Newsletter April 2015 Proudly supporting the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. President’s Note How fortunate are we in the CSPG to have musical friends like Charlotte Baker, owner of Graner Music! Our March Membership Meeting was a huge success not only because of the very bright, upbeat atmosphere of her place but we can thank Linda Johnson (again) for her wonderful array of “brunchie food.” Linda’s sidekick, Olympia Vida, our 2014 scholarship winner, was there to help serve beautifully homemade wraps and other morsels provided by Anne Young, Nora Durham, Mary Martin and Marion and John Meyer. For the first time, our scholarship winners could play music of their choice instead of the music with which they won. Jory Lane, for instance, played a mandolin concerto instead of his winning violin piece. The entire program was enthusiastically received by all. We are making a difference in the lives of these talented young people. Join Bob Allen and me to celebrate Mother’s Day evening, May 10 (6:00 p.m.), with Maestro Josep and Monica and little Marc at the Cheyenne Mountain Country Club, near the Broadmoor Hotel on Lake Avenue. If you are unable to attend, why not send a donation to CSPG to help defray costs and to add to our funds for the Philharmonic. It is another way you can take part in an event without actually serving on a committee. Our next membership meeting will be in May … Tuesday, May 19 at 6:00 p.m. in the Penrose House, former home of Julie and Spencer Penrose, on Mesa Avenue. It will be catered … giving Linda Johnson a breather, but she will have the Woodrose Quartet to entertain us. Thank you to Robin Gates, Nominating Committee Chairman, Carole Harper and Nancy Pittman for assembling an excellent slate of officers to be nominated. Our thanks as well to those willing to serve. You’ll find the slate in this newsletter. A huge thanks to Marion and John Meyer, who, between his travels overseas and her work and volunteering in Colorado Springs, have made our year with them a delight. They have been continued on page 2 In this issue: Event calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Philharmonic concerts . . . . . . . . 2 Mother’s Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Nancy Pittman . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 April 2015 Newsletter • guild.csphilharmonic.org Treasurer’s report . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Membership notes . . . . . . . . . . 6 Slate of Officers . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Youth Symphony winners . . . . . . 7 continued from page 1 the dynamic duo as Marketing and Communications Chair and as Treasurer. We have such a hard working board, and I believe we all, including the membership, are ready for the next challenge. My thanks to each and all for work well done! Musically yours, Pamela Street, Colorado Springs Philharmonic Guild Upcoming Calendar • April 14 Board Meeting 10:00 a.m. at Cheyenne Mountain Propagation Co. 830 Tenderfoot Hill Rd. Suite 200 80906; contact 576-4424 • May 10 Fundraiser: Mother’s Day Dinner with Josep, Monica, and Marc 6:00 p.m. Social Hour, 7:00 p.m. Dinner at Cheyenne Mountain Country Club 9 Lake Ave. 80906 • May 12 Board Meeting 10:00 a.m. at Cheyenne Mountain Propagation Co. 830 Tenderfoot Hill Rd. Suite 200 80906; contact 576-4424 Mother’s Day Sunset Dinner with Josep and Family • May 19 Annual Membership Meeting 6:00 p.m. at Penrose House, 1661 Mesa Ave. 80906 • June 19 Board Changeover Luncheon (details TBA) Upcoming Philharmonic Concerts Brahms 1 April 18-19, 2015 • El Pomar Foundation Masterworks Josep Caballé-Domenech, conductor • Alban Gerhardt, cello Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme Brahms Symphony No. 1 Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin April 25, 2015 • Vanguard Performances Josep Caballé-Domenech, conductor • A Chicago Symphony Beyond the Score presentation Discover the drama and intrigue of Bartók’s fiendish tale when Josep Caballé-Domenech and the Philharmonic perform his pantomime, The Miraculous Mandarin. Last year, for the first time ever, the Guild hosted a Mother’s Day Dinner with Josep and his family. The dinner was designed as a replacement for the May luncheon that had taken place in previous years. The Board felt that if we held an evening event, we may be able to attract more people, raise awareness of the Guild and attract new Guild members. It worked on all counts! The decision to hold the event on Mother’s Day was driven by Josep’s schedule as well as other events taking place in Colorado