arts & life

music

Changing

Of The

Suzanne Chessler I Contributing Writer

Phillip Fisher

passes the torch of

DSO chairman of

the board to

Mark Davidoff.

Fisher

Davidoff

o active members of the
Metro Detroit Jewish com-
munity have transitioned
their leadership roles with the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO)
as of Dec. 10.
As Phillip Fisher moved from
chairman of the board of the DSO
to focus on fundraising, he turned
over the chairmanship to Mark
Davidoff.
Fisher, vice chair of the Max M.
and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation,
carries on a family tradition of sup-
port for the organization housed in
the building that bears his parents'
name, the Max M. and Marjorie S.
Fisher Music Center. He will be giv-
ing his attention to raising endow-
ment funds and providing sustain-
able capital for the DSO after three
balanced-budget years.
Davidoff, Michigan managing
partner for Deloitte LLP, brings
many of the accounting and man-
agement skills necessary for his job
to symphony commitments involv-
ing strategy and development. His
participation in community con-
cerns drew attention this past sum-
mer as he chaired the Mackinac
Policy Conference addressing
statewide issues with business and
government leaders.
Paul Hogle, DSO executive vice
president, credits Fisher with
leading the symphony into the
digital broadcast age and bringing
together symphony constituents for
a more cohesive team. With sub-
scriptions, donor base and annual
giving on the rise, the DSO's bal-
ance sheet reflects a surplus for the
second consecutive year.
"Phillip has come to us with an
entire life that prepared him for
this assignment:' Hogle says. "He
joined our board six years ago and
immediately became interested not
in just what we do but in how we
do it.
"He started serving on task
forces and leading those task forces
that he thought would change our
future. His first big assignment was
chairman of the Digital Technology

Tv

G

Task Force, and out of that task
force, we introduced our industry-
leading webcasts, the first [initia-
tive] of its kind in the country.
"He then served as a lead mem-
ber on a cultural task force talking
about the way musicians, staff
members, board members and vol-
unteers work with one another, the
forms in which the work gets car-
ried out and how we're organized to
do it all. Out of that process, before
he became chairman, we restruc-
tured our governance organization."
Fisher led the way to reducing
the 100-person fiduciary board to
25 people and soon was asked to be
chairman.
"The work I do is mostly from
the heart, and I really believe rela-
tionships are everything:' Fisher
says about his commitment to the
symphony. "I do all of my work,
regardless of where it is based, on
the principle of tzedakah. It's not
just about giving to others; it's liter-
ally about social justice.
"Focusing on the spiritual nature
of tzedakah and its relevance in the
Jewish community and the sym-
phonic work we do at the DSO is
an important connection for me
Fisher is a Temple Israel mem-
ber and has been on the board of
the United Jewish Foundation. He
also founded Mission Throttle —
to invest in, advise and support
mission-driven organizations and
entrepreneurs to address social and
environmental problems.
While Fisher can recall many
exciting concerts, two stand out
as representing the range of the
DSO — a 2013 touring appearance
at New York's Carnegie Hall, where
100 Detroiters waved flags with the
symphony logo, and a 2012 Fox
Theatre appearance of Kid Rock
with the symphony.
"I believe the symphony is the
cornerstone of our community's
cultural foundation:' Fisher says. "It
is entertainment, but it comes from
culture. Its spiritual, emotional and
physical impacts create community
connections:'

Davidoff, who was executive
director and chief operating offi-
cer for the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, served the
DSO board as vice chairman for
finance and resources and led
the Blueprint 2023 Program, the
10-year financial plan for the sym-
phony.
"I spent 12 years with Federation
and learned a lot about steward-
ship during those years," Davidoff
says. "I brought that with me, and
as I evolved into my current role at
Deloitte, I took seriously our respon-
sibilities not only to clients and our
people, but also to the community.
"I tried to organize my commit-
ments in three areas — economic
development, human service and
arts and culture. The DSO fits all of
those requirements:"
Davidoff, an accountant, has
been in some form of management
for most of his career.
"I learned a lot about what I call
mission versus margin:' Davidoff
says. "Every nonprofit organization
has a mission, and each organiza-
tion is dedicated to it and pas-
sionate about it. At the same time,
there has to be an eye on margin,
meaning there has to be financial
stability in order to accomplish the
mission:'
Davidoff, a member of Adat
Shalom Synagogue and active with
AIPAC, has set his goals as sup-
porting the commitment to artistic
excellence, furthering financial
sustainability and helping integrate
the symphony into the fabric of
Detroit, the region and the state.
"We're not just about the orches-
tra playing from center stage," he
says. "We're about accessibility,
education, diversity and inclusion
— all the things that resonate for
us as a community:'
The new chairman says he
watches audiences as well as the
orchestra and takes heart at the
enthusiasm he sees. While he has
many favorite concerts, an out-
standing experience was watching
and meeting cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Numbers Of Note

Here, some of the numbers
important to operations in the

2014-15 season of the DSO,
which had a $27.7 million oper-
ating budget; it is operating
with a current budget of $28.2
million for its fiscal year ending
Aug. 31, 2016:
• Subscription sales — in terms
of revenue and households
subscribing — grew across
every product for the fourth
consecutive season.
• $17.42 million in fundraising-
supported operations with an
additional $1.9 million in pay-
ments added to the endowment
• 600,000+ made up the total
audience across Metro Detroit
and around the world via "Live
From Orchestra Hall"webcasts,
making the DSO's the nation's
largest classical concert audience
• 892 musicians from across the
globe applied for 8 orchestra
auditions
• $1.4 million was raised at the
2015 Heroes Gala honoring the
Davidson/Gerson family follow-
ing a performance by the DSO
with Randy Newman.

Davidoff and his wife, Margie
Dunn (who is on the Advisory
Committee for the Berman Center
for the Performing Arts), look
forward to a special encore atten-
dance, featuring American Idol
finalist Michael Lynche on New
Year's Eve. At midnight, the audi-
ence will be invited to sing along
with a full orchestral performance
of "Auld Lang Syne."
"Last New Year's Eve was the
first time in many years that the
DSO had a celebration:' Davidoff
says. "Margie and I have spent 40
New Year's Eves together and had
the greatest time ever last year. It
was a phenomenal pop concert
and a celebration that everybody
enjoyed. We're going back again
this New Year's Eve *

December 17 2015

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