Newly formed arts alliance receives more than $1 million

Funds will be used to help merge Dayton opera, ballet, orchestra.

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By Terry Morris, Staff Writer Updated 2:01 PM Wednesday, February 15, 2012

DAYTON — More than $1 million has been committed to ease the transition of the Dayton Ballet, the Dayton Opera and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra into a newly formed Dayton Performing Arts Alliance.

The combined organization announced Tuesday it has received commitments for $500,000 during two years from the Harry A. Toulmin Jr. and Virginia B. Toulmin Fund of the Dayton Foundation. It also has a commitment for $500,000 during the same period from an anonymous donor, and a potential additional grant of $250,000 in the third year.

The three groups, which have combined budgets of more than $6 million, already had planned their 2012-13 season schedules and their finances by the time the boards approved the merger during the week of Jan. 30.

The new organization intends to seek additional funding from local, state and national arts sources, due in part to the unprecedented merger of an independent orchestra, opera and ballet company.

Artistic directors Tom Bankston of Dayton Opera, Karen Russo Burke of Dayton Ballet and DPO music director Neal Gittleman will be retained under current orchestra manager Paul Helfrich, who will be the new group’s president and chief executive.

A single board of trustees also will be formed.

Mergers in the arts world are unusual and generally include two closely associated groups, such as a pair of museums. There is no known precedent in the U.S. for an arts group incorporating three varied organizations with budgets of more than $1 million.

Dayton Foundation President Michael Parks said the anonymous major donor “really feels strongly about what new and innovative models might mean not just for the arts, but for the entire nonprofit sector.”

The Dayton merger was facilitated by the foundation’s nonprofit Alliance Support Program, but Parks said, the leaders of the ballet, opera and philharmonic companies deserve the credit.

“There’s a reason why this is the first time this has been done in the nation. It’s difficult work that requires concerted leadership,” he said.

Contact this reporter  at (937) 225-2377 or  tmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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