ALLENTOWN

SYMPHONY

ASSOCIATION

ANNuAL REPORT | JuNE 1 – MAY 31

20142015

Challenge and triumph converged in our whirlwind 2014-2015 season focused on community and on building a vibrant future. As always, our patrons, donors, and partners were with us all the way.

The Cirque de la Symphonie on Valentine’s Day exemplified the excitement. I held my breath as the resources of our 1890s-era Miller Symphony Hall strained to the limit for this classical concert combined with the stunning skills of six aerial artists. The staff and orchestra nailed it, I got to exhale and we sold out, a boost to overall robust ticket revenue. Thanks to the Century Fund and its trustee Jack Leh, hundreds of young people attended our symphony performances for free, a gateway for a new generation of music lovers.

Firsts abounded: we were the hosts of El Sistema’s East Coast Spring gathering Seminario, recognition of commitment to our diverse community; we brought the Vienna Boys Choir to the Lehigh Valley for the first time; we were awarded our first National Endowment for the Arts grant to commission a piece by composer Roberto Sierra; and the ASO, under the baton of Diane Wittry, won the American Prize for Orchestral Performance.

Thank you for joining us for the 2014-2015 season. Come join us this season—more thrills are at hand!

SheilaevanSexecutive director

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dianewittry

peterkern

It was a standing-ovation season—at all of our 2014-2015 performances you honored us by rising to your feet, inspiring us to new heights.

Part of the sizzle was an unprecedented blend of symphonic music with aerial feats, Latin dance melodies, and even a film premiere.

We opened in September with renowned pianist Garrick Ohlsson playing Russian masters. November featured old and new in one evening—Elgar’s cello concerto, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, and the Pennsylvania premiere of composer Roberto Sierra’s Montuno.

After the triumph of Cirque de la Symphonie in February came the fun and fire of tangos and dances with classical guitarist Silviu Ciulei, the ASO’s 2014 Schadt Competition winner. This concert was followed by an after-concert milonga in the Rodale Room, where concert-goers learned to tango.

Our grand finale was a bold combination of Beethoven’s timeless Ninth Symphony with the ASO Symphony Chorus, heralded by my new composition/arrangement, “Ode to Joy Fanfare” and featuring our El Sistema students. Then Canadian composer John Estacio’s symphonic Borealis accompanied video artist Jose Francisco Salgado’s film of the haunting, ethereal lights.

We promise more innovation and celebration in 2015–2016, my 20th Anniversary season as Music Director and Conductor of the ASO.

I thank the Board of Directors for its confidence and support during my term as president of the Allentown Symphony Association. These past two years have reinforced my conviction that the Allentown Symphony Association is vital to the health and happiness of the Greater Lehigh Valley community.

We look back with pride at our outstanding 2014-2015 season with its memorable performances, innovation, and accomplishments such as the remarkable renovation to the balcony of Miller Symphony Hall. What excites us most is the success of our educational efforts.

One seminal achievement has been the establish-ment of El Sistema Lehigh Valley. In less than five years, this local version of the world-renowned music-based program has received national recognition. It provides an opportunity for young students to demonstrate talent and to grow self-esteem, confirming our commitment to education and complementing other community organiza-tions in promoting the arts among our youth.

The Allentown Symphony Association is making a difference at a time when arts education in our schools has faded in the face of tight budgets and competing priorities. It isn’t an easy effort to sustain. Yet with the help of our supporters, loyal patrons, talented musicians, and our wonderful staff, we will continue to meet this challenge and to seek other opportunities to enhance the quality of life for all in the Greater Lehigh Valley.

cover photo: allentown Symphony presented cirque de la Symphonie Feb. 14 and 15 to sold-out houses.photo creditS: photos courtesy of robert cort photography, John hofmann, the Morning call, and andrew woodward/valen MediadeSiGn: carolyn katwan writer/editor: ardith hilliard

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Miller Symphony Hall’s balcony renovation, the final capital improvement outlined in our 60th Anniversary Campaign, was completed in time for the 2014–2015 season.

Patrons now have more generous legroom and cushioned seats, which match that on the mezzanine and orchestra levels. Other changes improved the view of the stage and enhanced access for all.

