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| About | Board of Directors | Committees | Personnel | ||||||||
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Dear Music Lovers and Friends,
In adding the Sunday performance for a total of eight performances in the Season, we recognized, and accepted, the risk that we would not be selling out both performances of a concert and that our costs would nearly double. For each two-performance concert, we must use the theater for a six-day span of time rather than the former three days (including rehearsals,) resulting in additional theater rental fees. Personnel costs also increased, and other costs increased proportionately. We felt justified in going to the two performance schedule, however, in light of the then demand for seats.
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We now enter the 2010/2011 Season and have
had the benefit, over two full seasons, of an analysis of
costs and income. Ticket sales and income from donations and
advertising have not increased on a par with costs over this
period. To some extent, our timing in increasing the number of
concerts was unfortunate: the U. S. economy took a big hit
starting in 2008 and the economy of Kerr County has not been an
exception. Discretionary income has declined while the cost of
living increased. Although ticket sales did not decline, they
didn't increase either. So, costs nearly doubled but our income
did not. These factors have come together and forced our decision to revert to a one-performance Season in 2010/2011. In making this decision, we realize that our focus this next season will be to increase awareness of the orchestra throughout the Hill Country, and to seek additional funding through donations and grants, mindful of our continued increase in costs. We are very optimistic that in the 2011/2012 Season we can once again go to an two-performance/concert season in order to accommodate all those who want to attend an outstanding classical music concert. You can help us. Please join us through your participation in our 2010/2011 Season Ticket campaign and, if within your means, with an additional financial donation to your Symphony of the Hills. All the best, Jay B. Dunnahoo |
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Dr. Dunnahoo wins National Award |
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| Symphony of the Hills Conductor
and Artistic Director Dr. Jay Dunnahoo has been associated with
a number of award-winning orchestras and has been honored with
several awards for his orchestral
work, most notably the Outstanding Music Educator Award of the
National Federation
of State High School Associations. Before moving to Kerrville and developing the community orchestra into the Symphony of the Hills, Dr. Dunnahoo had a long career in public school music education, including Director of Music Education in the 40,000-student Pasadena (Texas) Independent School District. The high school orchestra that he conducted won the Texas Music Educators Association Honor Orchestra Award in 1976, in effect winning the Texas State championship. He also taught in San Angelo and Austin schools and San Jacinto College, and he played in the San Angelo Symphony as well as in bands accompanying the Ice Capades and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He continues to help students as a teacher and as Executive Secretary of the Texas Music Adjudicators Association, a 1,000-member body of music competition judges affiliated with the state Music Educators Association. In 1992, Dr. Dunnahoo was named Orchestra Director of the Year by the Texas Orchestra Directors Association. Dr. Dunnahoo received the national award -- the only one given to a Texas educator -- from Richard Floyd, Director of Music Activities of the University Interscholastic League, at the state convention of the TMEA in San Antonio. The citation says that the award is given "in grateful appreciation of outstanding service and unselfish devotion to interscholastic music programs." Dr. Dunnahoo is a veteran of Army service, holds three university degrees including a doctorate from the University of Houston, and has been active in other areas in Kerrville as a music instructor at Schreiner University, conductor of the Hill Country Youth Orchestras and now as Conductor and Artistic Director of the Symphony of the Hills. He and his wife Jodie have four children and eight grandchildren.
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| The Symphony is operated by the Symphony of the Hills Association, a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. |
| Photographs by Chuck Talpey, Gerry French and Jim Adams, unless otherwise noted. |
| © Symphony of the Hills Association, Inc. All rights reserved. |