Usually when an Ann Arbor institution is celebrating its 30th anniversary, its name is one familiar to the community in which it's marking its milestone of (relative) longevity.

Not so for the Academy of Early Music, which in year 30 is arguably making its first serious push to make inroads with the arts community in Ann Arbor.

"People don't know who we are because we weren't reaching out before," said Chris Dempsey, president and former treasurer of the academy.

For most of its history the academy supported performers of music from the Middle Ages to the Classical Era in their creative endeavors. But over the last decade or so its focus has shifted to bringing the best early music performers to town and building a local audience for the form.

Over the last few years, the academy's budget has ballooned from $4,000 to $30,000, Dempsey said, mostly the result of a new donor database and targeted fundraising efforts.

That's what makes this season so crucial.

"It’s imperative the 2010-2011 season — the academy’s 30th anniversary/coming out party — go well," he said. In a town overflowing with cultural options, many of them free, the academy has invested itself heavily in the mission of audience development. Dempsey sees no other choice for a group making up for lost time.

"We've made a pretty substantial investment this year, and we need to see a lot of that come back our way," he said.

The academy's eight-month 2010-2011 season kicks off Oct. 10, when the three-member group Greensleaves brings its Renaissance-inspired sound to town. The headline show of the season falls on Nov. 14 when Anonymous 4, an all-female group that's sold more than 1.5 million albums, returns to Ann Arbor after an 11-year hiatus. The season wraps with a May 21 show by Anaphantasia.

Dempsey's goal upon taking the helm earlier this year was to consolidate the academy's transition from an arts-supporting organization to a concert-hosting one.

Part of that task is changing the academy's image. Dempsey pulled out a flier for the 2009-2010 season, a homemade playbill that looked more like a church bulletin than the product of an organization competing with the University Musical Society and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra for highbrow entertainment dollars in Washtenaw County.

"We want to look like we belong in the conversation," Dempsey said as he handed over the professionally printed pamphlet advertising the 2010-2011 season.

The success of the 2010 season will not be measured simply in how many tickets are sold this year, though recouping some costs is important.

"We won't truly know the impact of bringing a group like Anonymous 4 until next year, when we see how much audience we can retain, how many new season ticket holders, donors, board members we can get on board," he said.

Not just early, but "historically-informed"

"Early music" technically means anything before 1800, but that date is arbitrary, Dempsey said. More important to the academy is that the artists it brings to town make "historically informed" music. So, not only would the artist play Bach, he would try to play Bach using only the instruments available in the composer's time, recreating what Bach would have heard.

"There's something very alluring about an artist trying to perform a piece as the composer intended it," Dempsey said.

Dempsey said he could see the academy expanding its reach again. Not so much to support artists but to bring early music performances and lectures to libraries and community centers, mainly featuring emerging acts. Such events would expand the academy's audience base without the risk of bringing in additional high-end acts.

"And we do have an organ that's always available for rental," he added.

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on North Division Street in Ann Arbor is the exclusive host of the academy’s performances, Dempsey said.

"These aren't the concerts that would typically fill the Hill Auditorium," Dempsey said, "but with 500 seats at St. Andrew's it's a very intimate feel."

James David Dickson can be reached at JamesDickson@AnnArbor.com.