Throughout the month of December, the Charitable Giving Coalition will be featuring a variety of voices in the charitable sector through our Season of Giving Guest Blog Series. These posts feature a fraction of the endless good work America’s nonprofit organizations are doing.
December is the ‘season of giving’. Many of us, mired in the day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month-ness of a grinding, grueling schedule leave altruism simmering on the back burner—until December, when we are reminded to bring it back up to a full boil, addressing the accumulated needs of our community and culture.
Of course neither those needs, nor their support, show up only in December. Giving happens all year long. Not just financial contributions, but other equally important kinds of giving. The gifts of the time and attention of our audiences, and the gifts of the talent and commitment of our musicians. And on both sides of the stage, everyone’s gift of prioritizing mental space for art as the noise of everyday life threatens to drown it out.
Giving is a partnership—a kind of oath of commitment for collective improvement and well-being.
It is a partnership that keeps art aloft. That so many choose to give an evening to the Delaware Symphony—engaging in an abstract world of sound and form—is extraordinary. That our community choose to give of their time, energy, and resources is a humbling testament to the power of art. Financial gifts, like the music we deliver, are a proxy for the relationship of our mission and our patrons. The gift of an orchestra, and to an orchestra, are endorsements of soul-deep beauty.
During this season of giving, say ‘yes’ to encouraging all Americans to give to charity. ‘Yes’ to supporting the culture and core of our communities: our libraries and museums; our shelters and soup kitchens; services, like orchestras, whose roles are to make us more connected, healthier, gentler, and more human. Saying ‘yes’ to the Delaware Symphony helps make our world more beautiful and more bearable. Let’s say ‘Yes’ to celebrating the indelible masterpieces of the past and discovering ones of the future. ‘Yes’ to art by, for and with those unfairly deprived by systemic cultural hurdles. ‘Yes’ to embracing diversity on stage and in the audience. ‘Yes’ to making great music a part of our communities’ lives, a conduit for cultural engagement, and a source of civic pride.
Saying ‘yes’ costs dollars. I am extraordinarily grateful for the support of our community. We make art in a delicate financial environment buoyed by our supporters’ full-spectrum generosity. Our gratitude for their support can be spoken, typed, or handwritten. But our most effective, and meaningful ‘thank you’ is the music we play. Our ‘yes’.
David Amado
Music Director
Delaware Symphony Orchestra