Page 45 - BusinessWest May 29, 2023

COURT DOCKETS>>
The following is a compilation of recent lawsuits involving area businesses and organizations. These are strictly allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law. Readers are advised to contact the parties listed, or the court, for more information concerning the individual claims.
HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT
Emanuel Diaz and Netsy Diaz v. Saltmarsh Broth- ers Construction Inc.
Allegation: Breach of contract: $61,500
Filed: 4/12/23
Continued from page 24
Xiao Xin Zhang v. Springfield Area Transit Authority Inc. d/b/a Satco
Allegation: Negligence causing personal injury and property damage: $179,479
Filed: 4/12/23
Trickstar Trumbling & Fitness LLC v. Westmass Area Development Corp.
Allegation: Breach of lease: $100,000
Filed: 4/13/23
Faspac Plastikes Inc. v. East Baking Co. Inc. Allegation: Money owed for goods sold and deliv- ered: $173,512.67
Filed: 4/17/23
“The fact that Springfield, Massachusetts has a symphony orchestra in 2023 is kind of a miracle at this point. There are much bigger places that don’t have this great gift.”
ing to not only bring kids to Symphony Hall, but for small groups of musicians to visit area schools.
“We used to go play for kids in the classrooms. We probably stopped doing that in the early 2000s, but we did hundreds of those concerts,” she recalled. “I loved it. We interacted directly with the kids; there were Q&A sessions. I want to get back to that as an educational resource.”
She also fondly recalls the days when the sym- phony toured New England. “I understand that a lot of financial repair has to happen, and we can’t afford to take the whole orchestra, but we can take a quartet out. We can take a quintet out.”
Such traveling shows, like the two series of perfor- mances MOSSO staged at the Westfield Atheneum over the past two years, are another way to grow the SSO’s fanbase, she added. “It’s not just great for the audience, but a great marketing tool for the SSO. We hope to keep expanding that.”
As for corporate sponsorship, Lambert said it was a tough year, scheduling live performances on the fly under the old contract’s terms while building up the staff, negotiating with the union, and keeping support- ers on board.
“There was a lot of work being done trying to con- vince people to trust us and come on board. Some folks started to do that when MassMutual came back and was willing to support us; that was critically important. There are other folks we need to embrace that. We’ve had some really wonderful response from a core group of sponsors — I hope there’s a lot more.”
As for growing new audiences, Lambert is confi- dent that those who attend a concert — whether a full symphony performance in Springfield or a chamber concert in Longmeadow, Westfield, or elsewhere — will be “blown away,” and not only want to attend more shows, but perhaps support the SSO as a spon-
Homestesd Baking Co. v. East Baking Co. Inc. Allegation: Money owed for goods sold and deliv- ered: $204,357.36
Filed: 5/2/23
Ken Lansing SC LLC v. Whiting Building LLC, Friedman Real Estate, and CWFS-REDS LLC d/b/a Realinsight Market
Allegation: Breach of real-estate contract: $104,742 Filed: 5/12/23
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SSO
cal music. But at the same time, there’s all kinds of music.”
He feels like that’s an important element in bring- ing in younger, more diverse SSO fans, who will continue to support the organization in the coming decades.
“We happen to live in a very diverse community and region,” he said. “So I think it’s really important that we find ways to reach all those audiences, let them know that the Springfield Symphony Orchestra is for everybody, that it’s music for everyone. We really are excited about those opportunities for people to come in and hear this beautiful music and these won- derful musicians.”
Sharp Ideas
The other key element in expanding the audience, of course, is connecting with young people. To that end, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno announced that the city of Springfield will provide $280,000 over two years in financial support for SSO to create edu- cational programming for youth.
“As the Springfield Symphony and its talented musicians turn a fresh page of music in our beloved Symphony Hall, I cannot stress enough how impor- tant Springfield’s talented youth are to the success of this new beginning,” the mayor said in announc- ing the grant. “Creating a younger, more diverse, and more inclusive classical-music ecosystem should be a top priority of the symphony organizationally. The success of these efforts will ultimately be reflected in the diversity of the music that is played, those repre- sented on stage, and those in the audience.”
Lambert said outreach to youth had been a big success, but stopped happening over the past few years. “As I talked to folks out in the business commu- nity, so many people said to me, ‘the first time I ever heard a symphony orchestra, I was in fourth grade ... I remember going to that concert, and it changed how I looked at the symphony.’ So I said to the board on more than a few occasions, ‘that’s just not discretion- ary, that’s mandatory; we have to start redoing that.’ It opens the door for so many people, for the first time in their life, to hear a symphony orchestra live on stage.”
Welty wants to go beyond those experiences, hop-
sor or donor. “We need everybody to work together.”
In Tune with the Community
After a couple years of performing concerts under the old contract’s terms, Welty is relieved the musi- cians can focus on the positive impact of what they do.
“For this community to thrive, it really needs a vibrant art scene. It’s a real economic driver,” she said, noting the impact of downtown events on restaurants and other attractions — not to mention on the ability to grow a business.
“If you’re a CEO or business person looking to be based in the Springfield area, and you want to attract the best talent to come work for you, Springfield has to be an appealing place to live — and the arts are so important to that,” Welty added. “Local sports teams are important, but the arts are just as important. If you think you’re living in a cultural desert, you won’t get the best people to come work for you.”
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra, boasting
67 musicians, is the largest symphony in Massachu- setts outside of Boston — which is impressive in itself, Lambert said.
“The fact that Springfield, Massachusetts has a symphony orchestra in 2023 is kind of a miracle at this point. There are much bigger places that don’t have this great gift,” he told BusinessWest. “I think it’s really important that we all get together and recog- nize how this adds to the quality of life here in Spring- field, how it adds to the reasons that people might want to live and work here and come downtown.”
Which is why Welty is encouraged by what the new labor agreement promises, and what it may lead to in the future.
“On paper, there’s less guaranteed work, but there’s more energy on the board to create new con- certs, new programming,” she said. “I think, in the end, we will start building back and offer more to the community.” BW
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