Bay Atlantic Symphony experimenting with Indiegogo as new revenue source

The Bay Atlantic Symphony in Cumberland County has an idea for a documentary that it thinks would be good enough to show at film festivals and on public television. It would show how classical music composer, Steven Mento, integrates the music of South Jersey’s Lenni Lenape indians into a symphonic piece. In particular, the drum beat that is so prominent in Native-American songs.

The symphony has commissioned Mento to write the music piece to be called Algonquian Dreamcatcher. The Bay Atlantic Symphony will perform the new piece in March 2016. 

20151118 full page style 1200 sharperFor the first time the Bay Atlantic Symphony is turning to the online crowdfunding website Indiegogo. It’s a site where people can donate money using a credit card or other payment system like PayPal. 

Paul Herron, the symphony’s executive director, said the crowdfunded film about the Algonquian project won’t be some promotional trailer but instead will be a standalone documentary about “how a piece of art is created.” 

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Herron’s Indiegogo campaign started three weeks ago and as of Nov 18 it had raised about $1,700 towards its $19,500 goal. The clock is ticking for Herron because his Indiegogo campaign is more than half over facing a December 3 deadline. 

So, not surprising he’s trying to get the word out about his Indiegogo campaign anyway he can online or off.  “It’s funny that in this new way of raising money, this digital way of raising money, we are relying on the tried and true ways of making phone calls to friends and sending out direct mail. 

As an incentive to give, his Indiegogo campaigns award perks at different giving levels. A $10 donation will get your a “shout out” on the symphony’s Facebook page, $20 will get you a CD of the Algonquian Dreamcatcher live performance and it gets more generous as you give more. if you give at the top level your name will appear in the documentary credits, you get four tickets for the symphony show, a CD and a DVD. 

The Bay Atlantic Symphony (formerly the Bridgeton Symphony) is based in Bridgeton, NJ about 12 miles southwest of Vineland in Cumberland County. The symphony’s season is a series of concerts throughout South Jersey. 

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