Anyone who thinks that the Pennsylvania Academy of Music has become moribund is in for a big surprise come Friday, April 16, when pianos will be wheeled out onto the sidewalks and students will be performing on street corners around downtown, according to new board member Tina Davidson. This is all part of a variety of springtime performances at the Academy by its talented faculty and friends to demonstrate the future role of PAM in the community.
Friends of the Pennsylvania Academy of music were invited to a briefing Saturday morning and received an informative report concerning the current status, short term goals, and, to a lesser extent, future aspirations.
Board chair Dr. Holmes Morton explained the immediate concern of the recently appointed board is “to get through the semester, get into the summer, and to develop a vision for where the academy is to go for the next year and over the next few years.”
According to Holmes, “When we took over not only didn’t we have any funds… We had an obligation to faculty to make pay day and we have obligations to students.”
“There is money in the endowments but we are not going to use them nor are we allowed to use them. The endowments have been used in the past but, as a board, we are not permitted to use those funds and the Attorney General will not allow us to use those funds.”
Holmes went on to say to the effect “Many things have happened to the 501(c)3 funds. No one should be surprised that the AG office is going to review what happened to the funds and properties….We need to get those monies back and use them for the purposes for which they were given.” (The funds went towards funding the chronic deficits, to the best of NewsLanc’s knowledge.) Holmes emphasized the need to generate an audit of the academy’s accounts and to raise a matching $20,000 between now and the end of April “to meet pay day.”
Holmes went on to explain it costs of $600,000 a year just to operate the academy building, which he described as a “White elephant” and explained that there would have needed to have been a special endowment fund of $10 million simply to have covered building operations cost. He categorized the PAM undertaking as “An ill conceived business plan from the start.”
Having cleared the air concerning the past, he turned to the positive steps now underway:
“We are talking to Millersville and they agree that the facility should be available for some events. How that is going to take place between Millersville, the bank, and the state is in flux.”
He explained that arrangements have been made to use the 1400 seat auditorium at Mennonite High School for the ‘Vivace’ summer program. He felt that the temporary location would enable the Academy to draw from a different and wider group of people along with its current audience.
PAM’s board will be looking at a base of operations, determining whether to go back go Liberty Place, to stay at the current location at an affordable rental through ab agreement with the UNCB bank or Millersville University, the prospective purchaser, or to find another space downtown.
Holmes said the location will depend on fundraising: “All this has to be worked out as a business plan where things come into balance.”
Vice Chair Caroline Morton spoke at length, in part as follows:
“This board is looking at the Academy as this incredible school where music is taught to incredibly talented gifted children and adults.”
In referring to the devotion of the facultly, she said “Some members have volunteered to teach even if they don’t get paid.”
“PAM has a long history: 20 years of providing excellence in education and performance. We are building on that history.”
She said $125,000 is needed to reach the end of semester and to store equipment and furniture until school can get established in a new location.
Mrs. Holmes observed: “Many have said they don’t want to donate to something that has failed, a black hole. This is a time of transition. We new board members who firmly believe that we will come out of it … Rather than giving to a black hole, we need to think of this as an investment; we need to keep the school moving through the summer and operate next fall when students come back.”
She added “This board of trustees is trying very hard to listen and welcome advice and opinions. There are many hurt feelings. Some feel betrayed. We recognize that.”
Tom Godfrey, the new executive director, also spoke and described his own background at length and in generalities. He said that he has many current commitments, homes in different locations, and his wife is occupied elsewhere. He will work as executive director for a dollar a year.
He said a letter will be going out next week to past supporters detailing the plans for the Academy.
He observed “The past is over. The future begins.”
Unfortunately, a half hour of information had stretched out to an hour, so the NewsLanc reporter and others had to leave. A discussion did follow.
PAM’s other tough issue right now is that they are competing for community dollars against other non-profits that are in much better
position to deliver their programs now and in the future.