Praise for American Made
“We could not have attempted this program without significant funding from area businesses and manufacturers. Our sponsorships for this concert were the single largest underwriting in the symphony’s 65 year history. Significantly, we were able to retain a number of these new sponsors during the following season for other programs.”
“We’re excited to be working with The Now Device on what’s sure to be a spellbinding show. Manufacturing is an indispensable part of the American heritage and a vibrant part of our region’s economy. ‘American Made’ will help us celebrate the essential part that local manufacturers and workers play in the life of our community.”
“I loved it. And we made money on this!”
–”…I’ve heard from several patrons how much they enjoyed American Made: the Art of Manufacturing and I’ve literally been stopped on the street to talk about it. People were very excited by this program.
One of my favorite quotes is from one of our board member’s father-in-law who worked for and retired from Bennett Pump. He said that he loved the entire program but he was so proud when he saw the photos of Bennett Pump that it brought tears to his eyes! From a development standpoint, this program allowed us to connect with a segment of our business community that we hadn’t before and celebrate a significant part of our local history. We have made many new friends through this process. The educational component was also a very significant part of our presentation. We are always striving to connect with the younger portion of our constituency. American Made allowed us to make that connection.”
“Working with The Now Device was a wonderful, creative endeavor. We continue to receive great comments about the program almost 18 months after the performances. The Symphony was able to shine while telling a story of local interest. It was a win for everyone.”
“This was so much different than what (the sympony) normally produces, I felt really inspired, really proud of this community – all its people and industries. We’ve got to do this again.”
“Absolutely terrific. I’ve heard nothing but praise from sponsors, board members, subscribers and partners.
Everyone is agog!”
“I am thrilled to bring American Made to the Frauenthal stage. Putting live and recorded video to music is a first for the West Shore Symphony. Of course, we have a rule here — we only work with artists who will maintain or enhance the level of the West Shore Symphony’s own performance. The video production by the Now Device is absolutely top-notch. It is masterful and compelling…”
“I’ve seen the show three times and it just gets better. We need to bring this to Grand Rapids.”
–”With programs like this, I always worry about the orchestra becoming the handmaiden of the image and actually being overlooked by the audience, but that did not happen. Although the orchestra was supportive of the images, there were numerous moments when the orchestra was justifiably the audience’s primary focus…
The American repertoire was so right, an inspirational, joyous mixture of the familiar and some less familiar that featured the outstanding musicianship of our concert master and others. I also appreciated that images of Peter and the musicians were included. Not only did that remind us to focus on the orchestra but also positioned the orchestra as another part of the local “manufacturing” scene. Including the orchestra in this way breaks down the image that symphonic music and the other arts are elitist.”