MISSION
Rockport Music inspires a love and understanding of music through exceptional live performances and creative learning opportunities.
CORE VALUES
■ Shared live music and learning experiences that intensify the transformative power of music.
■ Exceptional performances and creative programming that explore and evolve the art form.
■ Support for emerging world-class artists and the next generation of audiences.
■ Lasting personal connections with our audiences, performers, volunteers and friends.
■ Access to live music and music education for community members.
■ An active commitment to the spirit and practices of diversity, inclusiveness and respect in all its governance, operations, programs and activities.
ROCKPORT MUSIC LETTER FROM LEADERSHIP
With a new fiscal year that now closes on March 31, our reflection over the past year looks a little different. The following report will cover the concerts, activities and financials from April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2024.
Against all odds, I’m delighted to report that we are currently operating at pre-pandemic levels of activity and attendance. This unprecedented recovery is attributable to the hard work of our Board and staff, the commitment of our donors and volunteers, and the dedication of our audiences. We look forward to not only staying the course but also riding the momentum of this upswing to reach new heights.
Our success would not have been possible without the transformational leadership of our President and CEO Tony Beadle. After 14 years of outstanding commitment, Tony retired, effective May 2024. His time with Rockport Music has been remarkable, and he will be sorely missed. We wish him nothing but the best in his next chapter!
We cannot thank our Rockport Music family of trustees, donors, volunteers and staff enough for their unwavering support year after year. We hope you enjoy this reflection of an exceptional year for our thriving organization.
Jeannie McIntyre BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIR
A YEAR OF CONCERTS
APRIL 2023 – MARCH 2024
The 42nd Annual Rockport Chamber Music Festival (RCMF) opened on June 9, 2023, nurturing a prestigious legacy of classical music with the Grammy-nominated Dover String Quartet and ensemble kicking off the festival with Mendelssohn’s masterful Octet. Nearly 100 more musicians performed through early July, with artists including Grammy Award-winning a cappella ensemble Chanticleer, pianist Jan Lisiecki, legendary violinist Gidon Kremer, composer-in-residence Mark Applebaum and a closing night of Schubert performed by a star-studded ensemble.
The 2023 chamber music festival was such a dream come true. Audiences were back and so many artists brought us transformative performances. I feel the opening weekend recital of Jan Lisiecki will long be remembered as one of the great nights of music on our stage. For me, it was immensely fulfilling as Jan is an artist I have worked with since he was a young boy. Seeing someone develop into that impactful an artist is one of the great joys in my life. So many artists made their Rockport debuts and the warm embrace they all received will make future invitations to these artists easy to fulfill. This level of trust by our audience is unique and important. Thank you!
Barry
Shiffman
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, ROCKPORT CHAMBER
Our celebration of classical music continued through fall and winter with cellist Johannes Moser with pianist Marc-André Hamelin, the illustrious Vienna Boys Choir, pianist and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Stephen Hough and the Castalian Quartet, Handel & Haydn Society’s annual performance of Handel’s Messiah and much more.
At Rockport Music, we believe that keeping things fresh can be just as important as embracing tradition. The debut of the “Iconic Jazz Legacies” concert series, curated by trumpeter Bijon Watson, pays tribute to genre titans such as Billie Holiday and Dizzy Gillespie, but with a new perspective. It is one of our latest efforts to bring something
Bacon Brothers, September 2023
LEFT
Bach & Arvo Pärt concert with violinist Kerson Leong and violist Barry Shiffman
RIGHT
Night at the Opera Rockport Chamber Music Festival 2023
Michelle DeYoung, Sydney Baedke, Paul Groves
LEFT Third Coast Percussion Famly Concert
RIGHT
Rockport Chamber Music Festival 2023
Gilles Vonsattel (piano), Andrew Wan (violin), Barry Shiffman (viola), Desmond Hoebig (cello), Kebra-Seyoun Charles (double bass)
Rockport Celtic Festival 2023
PHOTOBYMATTHEWMUISE
134 CONCERTS
38
CONCERTS BY THE NUMBERS TOTAL TICKETS
39,296
$1.85+ million
TICKET INCOME
new to the stage. Other jazz concerts that graced our hall in the 2023-24 season include such luminaries as Chucho Valdes, Kenny Barron, Christian McBride, Eliane Elias, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Grace Kelly, Bebel Gilberto and Cécile McLorin Salvant.
The Shalin Liu Performance Center is only as great as the range of its offerings, and per usual, we’re proud to have featured an incredibly diverse array of styles ranging from folk and Americana to pop and singer-songwriters. Some of the past year’s performers included The Bacon Brothers, Lori McKenna, Martin Sexton, Justin Hayward, Michael Feinstein, Cowboy Junkies and more. The hall also welcomed a number of world perspectives highlighted by cellist Mike Block’s Global Journeys series, which gave nods to musical traditions from Africa, Scandinavia, the Middle East and beyond. The artists this past season include Balla Kouyaté, Väsen, Larry & Joe, clarinetist Kinan Azmeh and Biribá Union.
