Turnaround story: Florida Orchestra changes up concerts, music

Marianne Hayes, 83 Degrees, 17th November 2015

The Florida Orchestra recently kicked off its latest season with a packed house at the Straz Center in downtown Tampa. New music director Michael Francis may have something to do with all the buzz.

“There’s a tremendous increase in excitement; a new energy on stage that you can feel in the halls,” says longtime TFO patron Maria Cantonis, 67, who lives in Belleair. “It’s just a wonderful vibe.”

This is quite the departure from TFO of seasons past. Eight years ago, the orchestra was in the throes of steadily declining ticket sales, waning interest from the community and massive debt to the tune of $3 million. It wasn’t until Michael Pastreich, the organization’s CEO and president, took the reins back in 2007 that TFO began to turn around.

Tackling the fledgling orchestra’s problems head on, he created a punch list of sorts that laid out all the things TFO had to do to stay afloat (like reducing expenses while increasing revenue). Taking that to donors, Pastreich then made a promise: they only had to pay their pledge if the orchestra pulled through with their end of the bargain.

As fans of the orchestra know, the story has a happy ending. The move resulted in $17.3 million in donations over the following three years, including $8 million in onetime funding to enact their plan. This, in addition to more strategic fundraising, is what ultimately laid the groundwork for real growth. Since then, TFO has lowered its ticket prices, simplified its packages, and diversified its programming. At the same time, the orchestra has also wiped out its debt while growing its endowment to over $17 million.