NSO spices things up for comeback concert and gala

Emil Albanese, the new president of the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, has served on a lot of boards and has managed several big galas. Experience has taught him that the way to bring people back is to send them away having a good time.

So he and Diane Wittry, musical director and conductor of the NSO, are spicing things up for the organization's comeback concert and gala event May 14 in the hope that patrons and supporters will want an encore.

In January, the NSO was forced to cancel its regular spring season because of financial troubles, mainly because of a lack of donations, not a drop in ticket sales.

"We wanted to bring Latin, rhythmic, fun music to the table. We built the May 14 program around that feel," Wittry said. "We wanted lively music that had a party feel to it. We want people to walk away feeling excited about the future of the NSO and about the variety of music out there for classical orchestras to perform."

"The symphony was basically out of business when I took it over in February," added Albanese, who became a member of the NSO board last year and who also serves as chairman of the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency. "We were deep in red ink. ... We had canceled the rest of the season.

"But that wasn't my vision. ... I immediately started putting pieces in place to have not only this gala, but to have a season next year and many years thereafter."

On the evening of the gala, a red carpet will lead guests from a tent, where the pre-concert festivities will take place, to the Concert Hall at City Hall.

The two works that will provide the bookends to the concert program are Manuel de Falla's score for "Ritual Fire Dance" from "El Amor Brujo," and Miguel del Aguila's "Conga Line in Hell."

"Ritual Fire Dance" is described as "mesmerizing and dramatic, a seductive melody infused with abandon and lurid sensuality" in the program notes provided by Wittry. The ballet tells the story of a gypsy trying to exorcise the ghost of a past love so she can return the passion of a new love.

The show will close with the "rhythmic pattern of the conga dance beating throughout" del Aguila's "Conga Line in Hell," which employs unusual percussion and rhythmic structures, as well as instruments sometimes playing at their most extreme registers.

" `Conga Line in Hell' is sensual, wild and even frantic at times," Wittry said of the piece that conveys an endless line of dead people dancing through the fires of hell. "We wanted to end the night on an exciting note."

Also on tap for the concert is a performance by Jorge Caballero, the only guitarist to win the Naumburg International Competition, who will perform Astor Piazzolla's "Double Concerto" with Maria Conti.

Wittry and Albanese believe there is a lot to be excited about despite the NSO's financial woes.

"The NSO concerts have always been well attended, but the economy makes it difficult for all organizations," Wittry said, pointing out that last week the Philadelphia Orchestra, one of the nation's "Big Five" symphonies, voted to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

"I am very optimistic going forward," Wittry said. "This is forcing us to do some restructuring on how we do business. The old model isn't working anymore."

The biggest problems with the old model were lack of marketing and poorly organized fundraising, according to Albanese.

"We haven't expanded our patron base like we should," he said. "My charge is re-engineering the symphony in a way that it will touch more audiences. The age group between 30 and 60 hasn't been marketed to. We need to sell ourselves a little bit better. The NSO has a lot of benefits for Fairfield County.

"I am in New York all the time for work, as are a lot of people in our area. So after commuting all week, going to the Norwalk Symphony, which delivers a fabulous product, is very convenient. It's not only a high-quality symphony, but the concert hall the NSO plays in musicians say is the best room between New York and Boston, bar none, because of the acoustics.

"There are things we bring to the table and the symphony had gotten away from delivering that message."

Because ticket sales only cover one third of the NSO's costs, Albanese also is focusing on creating more revenue streams other than those that come from the subscriber base.

"We need to be writing grant proposals once a week," he said. "There are lots and lots of foundations designated in our area for music education that we can get."

And, as an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, he is working hard to let old businesses and new businesses know that the symphony is still here and it needs their support.

Albanese is forming a development committee to assist fundraising for the symphony.

"Every arts organization needs to have a development committee," Albanese said. "We, for whatever reason, disbanded ours years ago.

"I've brought on a new board member, Cathy Jones, a very recognizable Norwalk person. She has instantly made her mark," he said, adding praise for board member Kathy Hebert, who sits at the helm of the Gala Committee.

Last month, the NSO offices moved to a more financially viable location on Wall Street.

"There's nothing going forward that I am not examining," Albanese said.

When asked why he took on the daunting role of resuscitating the NSO, Albanese simply said, "I figured if I could do it, I would."

While he admits with a chuckle that he doesn't play anything but the radio, he loves all forms of music. But it's not just the music that drew him to his new role. He is equally passionate about Norwalk, where he moved in 1997.

He is especially thrilled about the NSO, which was founded in 1939, partnering with other groups in the city going forward.

"We plan to open the 2012 season with a collaboration with St. Paul's Choir. They sing internationally and pack the house wherever they play," Albanese said, adding that he is good friends with St. Paul's on the Green's musical director, Vince Edwards.

"I don't think there could be anything more exciting for Norwalk than to have its oldest church partner with its oldest arts' institution in a joint concert," Albanese said.

Stay tuned.

Tickets to the concert and gala, which includes a meet-and-greet with guitarist Jorge Caballero, food and a silent auction are $100-$125; tickets for the gala only are $94; and for the concert only are $5-$40. For more information, visit www.norwalksymphony.org.