Fundraiser Planned for the Jersey Shore Pops in July

COURT HOUSE – Linda Gentille and The Jersey Shore Pops will be planning a Pops fundraiser on July 6 for the orchestra. All the musicians will be donating their time for this special concert event and an “After Glow Reception” will be held at the Avalon Golf Course after the 7:30 p.m. concert. This spectacular patriotic show will feature the orchestra’s founder and conductor Linda Gentille, singer Jacklyn Buckingham and the Youth Opera of South Jersey. Gentille will performing her spectacular original rendition of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
The Jersey Shore pops is led by conductor and pianist Linda Gentille. The orchestra is the newest orchestra in the state and is gaining in popularity each season. One of the attractions of the orchestra is the popularity of the music director and conductor Gentille. Kay Aspell, managing director of the Middle Township Performing Arts Center states, “The Jersey Shore Pops has become a huge attraction here in Cape May County because of the outstanding shows produced and arranged by Gentille. The shows have grown each year and are now the most popular concert series we have ever hosted here at the PAC. Gentille is a charismatic entertainer and conductor who also arranges most of the music for the orchestra which sets her apart from the other orchestra leaders in the state.” The orchestra recently appointed John Drechen as Assistant Music Conductor and Susan Elsayed continues again this year as Concert Mistress.
Major symphony orchestras in the US are facing a funding crisis as the recession deepens. Ticket sales are falling, while support from corporate sponsors is being cut back. The problem is highlighted by reports that the Philadelphia Symphony may be forced to declare bankruptcy. According to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the symphony needs to raise another $7 million of a $15 million recovery fund. Attendance at concerts has only been at 62 percent capacity this year, down from 80 percent last year.
The Philadelphia Symphony is hardly alone. The New York Philharmonic is reporting a record $4.6 million deficit from last season and expects a similar shortfall in 2010. The shortfall in fundraising will probably require the symphony to make cuts, including a freeze on salaries and reduced parks concerts. “We are dealing with longer term deficits now,” said Eric Latzky, a spokesman for the New York Philharmonic. “There is no question that the economic environment has had a significant impact.”
Many orchestras have called on staff and musicians to take pay freezes or cuts. In January, members of the Cleveland Symphony staged a one-day strike against a proposed 5 percent salary reduction. The final settlement froze wages for two years with a small increase in the third year. Meanwhile, members of the Seattle Symphony recently accepted a 5 percent pay cut through August. On top of that, musicians agreed to “donate” $2,010 apiece to the orchestra.
The Honolulu Symphony declared bankruptcy in November and ceased operations, leaving musicians, including some who had recently moved from the mainland at substantial expense, out of work.
The largest component of an orchestra’s expense is salaries. Since an orchestra must be of a certain size and layoffs are not an option, production companies have sought to offset declining revenue by cutting compensation.
Over the past years, symphony musicians in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Philadelphia have had to take pay cuts. Musicians in the Utah Symphony gave back $1.3 million in salary and benefits for the 2009-2010 season after giving up $445,000 the previous year. Last year, musicians at the Minnesota Symphony agreed to a reduction in pensions and a wage freeze.
The Detroit Symphony reported in December that it is $7 million short on its contributions to employee pensions. In recent years, the DSO management has asked musicians on several occasions for concessions. With the collapse of the Detroit-based US auto industry, the DSO has seen its corporate funding dry up, and it has had to tap into its endowment to meet costs. Last year, the unrestricted part of the DSO’s endowment fell 31 percent, from $54.6 million in 2008 to $37.6 million in 2009. Last year’s deficit was $3.7 million, and management is predicting the shortfall could reach $5 million in 2010 without cuts.
The Jersey Shore Pops “2013 Summer Concert Series” will continue with the following shows:
June 29, 7:30 p.m.: “The Irish Tenor”
July 6, 7:30 p.m.: “Stars & Stripes Forever”
July 13, 7:30 p.m.: “Legends in Concert”
July 21, 7:30 p.m.: “ The Italian Tenor” starring Aaron Caruso
July 28, 7:30 p.m.: “Swingin’ Sixties” starring Jim Yester and the YesterDaze
Aug. 4, 7:30 p.m.: “Classics Rock” starring conductor & pianist Linda Gentille
Aug. 10, 7:30 p.m.: “Music of The Glenn Miller Orchestra”
Aug. 17, 7:30 p.m.: “Sinatra & Friends” starring Peter Oprisko
The individual tickets will range from $25 for balcony seating to $40 for VIP orchestra center seating. Discounted season tickets range from $75- $220. This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. The funds were administered by the Cape May County Culture and Heritage Commission, under the authority of the County Library Commission, for the Board of Chosen Freeholders.
To purchase either season or individual tickets, please call the JSP Ticket Office at 800-838-3006 or the PAC at 609 463-1924. Tickets can be purchased online or in person and student ID must be showed for ticketing. The PAC is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. for walk in ticket purchase and is located at the Middle Township High School , Exit 10 (GSP).