By Jon W. Sparks - The Commercial Appeal -

Tonight, Mei-Ann Chen will lead the Memphis Symphony Orchestra for the first time as music director.

Expectations are high, and not just regarding her abilities at the podium. Major challenges face the organization.

The good news is that the symphony has been preparing to confront those tests of economic survival and relevance to the community.

Chen, named music director in February, is a key part of that plan and will be deeply involved in those areas in addition to her mission to elevate the music.

Chen, who previously held conducting jobs in Portland, Ore., Atlanta and Baltimore, became a contender for the Memphis position shortly after the previous maestro, David Loebel, announced early in 2008 that he would retire. A long process winnowed the candidates down to a final four who led the symphony in guest appearances last season.

The 36-year-old Taiwan-born conductor impressed the search committee of board members, musicians and community representatives with her rapport with the orchestra, her energy and her ideas to boost the symphony during the three years of her contract.

"There are two concepts playing in my thoughts since I've been appointed: accessibility and inclusion," she said in a recent interview.

Those priorities resonated with MSO officials. Ryan Fleur, the symphony's president and CEO, has been leading the organization to be more involved with the community on several levels, including its "Leading from Every Chair" corporate workshops and a mentoring program at the Soulsville Charter School.

But the symphony wants to increase its outreach, particularly to young people.

In Memphis, Chen wants to take the music to schools, but in a way that engages young people by letting them participate.

"When you're working with young musicians, it's rewarding because a lot of the time they surpass your expectations. The skills they learn from trying to master their instrument, learning to listen, learning to work with their colleagues, provides them with lifelong skills," she said.

Chen, who led the Portland Youth Philharmonic for five years, referred to a program she had there.

"When they passed the basic level of musical knowledge, they could elect composing or conducting or music history," she said. "What if there's a kid who could become Copland or Bernstein? It's our job to plant the seeds to expose them."

Planting seeds takes money as well as time: "We need the community to know that when we give back to the community, we need support. That's always been a challenge for symphony orchestras. My job is to present our story so people are clear that they need to support us because we're doing something for the youth of our community."

The downturn in the economy has hurt symphonies across the country. Last year, amid slower box office sales, a decline in giving and an endowment hit hard by the stock market collapse, the Memphis Symphony eliminated five administrative positions -- about one-quarter of its then-18-member staff. Top executives also received a pay cut.

"It was very much about survivability," said Fleur.

But with those changes and since Chen's appointment in February, there is now "very clearly an uptick," he said. "We've had an increase in subscription sales, about 600 ahead of where we were last year. We're not out of the woods yet, but this is a turnaround year."

Fleur said they now have more than 2,000 subscriptions across all the series.

Also, the Memphis Symphony has hired Nicki Inman in the new position of vice president of patron services and is close to hiring new heads of personnel and marketing.

Tonight, Chen leads the Memphis Symphony in the first concert of the season, a performance in the Paul & Linnea Bert Chamber Series at The Buckman Performing and Fine Arts Center.

The theme for 2010-11 is "A Season of Discovery," referring to concerts having a geographical theme as well as pointing to the process of getting to know the new maestro.

Chen is aware of the challenges and possibilities of her new position. She notes that the Memphis Symphony is being watched from afar as an exemplar of how to survive and thrive. The orchestra was the cover story of the July/August 2010 edition of Symphony magazine, published by the League of American Orchestras.

"My vision is to see the Memphis Symphony become one of the hottest cultural institutions in Memphis," Chen said. "Regionally, the Memphis Symphony has the potential to become one of the best orchestras in the country."