Additional improvements since 2011 include the rebuilding of stage supports and upgrades to the exterior lobby, box office, and concession areas. New electronics and an HD projector, screen, and sound system have increased the digital capabilities of the historic Hall.

Proud as we are of our progress, there is still work that needs to be done to bring this 1886 building up to modern standards, including replacing the stage rigging and converting an unfinished storefront space into an attractive, event venue within the Hall. The latter is a project that we are currently seeking funds to complete.

the hall ASenseofPlace

Miller Symphony Hall was a buzzing hub of events that entertained and enlightened during the 2014-2015 season.

Vintage rockers got a treat in March when George Thorogood of “Bad to the Bone” fame offered hot energy on a cold night for an enthusiastic crowd. At the holidays, the beauty of the season was captured by Jim Brickman bringing his pop music pianist touch to Christmas classics. The Vienna Boys Choir provided charm and vocal purity in December with holiday songs from medieval to modern.

The Rodale Community Room remained the place to be for great jazz every third Friday of the season. Some high notes were the Eric Mintel Quartet, Hot Bijouxx’s Roaring Twenties tribute to Josephine Baker and

“The Last Schmaltz,” the sold-out final performance of the Lehigh Valley’s own Zen for Primates in October 2014. The unclassifiable cabaret ensemble comprised a singer, cello, violin, and sax, with no percussion employed. Devotees wanted and got one last chance to experience Zen’s unorthodox original compositions and offbeat covers of well-known hits at the end of the group’s 27-year run.

Live on the big screen in HD throughout the season, patrons saw the Metropolitan Opera, National Theater productions and classic Bolshoi Ballet performances of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, and his Ivan the Terrible.

A global phenomenon came to the hall for the first time in September 2014. TEDxLehighRiver, a local version of the

popular TEDTalks (Technology, Entertain-ment, Design), featured “Giant Steps,” eight local speakers offering compelling new concepts on a range of topics from philanthropy to finding a niche in a world of increasing automation. The theme was inspired by the booming rebirth of downtown Allentown. TEDxLehighRiver is co-sponsored by the Allentown Symphony Association, Lehigh University and PBS39. Now in its third year, TEDx will continue to bring the best minds into the spotlight to contribute to the vitality of the community.

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When 10-year-old Stephanie Gardner stepped onto the stage years ago to present flowers to a Schadt String Competition winner, she carried with her three generations of devotion. Ms. Gardner is 29 now, an emerging filmmaker who has traveled the world, yet she and her family hold fast to their bond with the Allentown Symphony. “I grew up going to every single concert until I went away to college,” she recalled, sitting at her desk at Miller Symphony Hall, where she worked for a time this summer.

The family’s enduring relationship started many decades ago. Stephanie’s grandparents Theodore R. and Margaret Knoll Gardner joined other prominent citizens to bring classical music to their community as founding members of the Allentown Symphony Association. Year after year, Ted and Peg Gardner opened their hearts and home, donating time and treasure to the symphony. Music was central to their lives, so Ted served as Symphony Association solicitor and board member, while Peg, also on the board, helped lead the Women’s Committee and organize the annual ball.

It was predictable that their passion would be inherited by their son, Federal District Judge James Knoll Gardner, and his wife, Linda Kay Gardner. For Judge Gardner, the family commitment is a source of pride. “There never has been a day when there hasn’t been a Gardner involved with the symphony,” he said, reflecting on the years of happiness he and his family have earned through direct donation as well as involvement in many of the symphony association’s activities. He has been on the Symphony Association Board of Directors since 1988 and has served as first and second vice president among numerous other board positions.

“What we have is an organization that provides quality classical music as well as educational and cultural oppor-tunities to the community,” said Judge Gardner, who in his day played saxophone and clarinet in a local profes-sional band. The symphony owns its own hall, allowing it to control “what we perform and how we perform it,” he said, a rare advantage shared by few other orchestras of its size. He and his wife Linda, who taught piano for 30 years, have passed their love of music on to their four daughters. Christina Hanna is a pianist, flutist and percussionist; Andrea Merrill is a classically trained pianist and graduate of Eastman School of Music; Victoria is an opera singer and founder of the Hillhouse Opera Company in New Haven, Conn. Then there is the youngest, Stephanie, who has chosen film as her muse but who wrote a musical comedy when she was in her teens. It was performed on the stage of Emmaus High School, just as one written by her uncle, Theodore R. Gardner II, had been years before. For an encore, she wrote another, performed on the stage of her alma mater, Georgetown University.

