SUNSET CONCERTS AT SAINT LUKE'S - SUMMARY (9-9-07)

c/o Saint Luke's Episcopal Church, 20 University Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95030

Voicemail: 408-354-4560 - e-mail: tedlorraine@comcast.net or sflemin@hotmail.com

The mission of Sunset Concerts at Saint Luke's is to enrich people's lives by providing the opportunity to experience excellent music firsthand!

Sunset Concerts is a financially independent, self-sufficient project at Saint Luke's Church. We receive no parish funds. Saint Luke's is, however, our fiscal sponsor, which enables Sunset Concerts to receive tax-deductible donations and grants.

Sunset Concerts began in 1999 - with the mission of providing the Los Gatos community with affordable, world-class chamber music presented in our intimate, resonant venue, Saint Luke's Church, with its historic sanctuary and courtyard, in the heart of downtown Los Gatos.

The Sunset Concerts Committee directs and manages the series and is comprised of experienced music lovers at Saint Luke's Church who are committed to the Sunset Concerts mission. The committee includes our Artistic Director - Ted Lorraine, Business Director - Susie Fleming, and Development Director - Elizabeth McCoy. Our many volunteers also enable the series to happen - we welcome you - so please contact us.

Chamber Music Concerts - four concerts of classical chamber music - in the winter/spring season. Chamber music is performed one on a part, with two to nine players and no conductor. We feature string quartets and piano trios with repertoire spanning various periods. We have also presented vocalists, a Russian folk ensemble & more.

High-quality - We present top professional artists and ensembles, typically prize-winning, with world-touring experience and of world-class quality - even some from our own Bay Area. Our 144-seat hall, the church sanctuary, provides a superior listening experience to all attending, with intermissions in our attractive courtyard and parish hall.

Affordable - We have been able to keep the per concert ticket price at only $20/adult, $15/senior, and $10/student. Our four-concert subscriptions have cost only $65 for adults, $50 for seniors, and $35 for students. Most of our audience is Seniors, and we have had group sales with the Town's Senior Center.

Audience-friendly - For audience comfort in 2006 we moved our concerts from the original summertime season to a cooler winter/spring season of February to May. We wanted the music to 'cook,' not the audience!

Benefits Los Gatos community - Our surveys show that close to 40% of our audience lives within the Town of Los Gatos. In recognition of Sunset Concerts adding to the artistic and musical ambiance of Los Gatos, we have received a Community Grant from the Town of Los Gatos Community Services Department every year since 2001.

Serving the greater community - Our high attendance, typically over 80% of capacity, demonstrates the need and desire for Sunset Concerts. In fact, all four of the Winter/Spring 2007 concerts sold out, indicating that we are meeting a strong demand for fine affordable music in our community! 60% of our audience travels in from outside Los Gatos -- we're serving the greater community and benefiting the local economy.

Respected - We are respected as a viable and important concert series, evidenced by continuous praise from music critics and grants programs; the Farrington Historical Foundation, the Arts Council Silicon Valley, and the Town of Los Gatos. Our dedicated individual donors - our 'Friends of Sunset Concerts' - and repeated business donors also endorse us with their consistent support.

"Sunset Concert series at St. Luke's is a classic, " headlined the Los Gatos Weekly-Times [Feb. 27, 2007]. San Jose Mercury News Music Writer Rich Scheinin wrote [Jan 26, 2007] "lf you know where to look, there's an abundance of chamber music in the South Bay. In small venues. At a fair price. Latest example: Sunset Concerts is coming back for its eighth season in the tiny St. Luke's Church's sanctuary in downtown Los Gatos."