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James Raisbeck, a culture maven and philanthropist with a keen interest in the performing arts, has a new scheme for helping fill the coffers of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
He and his wife, Sherry, have just established a $500,000 multiyear challenge grant that will bring donors in direct contact with visiting artists. The program, called the Guest Artists Circle, enables participants to have a one-on-one dinner with a guest artist, appearing during the symphony season, in concert or recital; an opportunity to sit in the middle of the orchestra during a rehearsal with the guest artist, and premium seats for the performance.
Individual sponsorships, which the Raisbecks will match, begin at $15,000.
The idea was taken from a fund the Raisbecks established at Seattle Opera about nine years ago in which they pay the artistic fees of the leading singer in every production the company mounts, like mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe in Rossini's "The Italian Girl in Algiers," which just closed, or soprano Carol Vaness in Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier," in August. Their reward is to dine with these artists, along with Speight Jenkins, general director of the company.
"When you love and respect the talent of artists of our time, whether they are test pilots, singers, dancers or musicians, you want to be as close as possible to learn who they are and why they are," James Raisbeck said. "It is also a lot of fun."
At the opening event last week at the Raisbecks' house, in which pianist Yefim Bronfman gave a recital, the program raised $188,500. More than a half-dozen patrons already have joined the circle.
Among the artists who have agreed to participate are soprano Renee Fleming; conductor Lawrence Renes; singer Bobby McFerrin; violinists Jaime Laredo, Akiko Suwanai and Jaime Laredo; pianist/conductor Philippe Entremont; pianist Andre Watts; and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Each artist, depending on his or her level of fame, comes with a different price tag. Fleming was the most expensive, at $75,000. She already is taken -- by the Raisbecks. Ma is still available, at $70,000. McFerrin and Watts are less expensive, at $35,000 and $30,000, respectively.
The $500,000 challenge grant is flexible in that if the yearly donations rise above expected levels, the Raisbecks will meet them, he said.
"We want to be a catalyst for another way of giving," Raisbeck said. "Most of us want to enjoy, however briefly, the company of a great artist, and this program finds a way to do so."
Raisbeck is a new trustee of the Seattle Symphony, joining the board earlier this year. His board association with Seattle Opera is about 11 years old, he said; Pacific Northwest Ballet, about seven; and ArtsFund, five. He is also a trustee of the Museum of Flight.
The couple's major gift to the ballet was a $1 million touring fund beginning in 1999 that allowed the company to do two tours to London, as well as one each to Istanbul and Hong Kong. The fund has run its course, he said. "We are waiting to see what to do next. Maybe some national touring. It is healthy for these dancers to get on someone else's stage and be seen by new audiences and reviewed by different critics. It is good for everyone."
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