The Gardners have been particularly strong supporters of the Schadt String Competition, hosting competitors and holding hospitality and fundraising events for the nationally renowned program. True to family tradition, Stephanie is working on a film about the Schadt competition as it approaches its 20th anniversary.

Supporting the arts, said Judge Gardner, is a constant challenge calling for non-stop commitment. Nothing can be taken for granted, he noted. However, one thing seems certain—the Gardner family will be part of the symphony’s success for many years to come.

the Gardner FaMilyAFamilyAffair

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Former Allentown Mayor William Heydt and his wife, Mary Ann, find many ways to support the Allentown Symphony. Year after year, they are among the most generous of individual donors. But it is Mayor Heydt’s hands-on work at Miller Symphony Hall that really puts a gleam in his eye.

As chairman of the symphony’s facilities committee, Mayor Heydt relishes his leadership role in everything from new boiler installation to seat upgrades to the completion of the balcony renovation this year at the historic hall, originally built for audiences of the late 1800s. The Heydts even have sponsored individual seats during the years-long upgrade of the hall.

“We have taken an old building and made it fit today’s demands—it is a majestic building for a great symphony,” he said.

The Heydts still put in some hours at the family business, the Heydt Insurance Agency on Cedar Crest Boulevard. Now, though, son Joseph runs the agency, leaving Bill and Mary Ann time for their six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and community activities. Much of their energy goes to the symphony. This season the Heydts are honorary chairpersons of the annual ball, the symphony’s major fundraising event. When asked why they choose the symphony to focus on, the answers come quickly.

“We sort of fell in love with the symphony,” said Mary Ann. Both are music lovers and attend almost all the

concerts at the hall. That bond formed by music goes all the way back to their teenage years, when Mary Ann would watch her beau play the trombone in Central Catholic High School’s dance band. After 57 years of marriage, they continue to enjoy live music, especially the symphony’s pops concerts.

Mayor Heydt adds that governmental support of the arts has steadily eroded during the last 10 to 20 years, making it even more imperative that private sector donors step up. He said he saw the trend developing while he was mayor of Allentown and found it profoundly frustrating. So he has committed himself to taking action.

“The symphony itself is very expensive so fundraising always is a priority,” he said. “It is my way of giving back to the community.” The Heydt agency is deeply ensconced in the Lehigh Valley, providing insurance coverage to more than 7,500 households, he said, so its commitment to insti-tutions that make the area a rewarding place to live is vital.

Yet another incentive for their support, said Mayor Heydt, is Symphony Executive Director Sheila Evans’s expansion of the number and type of offerings season after season, welcoming people of all musical tastes.

With the practical eye of a businessman and city leader, Mayor Heydt sees challenges, including demand for park-ing to accommodate symphony patrons in an increasingly busy downtown. He and Mary Ann are in for the long haul, though, and he won’t hesitate to roll up his sleeves and keep moving ahead.

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Everyone has a niche. The tricky part is finding it, and then owning it as your life’s work. By this measure, Allentown Symphony Orchestra violist Debra Reilly is a lucky woman.

As she sees it, Reilly is doubly blessed. Her niche involves two pursuits on which she has built her career. She is a professional musician, playing the viola with the symphony since 1989, and the Middle Schools String Specialist and Orchestra Director for Parkland School District.

“I feel perfectly balanced,” she said. “Most people have to choose either to play or teach. I am fortunate to be able to do both.”

Her deep love of music underlies her success. This year, after being nominated by former students at Parkland High School, she was selected by The Recording Acad-emy and Grammy Foundation, as one of the 10 finalists in the country for the American Music Teacher Grammy Award. In 2014, she was also selected as a semifinalist, chosen from 7,000 music educators throughout the nation. She is proud of the recognition, but her real joy shows when she talks about her students.

