A Quick Mahler Update

The Mahler appeal seems to have slowed to a crawl at just over 200,000 baht.  Even this figure is in itself amazing, because no one's ever tried using social networks to finance classical concerts in Thailand before.  

Now, at around a week to go before the concert, we still need to raise about 2/3 of the money to put it on. And yet I no longer feel as worried as before.

The last person to donate was a friend of a friend in Switzerland, who generously sent in £1,000.   Somehow, this contribution was a turning point.   After that, our fortunes began to shift because people began contacting us to hire our orchestra for more commercial purposes and any time we do something commercial, we can impose a "Mahler tax" ... i.e. use commerce to help subsidize art.  

However it is true that contributions haven't moved in a couple of days.  I have about 8 days to go until the concert.  So, I guess this is my final all-out appeal.   Even with help coming in from taking a bit off the top of commercial gigs, I could really use another 100,000 or two!  

So, my dear friends ... if you can ... become a member of Gustav's Angels ... or at least one of the little angels.   For the next 3 days at least there is still time to get your name in the programme book.  There are many ways to do this: go to www.somtow.org or www.mahlerthai.com and click on the donation buttons (via paypal) or just send the money directly to me: Somtow Sucharitkul,  Siam Commercial Bank, 0013513547 is the account I'm using exclusively for Mahler stuff ... or by paypal to somtow@gmail.com.  I promise not to spend it all on booze.  Seriously, I'm holding most of the money in a drawer to avoid my secretary using it to pay non-Mahler expenses....

Tiny donations are important too.  I was especially moved when a friend sent me $5 which was all she had sitting around in her paypal account.  Musicians are not as well paid here as in the unionized US.  That $5 will pay for 25 minutes of one of the tutti violinists' time.  That is NOT chickenfeed.

For those who have already helped, thank you, thank you, thank you for fueling all our dreams.