S E M Ensemble Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 161010695
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2014, Form 990-EZ 2024
- Location
- Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Phone
- 7184887659
- Rating
- 36
- Verdict
- REVIEW
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $163,775
- Expenses
- $163,764
- Assets
- $112,205
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
9 people listed
People named in this filing
- Petr Kotik (Artistic Director)
- Noni Pratt (Individual)
- Emily Krell (Secretary)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To provide contemporary music to Europe and United States audiences based upon a unique and innovative platform and forum.
What it reported doing in 2024
Since its inception in 1970, the mission of the S.E.M. Ensemble has been to perform and produce concerts of artistically demanding and adventurous music. The ensemble's focus has always been on compositions that have been neglected by the mainstream music world: music that makes an impact on composition and performance, by composers whose voices deserve to be heard. SEM's commitment to artistically demanding work has been constant since its founding. Composers such as John Cage, Julius Eastman, Morton Feldman, Pauline Oliveros, Earle Brown, Roscoe Mitchell, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Christian Wolff have all worked with the ensemble. SEM also regularly performs works by younger emerging composers from around the world. Programs consistent with SEM's mission - and the excellence of their musical execution - have helped the ensemble succeed throughout its 50 years of existence. SEM performs a yearly series at Paula Cooper Gallery in Manhattan and at its own space, Willow Place Auditorium in Brooklyn Heights. Major concerts are produced at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Bohemian National Hall, and Roulette. SEM also tours annually in Europe. Since 2001, the S.E.M. Ensemble has been working with the Ostrava Center for New Music (Czech Republic) in producing concerts in New York and in Europe (biennial Ostrava Days Institute and Festival; biennial NODO festival). SEM actively seeks out works by emerging composers from countries that are often marginalized musically, and brings these unique voices to New York audiences, further diversifying the musical culture of the city. Recordings are available on Asphodel Ltd. (San Francisco), Dog W/A Bone (New York), frozen reeds (Finland), Mode (New York), and Wergo (Germany).
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- No current program activity. The filing reports no program spending for the current year.
The verdict
REVIEW - The filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 0
- Transparency & Controls: 82
- Sustainability: 41
- Growth: 20
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 0%; rating input score 0
- Program expense ratio: 0%; rating input score 0
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Limited
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 0%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.69; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 22.9%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -18.2% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -0.1% per year; rating input score 0; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 0% of revenue deployed · 0% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 9 people listed
- Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
- Schedules: 2 filed schedules
- Filing history: 8 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 0/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 34/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 47/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 15/100.