The Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO) Patronato has obtained private funds to purchase a new seven-seater SUV that will be used to transport visiting musicians to and from the city airport, as well as orchestra members on local and regional tours.
The vehicle replaces a 1995 camioneta that was clearly no longer up to the job.
The JPO has also purchased a digital clavinova piano. Musicians had previously used a borrowed one.
Other new purchases include two microphones that will upgrade JPO recordings.
An innovation that may soon see the light of day is a smartphone app that contains a wealth of information about the JPO, as well videos of previous concerts. The app is being developed by students at the Universidad de Guadalajara and will appeal to the JPO’s fastest growing demographic audience: young people aged from 25-35, says Patronato President Alejandro Elizade.
Marco Parisotto, the JPO’s Canadian musical director, said the new acquisitions are part of a plan to “improve the image” of the orchestra. The new investments totalled around 450,000 pesos.
Parisotto said he was pleased that the JPO’s Patronato (board of directors) has managed to associate itself with 50 new “amigos” (friends), who are providing financial assistance to help the orchestra develop.
According to General Manager Arturo Gomez Poulat, the JPO is subsidized by the state government to the tune of 30 million pesos a year – not enough to move the orchestra in the upward direction it requires.
A project currently under consideration is a JPO trip to Berlin, Germany, “the mecca of classical music,” Elizade said.
The JPO celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2015.