Springs around the same time. It was a gamble—we knew—but we went ahead with it anyway and again, it worked! Over 100 people attended the event held at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort rendering us several new Guild members and lots of new friends! We received numerous accolades regarding the event with most attendees saying they would definitely return if we did it again. We are indeed going to do it again, as Josep’s schedule once more has him in Colorado Springs on Mother’s Day. Monica and Marc will also be here to celebrate with us. This year, the event is being held at the beautiful and historic Cheyenne Mountain Country Club on Lake Ave. (not to be confused with Cheyenne Mountain Resort.) For many of us it provides a unique opportunity to experience this prestigious country club. May 8-9, 2015 • Philharmonic Pops Josep Caballé-Domenech, conductor The chef has prepared a wonderful surf and turf menu and the flowers will be in bloom! This is an event that Guild members should not miss! If you do not have alternative plans, put on your best spring cocktail attire, bring family or friends and plan to join us for this very special evening with Josep and his family. Combining scenes from the original 1940 Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, selections from two of Disney’s animated crown jewels are screened with live orchestra. Reservations at guild.csphilharmonic.org. Email questions to [email protected] or call Ros Block at (719)247-8686 for more information. 2 April 2015 Newsletter • guild.csphilharmonic.org Disney Fantasia Colorado Springs Philharmonic Guild 3 In addition to Panama, Garry and Nancy had tours in Bamberg, Mannheim, and Berlin, Germany. They had tours in: Indiana, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, Kansas, and Washington state. Nancy jokes that she once lived in three sets of housing in 14 months. When asked which place she enjoyed the most, she replies: “Berlin! We had a wonderful German house and a very active entertainment life. Garry was the Provost Marshal of the American Sector and was there when the Berlin Wall came down. What excitement at Checkpoint Charlie!” Nancy grew up on a dairy farm in Michigan and met Garry at Central Michigan University. She has a teaching degree from CMU and a Masters from UCCS. They married immediately after Garry’s CMU graduation and started on their Army adventures. While at CMU Nancy joined Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and she has been active with their volunteer support team for years. The Guild expresses its gratitude for all Nancy has done to support it! Note: This is one of a series of articles on how Colorado Springs Philharmonic Guild members make a difference in the musical community of Colorado Springs. For suggestions for future columns, please contact Marion Meyer, [email protected], 719-238-1660. What We Do: Nancy Pittman Thank you to Nancy Pittman for 19 years as Chairman of the Nutcracker Boutique! Nancy Pittman and her husband, Garry, arrived in Colorado Springs the summer of 1992, directly from his assignment in the Republic of Panama, to allow him to retire as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army after 23 years of service. Here they purchased their very first house. Nancy immediately became involved with the Symphony Guild and worked her first Holiday Home Tour that fall. Nancy says: “The Symphony Guild members became the center of my new social life.” Nancy has always felt the need to be of service to her community. She was Guild President 1995-97 and 2001-02. She brought the Nutcracker Boutique fundraiser to the Guild, as well as the relationship with the Youth Symphony for scholarships. She has also served on the Board of Directors for the Symphony Orchestra, Youth Symphony and Partners in Housing. While in Germany, she was National President of a Germany-wide women’s organization (AWAG) and President of a German-American Club. 4 Colorado Springs Philharmonic Guild April 2015 Newsletter • guild.csphilharmonic.org 5 Treasurer’s Report Youth Symphony Solo Competition Winners February 28, 2015, prepared by John Meyer, Treasurer Cash Admin checking account Scholarship account Scholarship CDs Fundraising account Fundraising savings account $7,400.29 $2,855.22 $3,849.07 $27,162.89 $5,080.04 Total cash as of February 28, 2015 $46,347.51 Outstanding check: $25,000 contribution to Philharmonic Funds available after check clears $25,000.00 $21,347.51 Jessica Shand Flute, First Place Jessica Shand began playing the flute at the age of eight in her elementary