under the auspices of the League of American Orchestras’ Institutional Vision Program.
Forbes said the orchestra has been looking at ways that arts organizations can avoid “being in silos within a community.”
With input from Robert Santy, who serves as board treasurer for the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and the New Haven Chorale, Forbes said, “We determined that we would like to set up this alliance for the year and see how that went.”
Forbes characterized the partnership as “mutually beneficial,” saying that the chorale is getting a “superior value” and that the orchestra, which has an operating budget of $1.9 million excluding “special projects,” is being “recompensed for that” based on a work-plan and hours of service.
Santy was quoted in the above-mentioned press release as saying: “The Chorale saw an opportunity to take advantage of the NHSO’s professional communications staff to augment what have largely been promotional activities led by volunteers on our part. … We look forward to the expanded promotional activities that this alliance provides.”