September’s Rockport Celtic Festival, led by harpist Maeve Gilchrist, was another highlight of 2023. It featured an extraordinary variety of musicians and storytellers representing both the Celtic and French-Canadian diaspora, with acts such as Irish string duo Rakish and groundbreaking guitarist Yasmin Williams. This year’s festival held particular significance, being the last for co-artistic director Brian O’Donovan, who passed away after a long battle with cancer just a few weeks later.
RENTAL & OTHER INCOME
Rockport Music generates additional revenue through renting the Shalin Liu Performance Center for recitals, recordings, corporate events, fundraisers, weddings and more. Highlights of some of the rental organizations for FY24 included MGH, Harvard Medical, Finn Funn-Gloucester, the Landmark School, Boston Film Festival, Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and many more. RENTAL/BAR REVENUE
58 RENTALS RENTALS BY THE NUMBERS
$273,731
EDUCATION
APRIL 2023 – MARCH 2024
The 2023 Rockport Chamber Music Festival reached our youngest audience members through a fun and engaging family concert by Third Coast Percussion, with additional performances throughout the community and a visit to Rockport schools. The summer wrapped up with the annual Cape Ann Jazz Workshop, held at Gloucester High School, with over 35 participants in 2023.
In Fall 2023, Rockport Music’s in-school programs went to 32 classes in eight schools and reached about 1,650 students. The visiting ensembles ranged from an a cappella group and string quartets to African percussion and traditional Swedish folk music. The artists included Balla Kouyaté and Mike Block, Ten Tumbao, Backtrack Vocals, Windsync, Hawktail and Väsen and Balourdet Quartet (replacing Apple Hill Quartet at the last moment and performing with students at the Rockport Orchestra Summit, a collaboration with Rockport Schools). Student musicians performed side-by-side with visiting artists in three of the community concerts at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, showcasing new material they learned over the course of each residency. Winter 2024 brought Brazilian pianist Henrique Eisenmann and Jazz Workshop Director Alexa Tarantino for her annual residency week. School districts visited through the in-school programs from 2023–24 include Rockport, Gloucester (including Pathways for Children), Manchester-Essex, Beverly and Lawrence.
WHY STUDENTS LIKED IN-SCHOOL RESIDENCIES
“Getting a chance to work with professionals in the industry…”
“Learning about and hearing different cultures of music that I’m not exposed to every day.”
“…being able to try new things.”
“…their energy when teaching us, and being able to perform with them.”
Fall 2023 also marked the beginning of an exciting new project: Writing Our Musical History. Teaching Artist Alexandra Grace worked with high school students in Rockport, Gloucester, Manchester-Essex and Beverly to write a song inspired by a location in their town. The four sites of inspiration were Bearskin Neck, The Fishermen’s Wives Memorial Statue, Tuck’s Point and the Cabot Theatre. The culminating performance was held in May 2024 at the Shalin Liu Performance Center. Representing a true community collaboration, the program was funded by Essex County Community Foundation's (ECCF) Creative County Initiative, and 1623 Studios partnered with us by filming the music videos that are commemorated on a sign at each site.
At the Shalin Liu Performance Center, 350 students (grades 2–5) from Rockport Elementary, Beeman Elementary, East Veterans Elementary and Winthrop School (Ipswich) experienced New England Conservatory’s Touring Children’s Opera’s Little Red Riding Hood. Additional programming at the hall included many interactive presentations. The start of the new talk series Beyond the Music began in November with Michal Shein sharing her journey of creating impact through music, highlighting her work with El Sistema-inspired programs and discussing how she started Celissimo, an online summer festival for Spanish-speaking cellists. Later in March, Maria Finkelmeier, a percussionist, composer and multi-media artist, spoke about her journey as an entrepreneur and the founding of her company mfDynamics. Also, as part of the Global Journeys series, the bluegrass-Venezuelan duo Larry & Joe held a demonstration and talk in November prior to their performance, and a guitar-building workshop took place before the Chopped Guitars Concert with Jeff Conley.
Throughout the year, Rockport Music opens the hall for local middle and high school music students to perform. The number of districts increased to four in 2023–24 and included Rockport, Gloucester, Beverly and Ipswich. Additionally, every year, Rockport Music hosts numerous Boston-based music programs, including Project STEP, Boston City Singers and New England Conservatory students, among others.
EDUCATION BY THE NUMBERS
5
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
11 IN-SCHOOL VISITS
9 TALKS
2,995
STUDENTS REACHED
Jeff Conley of Chopped Guitars during his workshop on starting Chopped Guitars and how they are made
LEFT Michal Shein presenting for the Beyond the Music series
RIGHT Henrique Eisenmann performing for students at Lawrence Catholic Academy
7
All students who participated in Writing Our Musical History at the showcase concert
2023–2024
