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THE WOMEN behind the Monterey Symphony work in near-perfect harmony — even though only one of them is a classically trained performer.

Musicianship isn't a job requirement, but all four directors have been asked to stretch their creativity in ways they never imagined. Their goal: Make centuries-old music exciting for younger, modern ears without losing touch with the devoted audience that has carried the nonprofit orchestra into its 80th year.
          
"This is it. This is te office" president and CEO Nicola Reilly declared as the team assembled on Zoom, streaming from various corners of their headquarters at Seventh and San Carlos.

The Pine Cone gathered Operations Director Noemi Vera, Patron Services Director Julie Lim, and Marketing and Events Director Virginia Marine on a call to discuss selling a symphony in 2026.

"You can't just put classical music out there and ask, "Why aren't people buying tickets?" Do you think Nike would do something like that?"Reilly asked.

The violinist and veteran of arts and music nonprofits knows a thing or two about promoting old compositions in fresh ways.

Insider's perspective

Reilly, a Washington native, worked for the Seattle Chamber Music Society and the city's Medieval Wome's Choir before moving to Monterey, where she served as Development and 
Marketing Director for the Carmel Bach Festival. In 2016, the symphony poached her from a fundraising job at CSUMB.

Reilly recalled, "I was at a concert 10 years ago when a couple people I knew from the symphony approached me and said, 'What are you doing? You're an artist. You should really come and talk to us.' There was some arm-twisting involved."

Vera — a Salinas resident who, enamored after just one concert, started volunteering in the box office as a high achoolerr — had joined the team two years earlier.

She shared an insider's perspective on how things were going before Reilly's arrival. In short, not good: Ticket sales, community partnerships, and donations were dwindling. And Vera would know, since her full-time job at the box office had quickly evelved into an all-around operations role.

Reilly piled on the praise.

"Noemi has worked in all parts of the organization and has such a breadth of understanding — like how long things actually take to accomplish. She's always thinking two or three steps ahead."

"And she came up with the idea of doing lobby sessions on Sundays," Marine chimed in. She and Vera started around the same time, arriving in 2014. Marine — who oversees communications and visuals for the symphony, including special events — brought a resume that included work as a graphic design consultant for clients like IBM and NASA.

She collaborates with Vera on "lobby sessions" — innovative mini-concerts given before matinees. Since Sunday afternoon is already the top sales day, the idea was to "offer a more intimate experience, help people get to know our musicians and put a little extra money in their pockets," Vera explained.

Typically, she taps one or a few of the orchestra's 75 musicians. Occasionally, though, the guests are unexpected.

"Last weekend, we had a duo playing Alpine horns. They showed up Friday with these giant instruments, and there was no way it would make sense indoors, so we held it on the plaza — which worked out great, because the instruments are meant to be played and heard outside," Vera explained.

Not zany yet

In 2020, Covid raised the question of what the Monterey Symphony would look like without its dramatic venue at San Carlos and Ninth. Confronting the issue required every ounce of creativity Reilly could draw from her team.

Within the daunting constraints of social distancing and virtual-only events, they unlocked a freedom they're harnessing well into the symphony's 80th year. "We had free rein and all this energy. We held our balcony sessions, we turned our office into a soundstage." Reilly said.

Those half-hour sessions — a soloist, duet or trio recording live on YouTube from balconies, galleries and other idyllic corners of Carmel — planted the seed for the lobby sessions and more.

"We're capable of so much fun. And I don't think we've hit zany yet. We're still at 'elegant,'" said Reilly.

To support the programming led by conductor and Music Director Jayce Ogren — with help from Reilly in booking soloists and guest artists the symphony attracts to Sunset Center — the team has been trying ideas like pre-show parties to boost Saturday night turnout and annual events like Women's Night Out (a pre-concert party) and Love Letter.

The latter, a family-friendly event billed as, "Two nights of music under the stars," will take place Sept. 15 and 16 at the Forest Theater. Last year's "letter" to Paris included works by Edith Piaf alongside George Gershwin's "An American in Paris," and music from "Ratatouille" and "The Adventures of Tintin."

Marine invites the symphony-shy to "just come to Love Letter. Bring a picnic and some wine, gather your friends, and you'll be blown away."

Sold-out season

After overseeing a 2017 redesign of the Monterey Symphony logo, Marine is in the lengthy process of assembling a brand book with design rules to give the symphony a consistent "look." Her hands are in everything from glossy brochures to Instagram content.

Though she often dips into the archive of concert posters for inspiration, "The question is always, 'How can I reivent familiar spaces?" I don't think any of us is settled in 'the way we've always done it,'" Marine said.

The symphony's 2024-2025 season sold out, thanks in part to out-of-the-box events and media outreach to new audiences. That includes a special mailer for first-time guests, suggested by Patron Services Director Lim.

Answers to questions about what to wear, where to park, and more are laid out, "to make it as easy and comfortable as possible for people to come and experience this," Lim said.

There's also nearly 50 percent discount on their first ticket, with rates as low as $12 for students, teachers, active-military and veterans, and $22 for members of the Carmel Residents Association and Carmel Foundation.

"Julie was a no-brainer after we worked together at the Bach Festival," said Reilly, who coaxed Lim out of retirement three years ago.

Lim volleyed back: "This is such a powerhouse of capable womwn. In the past, I've been involved in organizations where departments are isolated and staff meetings tackle only superficial issues, but the communication here is so fluid and organic."

$3 million budget

Beyond individual tickets, full-season subscriptions and musician hospitality, Lim oversees donations to the nonprofitThe efforts have attracted attention — which, combined with endowement and grant funds, account for 80 percent of its $3 million operating budget.

"Since we've made such a concerted effort to bring in young musicians, I think our patrons are quite invested," she said.

The Symphony has sponsored master classes, provided teachers to help music students prepare showcases, and organizes an annual "side-by-side" concert where the Monterey Honors Orchestra plays with professioals.

The efforts have attracted attention from grant-awarding organizations like the Arts Council for Monterey County. Last month, it committed to sponsor the Symphony's annual youth concert, subsidizing bus rides and tickets for 1,400 Monterey County students to attend a performance of music from "West Side Story" and the "Lincoln Portrait" in " a wide-ranging program exploring the musical character of the nation on the approach of its 250th birthday," according to the Symphony's website.

"The idea is to target students when they're just beginning to select orspecialize in an instrument," Reilly said. The Symphony sends local musicians to schools ahead of the concert to introduce themselves, answer questions, and play a little.

Part community engagement, part career day, it's an invitation to become part of something much bigger — and older — than they are.