thank you for listening to
oregon ballet theatre radio
I would like to thank the community of Portland, Oregon and those outside our state for listening to all three episodes of OBT Radio. The support and response that everyone has shown for OBT by listening to the live shows and downloading the podcasts has been overwhelming and inspiring.
My sincerest thanks to all of the guests from OBT who gave their time and rearranged their schedules to be a part of the shows. I would also like to thank Erik Jones and the OBT Marketing and Communications department for arranging the guests and being so easy and wonderful to work with.
We all have passions in life and I am grateful to have been able to share one of mine with you. On behalf of the staff at the Small Plate Radio Network, thanks so much for listening and being a part of this series with us. We hope to bring you future episodes of OBT Radio as their new season begins later this year and as it progresses into next year.
Sincerely,
Sabrina Miller
the obt radio blog
OBT Surpasses Their $750,000 Goal! • June 18th
After 3 long, hard, flurried weeks of fundraising, planning, rehearsing, marketing, and of course dancing, the Oregon Ballet Theatre has finally made and exceeded their monetary goal – with 12 days to spare. I found out earlier today when I took a quick peek at the “adrianometer” and to my delight, the meter was not only full, the number above it was much higher than I had anticipated. My jaw dropped as I saw the number that was posted today – $853,271…what an accomplishment!
There’s a great article in today’s Oregonian by Berry Johnson that gives a lot more detailed information about the financial side of OBT, but also has great quotes from principal dancer Anne Mueller, and Mayor Sam Adams. There’s a great donor story that Linda Besant, OBT’s Historian, shared with us yesterday on the radio – I invite everyone to take a listen to.
What a great feeling for OBT I’m sure, but even more so for members of the Portland Arts community that were pulling so hard for them and supporting them with all their might. Personally, I’m very proud to be a member of this artistic community and am grateful and thankful that we will be keeping our ballet company in Portland.
As a side note, we will still have our third episode of Oregon Ballet Theatre Radio next Wednesday June 24th at 1:00PM Pacific – Guests and topics TBA.
~ Sabrina Miller
No Comments »Live Listener Comment from 2nd OBT Episode • June 18th
Each and every show that we produce here at the Small Plate Radio Network has the ability for the listener to chat live with the show host during the show. Yesterday’s Oregon Ballet Theatre Radio show was definitely no exception. We had a ton of listener comments all in support of OBT and we try as hard as we can to get everyone’s comments and questions in during the live show.
This one in particular really stood out to us and unfortunately, I was unable to get to it during the show:
“The energy backstage was more like a big concert than a theatrical performance- wings full,everyone watching, wanting to see the great dancing. Really high energy. As the evening wore on the excitment about what was transpiring was palpable. WOW” - pdxculture
Thanks to all of those that tuned in and commented during the show – the second show in the series is available for download here on this site as well as on iTunes.
~ Sabrina Miller
No Comments »Closing the Gap • June 15th
As of Monday, June 15, 2009, Oregon Ballet Theatre is getting very close to their fundraising goal amount with an estimated $710,000. Total needed: $750,000. The Dance United Benefit proved to be a huge success for OBT and not only did it help raise much needed funds, it helped generate a new level of excitement throughout the Portland community and provide stellar dance companies all throughout North America and Canada.
As an audience member, I have never seen such a buzz about an event, felt such excitement or support in one place as I did on Friday night. The dancing itself was a stunning display of athleticism and grace from all of the companies that generously donated their time to help OBT’s cause. I am truly grateful to have witnessed such an historical event.
Having said that, there is still $40,000 to be raised in exactly 15 days – the month is half over. Did you know that OBT has an online auction to help raise money as well? Most of the auctions close on June 21st and there are still some really wonderful auction items that include:
- Autographed prints from the dancers
- Custom artwork
- Massages from OBT’s Dancers Masseuse, Kurt Marion
- A night at the Portland Opera
- and so much more
If you were unable to attend the Dance United Benefit, head on over to the OBT auction, or consider making a $5.00 donation – it can go a long way to help keep ballet in Portland.
No Comments »Dance United Benefit – Tomorrow evening! • June 11th
Yesterday we aired our first of a three part series with members of the Oregon Ballet Theatre, which you can listen to here. We had a great time here at Small Plate Radio talking with Artistic Director Christopher Stowell, learning historical information from Linda Besant, and chatting with dancers Kathi Martuza and Steven Houser. We appreciate all of you taking the time during this very busy week to share your thoughts, successes, and challenges with all of us. This first show was a huge success with over 10,000 live listeners worldwide! Thanks to all that listened – your support for the ballet is unparalleled. We also have it available for download on iTunes!
Tomorrow night marks an historical event in OBT history. Dance United will bring together more than 10 of the most prestigious ballets to Portland to show their support for our wonderful ballet. If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, you can do so here. If you are unable to attend, there’s still ways in which you can help. Even donating $5.00 will help which you can also do here. It was reported in the Oregonian earlier this morning that yesterday, the company reported that donations and gala tickets sold add up to $524,800, which is more than two-thirds of the $750,000 target. Let’s all help keep that number climbing, together we can all make a difference and keep the Oregon Ballet Theatre in Portland.
We will continue our 3 part OBT Radio series next week on Wednesday June 17th. Stay tuned for more updates soon!
~ Sabrina Miller
No Comments »Visit obt.org • June 9th
Our first show on the Small Plate Radio Network is set to air on Wednesday, June 10th. In the meantime, please visit the Oregon Ballet Theatre website at www.obt.org.
No Comments »