19 Nov How does the St. Augustine Music Festival really come together each year?

Most people who attend our concerts never think beyond the music. It simply appears. But the truth is, bringing a festival of this scale to life every year is not simple at all.

Even though we identify as a non-profit, we are, in every sense, a business. We have a board of directors. We have an executive director. We have artistic leadership. We have a brand, and we have a product: world-class music in a world-class setting.

Here is the vision of the Executive Director and managing an arts organization:

Each year the board reaches out to the community for support. The artistic directors carefully plan the programs for each concert, seek out the best musicians and along with operations, arrange schedules, rehearsals, transportation and logistics to provide a memorable event for our audience.

Like any successful business, our business needs to earn money so that: Musicians are paid. Production, audio, video, marketing, photography, printing, insurance, advertising, piano moving, piano tuning, music rental, mailing lists, certifications, accounting, security and office services are all paid. Grants are written, certifications are kept up to date, and budgets are reviewed. Sponsors are cultivated. Donors and patrons are sought. Every week, every month, all year long our team, along with volunteers offer their time to ensure the St. Augustine Music Festival remains strong. And yet, every festival concert is free to the public.

So where does the money come from? From grants. From local, state and national foundations. From individual patrons. From sponsors. From those who make the choice to support the work because they believe, as we do, that great music should be available to everyone.

This is SAMF’s 20^th anniversary. Let’s go for another 20. Free concerts are only possible because enough people say: “Yes. This matters.”

Bill Boxer, Past Board Chair and Executive Director, St. Augustine Music Festival.