My Nonprofit Reviews

This is a well-run professional orchestra in a community almost too small for music of this quality. The board and staff have engaged quality professional musicians from the state of Florida and beyond to play an aggressive schedule of masterworks, pops, small stage and what they call Brave New Music -stretching the boundaries with live orchestra to film, crossover popular performers and other interesting programs.
Like other arts performance organizations without their own venue, they take the performances into the community. This almost sixty-year-old orchestra also includes a far-reaching educational program, taking up the slack where public schools have lost interest.
With a budget of about $1.8 million, they are an important employer and contributor to the arts in Southwest Florida.
I'm thrilled to have been part of this organization for several decades, watching growth and improvement with constantly growing public acceptance.

I've been a subscriber, sponsor and trustee for the Southwest Florida Symphony for over two decades, which gives me pretty good perspective. Entering our 56th season, we have a better board, stronger staff, more sponsors and a better orchestra than ever! We were fortunate to hire a world-class music director two years ago, which has paid great dividends. Audiences have loved his programming and his preconcert lectures alone are worth the price of admission; he brings the night's program to life. This is the only fully-professional orchestra in Lee County, with musicians travelling from distant cities to perform here. If you have any appreciation at all for pops or great classical music, you owe it to yourself to attend a concert. I promise you won't be disappointed. I feel that our sponsorship dollars are extremely well spent supporting this organization. Lee County is a richer place because this symphony orchestra is here and thriving!

This fully-professional symphony orchestra, the only one in Lee County, is entering its 56th year of bringing great classical and pops music to our community. Two years ago, it engaged a world-class Music Director, Nir Kabaretti, who also heads the Santa Barbara Symphony as well as conducting in Switzerland, Rome and other international locations. He has taken this professional orchestra to a new level, with great programming, a rejuvenated relationship with the musicians and preconcert lectures far better than any I've ever heard. New staff has been added and the board of trustees has been expanded and strengthened. The result has to be heard to be appreciated. I note that some people think that personal attacks on individuals is appropriate here; it's not. What matters is the musical product, the proper shepherding of financial resources and the support the organization provides to our public schools. This organization does all of this and more. Simply come to a concert next season and see for yourself; you won't be disappointed!

The Sanibel Public Library FOUNDATION is a support organization for the Sanibel Public Library, a true gem of our community. The library is universally loved on Sanibel and has received superior reviews from the major library rating organization. The FOUNDATION receives donations from lovers of the Library (the FOUNDATION is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation) and holds an endowment which provides additional funding for many purposes. A very popular author series and youth programs are possible because of this funding. I feel that this organization wisely shepherds their assets and provides exceptional extra services for our library.

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The current recession has been especially diffucult on arts organizations, and fully professional symphony orchestras are a luxury item to many donors and subscribers. Since a community's culture is dramatically enhanced by professional arts organizations, we have chosen to increase our support of the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra over the last several years. Our charitable budget demands that we support organizations which add substantial value to the community, and we feel that the Symphony does just that. We attend almost all concerts and frequently bring guests, who are inevitably impressed with the high professional quality of this orchestra. Unfortunately, the Symphony does not receive much credit for the extensive educational programs it offers to youth in the community, but the committment to education is especially important as arts in the schools are shrunk each fiscal year.

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