5 Questions with New Sarasota Orchestra Board Chair Tom Ryan

By Ryan G. Van Cleave  |  Photo by Nancy Guth

After nine years of exemplary service to the Sarasota Orchestra, Tom Ryan was recently named Board Chair. Prior to his time with the SO, he worked in the food industry for 30+ years and up until his retirement there, he served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of PEPSICO Beverages and Foods in Chicago.

Let’s get to know this key player in SO’s future through the following Q&A session done via a series of emails. Why emails? Because while he’s officially retired, Tom’s schedule remains as robust as it ever was, which is so often the case with people of talent, compassion, and commitment.

***

When did you first know that you were a music lover?

Although it seems like music was always playing in my home as I grew up, I really learned to love classical music in college. I took Music 101 and 102, and I learned a bit about the construction of music, about the different eras of music, about the brilliant composers of the world’s finest sounds, and, most important, what sounds I particularly enjoyed listening to.

I don’t play an instrument, but I relish the opportunity to listen to the skilled professionals in our orchestra reveal their amazing talents.

What’s the most important thing people should know or understand about the Orchestra? 

It’s two related things: We are more than music, and we are wholly devoted to enriching lives and improving our community. Everything we do is deliberately civic-minded.

The community and the Orchestra have a reciprocal relationship. For seven decades, the Orchestra has been honored to help the community thrive. And we have grown—in distinction, size, quantity and programming—thanks to the community.

Through live music performances, we seek to engage hearts, minds, and spirits. We want people to leave transformed. Our musicians are incredibly devoted to their art and to the people of Sarasota. In all, Sarasota Orchestra is nearly 300 musicians, educators, and staff—all deeply embedded and invested in this special place.

Each year, we reach thousands of young people through education programs. This season, we’re celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Sarasota Youth Orchestra, which engages hundreds of young people in music education. More than 9,000 local fourth and fifth graders attended Young Persons’ Concerts presented by the professional orchestra. In June, we’ll host the 56th annual Sarasota Music Festival, a world-renowned teaching and performance festival that showcases classical music’s top educators and emerging stars. Our 43rd Summer Music Camp—now two weeks of full-day music instruction—will take place in July. It’s really non-stop work with young people.

In all of your experience with the Orchestra, what has surprised you the most?

Ironically, the simple answer is its complexity. Since we don’t own our own building, we perform concerts in various locations which requires the transport of music stands, chairs, sheet music, etc. (not to mention the musicians traveling as well!) and after the concert, breaking it down and transferring it all back to the symphony center. Rehearsals are generally held in our Holley Hall, but performances are usually performed elsewhere. And that’s all just for concerts. 

We also provide educational programs for many hundreds of students from local schools; there are eight orchestras of students (each set-up for the different orchestras requires its own organization of the hall). We have a library for sheet music and recordings as well as librarians organizing it all; there are development professionals who work to raise the funds to enable the nonprofit to complete its work; there are marketing professionals who keep the community informed of all our activities; there are the box office folks who somehow are able to keep track of seating in all our venues for our subscribers and single ticket buyers; and finally, last but certainly not least, there are administrators, like in all businesses, who work to manage the affairs and finances of the orchestra.

What’s the latest on the search for the Orchestra’s new home?

Let’s start with our vision: a new Music Center that will be transformational for people in our region for generations to come. 

We’re continuing our search for a site. That process is guided by this organization’s established commitment to strategic, disciplined planning, and sensitivity to the Orchestra’s urgent need for a home. Our key criteria, which have guided us throughout this process, are timeliness, artistic and educational integrity, philanthropic considerations, and business and economic viability.

Limitations imposed by the lack of a dedicated, purpose-built home threaten Sarasota Orchestra’s future vitality. We have pressing operational constraints at existing venues. Because of these demands and the five-year design and construction timeline for a new Music Center, the Orchestra has a real sense of urgency. 

One last question. What’s the most common misconception about orchestras/orchestra music?

The first myth is that orchestra music—or classical music in general—is an outdated art form. In fact, classical music has been evolving forever. It’s inextricably tied to larger cultural forces, and so it’s very much alive and changing. Orchestra music is essentially about shared human experience, and that seems more important now than ever.

Our 2019-2020 season is a perfect illustration. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth with his immortal music throughout the season, we’ll be visited by an array of guest conductors who are today’s orchestra champions. And young soloists will join us. These are the torchbearers for future generations, and I’m excited to hear their “take” on these classics.

Another myth is that orchestra music is really only for people in certain economic strata, and nothing could be further from the truth. For example, we offer $9 tickets for youth and an accompanying adult.

Sarasota Orchestra believes that the arts are for everyone—all interests and backgrounds. Music communicates through emotion. It’s universal. To enjoy an orchestra concert, all you need are open ears, an open mind, and an open heart.

FOR MORE INFORMATION on the Sarasota Orchestra, please visit sarasotaorchestra.org  or call 941.953.3434.