school band, and picked up the piccolo in sixth grade. This year, she was the principal flute of the Colorado AllState Symphony Orchestra and the Colorado University High School Honor Band. She won a National Young Arts Foundation merit award, is one of twelve members on the 2015-2016 Young Musicians Foundation roster, and was named an Emerson Scholar in the 2015 Interlochen Arts Camp’s World Youth Orchestra. Her teachers have included Shaina Rush, Kristi Davis, and Debby Blake, and she is currently studying with Brook Ferguson. Outside of music, her passion is in science, and she recently won first place in the category of the biology in the regional science fair for her research on plant systematics. Jory Lane Violin, Second Place Dues have been paid by 93 members. Membership Notes Slate of officers for 2015-16: The nominating committee is proud to present its slate of officers for 2015-16: Jory (14) has played violin since he was two. Jory started out on violin and has since learned the mandolin, guitar, upright bass, cello, ukulele, toaster (we won’t go into that) and is working on the banjo. He is in his 7th season of the Youth Symphony and this past June toured to Japan. He plays guitar on the worship team at his church Cowboys for Jesus. He enjoys Celtic music and in his spare time can be found either with a book, making things with his dad’s shop tools, eating or sleeping. Roslyn Block, President Lars Gronhagen, Vice President, Special Events and Fundraising Mary Ellis, Secretary OPEN, Marketing and Communications Janice Cross, Treasurer Pamela Street, Membership Linda Johnson, Programs and Locations Morrigane Dowler Oboe, Third Place Current membership rates: Single: $35 Family: $60 Andrew has been playing violin since he was five years old. He decided he wanted to play the violin when he and his parents went to a restaurant in Texas, and children of all ages were playing fiddle music to entertain those eating. From that point on he begged his parents for lessons on the violin, and the soon began those lessons. He was taught by Angela Wright for the first couple of years in San Antonio until his family moved to Boston when he was 7 years old. At that point he studied at a conservatory for a year and was completely burnt out by the rigors of the program. By the end of that year in Boston, he decided to quit the violin; however, when he moved to Colorado Springs (at age 8) he was inspired to continue playing because of the orchestra program at his new elementary school, The DaVinci Academy. Andrew soon began to study under violist, Margaret Miller and joined the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association for the first time in the fourth grade. In eighth grade, he decided to pursue violin more vigorously and began to study under Jeri Jorgensen. That year he joined the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony as one of two middle schoolers. For the past several years, Andrew has been working to improve on technique and solo work on the violin, as well as being very involved in school and sports. Andrew plans to major in computer science in college, but says playing the violin will always be a part of his life. Morrigane attends Cheyenne Mountain High School, and has been playing for nine years. Her teacher is Nancy Brown. She has played in the Colorado All-State Orchestra for three years, the Colorado All-State Band for two years, and the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Organization for seven years, two years in Encore, and five years in the Youth Symphony. Andrew Wireman Violin, Fourth Place Sustaining Individual: $75 Sustaining Family: $125 Renew your membership by July 30 for 2015-16! You may also renew at the May 19 membership meeting. More information about joining the Guild can be found at guild.csphilharmonic.org. Colorado Springs Symphonic Guild Leadership 2014-15 Board Officers Pamela Street, President Roslyn Block, Vice President, Special Events and Fundraising Marion Meyer, Marketing and Communications Nora Durham and Anne Young, Membership John Meyer, Treasurer Mary Martin, Corresponding Secretary Mary Ellis, Recording Secretary 6 2014-15 Committee Chairs Becky Whyley, Backstage Hospitality Robin Gates, Scholarship Linda Johnson, Programs and Locations Lars Gronhagen, Peachy Party Nancy Pittman, Nutcracker Boutique Roslyn Block, Bavarian Christmas Dinner Colorado Springs Philharmonic Guild April 2015 Newsletter • guild.csphilharmonic.org 7 guild.csphilharmonic.org PO Box 7584 Colorado Springs, CO 80933
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