O.C. MUSIC / CHRIS PASLES : Philharmonic Society Winds Up Year With Surplus : The 1991-92 figures cut the organization’s long-term deficit by more than half.

There was more good fiscal news for the county’s major music organizations Monday when the Orange County Philharmonic Society, the prime presenter here of internationally recognized classical artists and ensembles, ended the 1991-92 fiscal year with a significant surplus that cut its long-term accumulated deficit by more than half.

Among other things, the news--which follows a similar announcement last week by the Pacific Symphony--means that merger talks which surfaced last October between the Philharmonic Society and the orchestra have been “put on the back burner,” as outgoing society president Edward Halvajian put it at the society’s annual meeting.

The society and the orchestra each now can look at itself “as a solid organization,” Halvajian said.

The news wasn’t all good: In line with national trends, Philharmonic Society subscription ticket sales were down by a sizable 26%. But single ticket sales were up by 11.5% and--the big news--contributions from corporations and individuals were ahead of last year’s by 23%, up to a record $1.4 million. Meanwhile, the society reduced its expenses by $500,000.

As a result of all this, the society wound up $140,000 ahead of its $2.5-million break-even point. A year ago, it was in the red by more than twice that amount. This year’s surplus will reduce the long-term deficit by 56%, to $110,000.

Society executive director Erich Vollmer said Tuesday that corporate and individual support increased because “we were able to make a convincing case to old-time friends and also some new people that we had been courting for some time.”

The corporate support included a $100,000 grant from the Harry and Grace Steele Foundation, half of which will be applied to the fiscal year that is just beginning. “It’s nice to know we have $50,000 out of the starting gate,” Vollmer said.

Other donations included grants of $25,000 each from Toshiba America and the James Irvine Foundation. Overall, the number of contributions increased about 10%, said Vollmer, noting that “we have about 3,800 individual contributions coming in to this organization.” He gave special credit to the 1,600 members of the Society’s Women Committee, “who broke all their (fund-raising) records.

“I am envious when I look at the huge contributions given to some other arts organizations,” he said (he would not elaborate, but respective grants of $250,000 and $150,000 have been given to the Orange County Performing Arts Center and the Pacific Symphony in recent months). “But I would not trade what we get from the smaller, broad-based constituency that supports us. Those people, I hope, will always be with us.”

Vollmer recalled that last year, “we found ourselves in the beginnings of a recession and it was too late in the season to do anything about it. We were committed to presenting those concerts and committed to paying those contracts.” This year, while there have been no staff cuts, a salary freeze was in effect until this month.

The society has proposed a slightly lower budget, $2.3 million, for the 1992-93 season. Of that, $100,000 is earmarked for further reducing the deficit.

“We put together a season that we could live with financially,” Vollmer said. “It just so happens that the orchestras that were touring were coming with price tags that were more reasonable.”

Vollmer cautioned, however, that “we’re still not home. We still have a deficit to erase. In some ways the next six or eight months may be even more of a challenge than the last year. But I think we’re up to it.”

Though the Philharmonic Society and Pacific Symphony had good years, 1991-92 was not without its casualties. South Coast Symphony, one of two mid-budget orchestras in the county, folded last month when it ran out of money. And the county’s two chamber orchestras canceled several concerts each because of declining ticket sales and financial support.

In other Orange County Philharmonic Society news, Susan S. Beechner of Newport Beach was elected chairman of the board, and Steven A. Lupinacci of San Juan Capistrano was elected president.

Vollmer also said he plans to appeal the recent 3-plus rating that the California Art Council gave the society after five consecutive years of rating it 4, the top rating possible. The ratings are used in determining how much state money an organization will receive.

Music To Their Ears

The Orange County Philharmonic Society ended the 1991-92 fiscal year solidly in the black after a strong increase in contributions, even though ticket sales were down. A year ago, even with higher overall income, the society ended its season with a deficit.

1990-91 1991-92 % Change Total Income* $2,614,000 $2,560,000 -2.1 Subscription sales $1,083,336 $797,900 -26.3 Single ticket sales $283,450 $316,000 +11.5 Contributions $1,165,854 $1,434,000 +22.9 Total Expenses $2,920,000 $2,420,000 -17.1 Surplus/(deficit) ($306,000) $140,000

* Includes funds from other sources.

Source: Orange County Philharmonic Society