Posted June 26, 2024
In addition to reporting audience growth and changes in leadership within its Board of Trustees, DPAA also celebrated the end of its wildly successful endowment campaign, “One Dayton. One Alliance.”
DAYTON, OH – The Dayon Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) concluded its 2023–2024 “Art That Moves” season on Saturday, June 22 with an exuberant performance of Soundtrack Magic: John Williams and Friends, a concert celebrating the music of film. A near sell-out, the performance, along with two events that preceded it, marked the close of a jubilant season for the Opera, Ballet, and Philharmonic.
As nonprofit performing arts organizations across the globe report downturns in sales and attendance, DPAA increased its audiences by bringing over 5,000 new attendees to the performance hall. In total, DPAA’s loyal and enthusiastic audiences purchased 60,000 tickets over the course of the season; of that 2,000 were released as part of DPAA’s $5- “The Arts are for Everyone” ticket program, sponsored by AES Ohio. Roughly 1,400 tickets were released through DPAA’s “Check Out a Ticket” program, an initiative generously underwritten by the Dayton Metro Library that allows library cardholders to “check-out” a concert for free.
The close of the 2023–2024 Season signaled another triumph: DPAA completed its “One Dayton. One Alliance.” Endowment Campaign to support the Ballet, Opera, Philharmonic, and arts education in the Dayton region. Launched on March 4, 2020—just days before COVID-19 shutdowns—the campaign sought to augment DPAA’s endowment by $8M. Shortly thereafter, driven by the immense philanthropic spirit of the community, the goal was extended to $15M, and later, to $20M. DPAA successfully raised a total of $20,061,000, a remarkable sum that will ensure a sustainable future for the arts in the greater Dayton region. John Beran, DPAA Board of Trustees Chair Emeritus, spearheaded the project. Actress and Dayton native Allison Janney served as Honorary Chair. Upon launching the campaign in 2020, Janney commented:
I’m proud to serve as Honorary Chair for “One Dayton. One Alliance.,” the endowment campaign for Dayton’s performing arts. One of the formative experiences of my life was being part of the Dayton Ballet School. We can help make that kind of life-changing opportunity available to future generations by supporting the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance in this special campaign.
DPAA celebrated the achievement at a private reception at the Roger Glass Center for the Arts on June 11. In his keynote speech, Beran remarked: “Through conscientious stewardship of the endowment, we will not only be able to sustain the performing arts in Dayton, but grow it, because as we say: the arts are for everyone!”
On June 20, DPAA held its annual meeting of the Board of Trustees at the main branch of the Dayton Metro Library. The meeting marked the end of Dr. Edward Tomme’s tenure as Chair; trustees approved longtime DPAA supporter Joseph Zehenny as his successor and named Dr. Tomme as Chair Emeritus. Patricia McDonald was elected Vice Chair; Reverend Joshua Ward was named Secretary; and Rodney Veal was elected Assistant Secretary. Thomas Burkhardt and Timothy Riordan were voted in as Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer, respectively.
Trustees also approved second terms for Brigadier General M.K. Haddad, Michael Howard, Scott Jones, and Rodney Veal; Dr. Ron Anderson, Barbara O’Hara, Burt Saidel, Rick Thie, and Joseph Zehenny were approved for a third term. Additionally, trustees extended terms for Zachary Beck and Thomas Burkhardt.
In addition to sustaining members, the DPAA Board of Trustees also welcomed a slate of new members: Libby Ballengee, Ashley Bethard, Jim Butler, Dr. Xavier Johnson, Patrick Martin, Peggy McQuiston, Shannon Joyce Neal, Timothy Riordan, John Tate, Abbie Trittschuh, Courtney Ditmer, and Dori Spaulding.
DPAA’s 2024–2025 Season begins on September 13 with a Masterworks performance of Dvořák, Stravinsky, and Brahms. Subscriptions are on sale now; the Members’ Presale begins July 10; and single tickets are available July 17. Learn more at daytonperformingarts.org.