Presque Isle ProMusica

HOW WE CAME TO BE . . . 

When the news broke,in the spring of 2018, that Gannon University was withdrawing its sponsorship of the Erie Chamber Orchestra, many area residents, as well as musicians, felt a shocked, “Oh, no!” at the thought of Erie with no resident chamber orchestra at all. It seemed as if the legacy of Bruce Morton Wright, and the 40-year tradition of free concerts for all, was about to disappear without a trace. The Philharmonic stepped in to fill the gap with a series of free chamber-music concerts, and takeover of some ECO programs like school-visitation and piano-donation. But many of us thought that Erie just wouldn’t be Erie without an actual chamber orchestra, and resolved to see if we could mobilize the good will – not to mention the cold cash – of the many who felt as we did. We formed a Board of Directors, got incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and defined our mission to the Erie community as follows:

OUR MISSION . . . 

• To make the chamber-orchestra musical repertoire available to the Erie community via concerts and other performances;

• To offer professional performance opportunities to local musicians;

• To form mutually beneficial partnerships for performance with other Erie-area organizations – schools, universities, churches, etc.

IT’S ALL UP TO YOU NOW. . . 

We are now in the position of having every single thing we need to launch a new season of performance – the musicians, the venue, the loyal audiences (we hope!), the music library – except for one thing: the wherewithal to pay our musicians a fair wage, while minimizing all our other expenses.  Our Board has some experience with fund-raising:  Brian has many contacts among arts organizations; Carol is our grant writing specialist; Elva is experienced with approaches and events that can raise funds; Luther Memorial Church has been more than generous with its facilities.

 But in the end whether we can fulfill our mission to this city and its people depends on the generosity of people like you. Maybe you’ve already contributed financially to the PIP.  But this will let you know that contributions now are earnestly, urgently, needed, and we will welcome yours with profound gratitude (and a receipt you can use for tax purposes). It can’t be done without you! Donors will receive mention in PIP concert programs, in the following categories: 

• GUARANTOR: $5000 TO $10,000 

• BENEFACTOR: $2500 TO $4999 

• SPONSOR: $1000 TO $2499 

• SUPPORTER: $500 TO $999 

• DONOR: $100 TO $499 

• FRIEND: UNDER $100 AND STUDENTS 

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