Amici Chamber Music – Performing concerts for all ages in Eugene and Springfield Oregon

ABOUT

Chamber Music Amici is the first resident company of the Richard E. Wildish Community Theater, founded in 2009. With five core musicians, guest musicians as needed, a part-time staff, and dedicated community board members, our mission is to produce excellent, affordable chamber music concerts which appeal to all ages. In collaboration with the Springfield School District, District 4J, and the Eugene Arts Umbrella, we also aim to promote the development of a new generation of chamber music lovers.

History

Founding
Chamber Music Amici was designated in 2009 the first resident company of the Richard E. Wildish Community Theater in Springfield, Oregon. We have five core musicians: Pilar Bradshaw, violin; Amy Goeser Kolb, oboe; Steven Pologe, cello; Sharon Schuman, violin; and Victor Steinhardt, piano. With the motto, “Creating community through great music,” the mission of Chamber Music Amici is to produce excellent, affordable chamber music concerts which appeal to all ages. We invite other musicians to join us in performance as needed. In collaboration with the Springfield School District, District 4J, and the Eugene Arts Umbrella, we also aim to promote the development of a new generation of chamber music lovers.

Venue
The opening of the Wildish Community Theater in 2006 in Springfield, Oregon, with its near-perfect acoustics and affordable prices, has made it possible to create Chamber Music Amici. In 2007 Artistic Director Sharon Schuman was among the first classical musicians to perform in the theater. They presented the “American” string quartet of Antonin Dvorak, as part of the Chamber Music and Chocolate series of Oregon Mozart Players. That sold-old performance, after which enthusiastic audience members streamed on stage to praise the acoustics in every part of the house, led Schuman and the other core musicians to imagine forming a resident company to perform in the theater. The Board of Directors of the Wildish Community Theater agreed to this proposal in early 2009, and Chamber Music Amici was born.

Governance
From the beginning we wanted to create an organization that presented great concerts and made decisions democratically. We decided that the Artistic Director would be a core musician, chosen by the other core musicians, who would all share with that person equal authority for artistic decisions. We included core musicians on the Board of Directors, and we decided that these musicians would comprise a majority of the board. We also decided that we wanted to be fiscally prudent from the beginning, so we committed ourselves to a modest budget and set out to raise $50,000 from Founding Supporters, before we gave our first concert

Core Musicians
Five core musicians founded Chamber Music Amici in 2009. They comprise a majority of its Board of Directors, and they select the Artistic Director from among themselves. They also invite guest musicians to join them in performance as needed. The five founding core musicians will expand the core over time, not to exceed nine musicians.

Guest Musicians
The core musicians of Chamber Music Amici will invite guest musicians to join them in performance as needed.

Staff
Chamber Music Amici has a part-time staff of Artistic Director, who coordinates artistic planning, and Executive Director, who oversees day-to-day operations.

Artistic Director
Sharon Schuman, selected from among the core musicians by the other core musicians, coordinates artistic planning for Chamber Music Amici and works with the Executive Director, Core Musicians, Board, Volunteers, Audiences, Media, and Donors, to produce successful concerts and promote the financial stability of the organization.

Executive Director
Loi Heldt, selected by the Board of Directors, oversees day-to-day activities of Chamber Music Amici and works with the Artistic Director, Core Musicians, Board, Volunteers, Audiences, Media, and Donors, to organize communications and information, manage the budget and payroll, and coordinate planning for successful concerts and other events.

Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of Chamber Music Amici, which meets monthly, is comprised of the five core musicians, plus four community members. The President, Secretary, and Treasurer are community members, while the Vice President is a core musician. The board makes financial decisions and oversees the organizational documents of strategic and long-range planning.

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