“My honors orchestra has been selected to participate in the National Orchestra Finals competition sponsored by Forte Music Festivals at Alice Tully Hall in New York City,” she said. She cherishes all 300 of her students and wishes they “all embrace music and see the importance and value of music education in the schools.”

Daughter of a Pennsylvania Ballet dancer, Reilly was immersed in the performing arts from childhood and remembers being mesmerized watching the musicians in the orchestra pit. She started playing viola in elemen-tary school and her greatest inspiration was her teacher Leonard Mogill of The Philadelphia Orchestra.

She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in viola perfor-mance from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, her music teacher certification from Moravian College and a master of arts in education from Gratz College.

In addition to performing with Allentown Symphony, she is a member of Bach and Handel Orchestra and The Valley String Trio. As a freelance musician, Reilly performs at Zoellner Arts Center, Civic Theatre of Allentown, Muhlenberg College, and DeSales University. She has performed with Dionne Warwick, Teddy Pen-dergrass, Gregory Hines, Three Irish Tenors, The Celtic Woman, American Idol Clay Aiken, and Matthew Morrison from Glee.

Reilly is active with Allentown Symphony Educational Outreach Programs and guest conducts at PMEA Festivals. She will host the PMEA Elementary Band and Orchestra Festival this spring along with guest conductors Diane Wittry and Ron Demkee. Judging from the energy she emanates, she is having the time of her life.

Patrons of the symphony who hear her artistry at every concert and hundreds of former and current school children who have benefited from her tutelage are grateful that Debra Reilly has found her niche, right here in the Lehigh Valley. She is passionate about performing and teaching music. Her motto is “No one can whistle a symphony, it takes an entire orchestra to play it.”

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GrowinG our Future

We served more than 11,000 children and adults with our education programs during the last year. We introduced thousands of young people to great music, nurtured budding musicians, and sustained our nationally acclaimed after-school initiative El Sistema Lehigh Valley in conjunction with the Allentown School District.

In November, 61 students from area schools participated in the Young Musician String Festival. In March, our nationally renowned Schadt String Competition, celebrating its 20th year, was won by 18-year-old Zeyu Victor Li from the Curtis Institute of Music. “Prodigy,” the Annual Youth Concert in April, entertained nearly 2,000students and family members with performances by brilliant young musicians. More than 3,500 students experienced the symphony’s Instrumental Petting Zoo at local schools, Mayfair, and the Da Vinci Science Center.

Collaborating with Lafayette and Moravian colleges and community groups, we provided master classes with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, the jazz string group Turtle Island Quartet, classical guitarist Silviu Ciulei, and Austrian clarinetist Wenzel Fuchs.

The El Sistema Lehigh Valley Orchestra performed the world premiere of Diane Wittry’s Ode to Joy Fanfare of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra on April 11. The Fanfare preceded aperformance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and the young people received a standing ovation from the audience.

On May 1-2, ESLV hosted the 2015 Seminario of East Coast El Sistema-inspired programs. The Seminario served approximately 175 kids from the Miami Music Project, Kidznotes, Play On Philly, Bravo Waterbury, and five schools in the local area, in addition to 100 El Sistema Lehigh Valley students. Rehearsals took place in Miller Symphony Hall, the Allentown Art Museum, and the Arts Park and were led

by El Sistema teaching artists, as well as seven members of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra who led sectionals.

The large group of students were broken into an intermedi-ate string orchestra and a full advanced symphonic orchestra. Miami Music Project’s Artistic Director Abiram Brizuela led the intermediate orchestra, and ASO’s Wittry conducted the advanced symphonic orchestra. Leaders of Sistema-inspired programs who attended, including Brizuela and Theresa Abler of Kidsnotes, praised the level of instruction, the music-making, networking and social aspects of the event.

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The Annual Symphony Ball always is an enchanted evening full of fun and good company, a welcome respite from winter’s dreariness. The 2015 “Cirque du Soiree” on February 7 marked the 65th year of the Ball. It was a special treat, highlighted by performers mingling with the crowd at the Lehigh Country Club in advance of a Valentine’s Day performance at Miller Symphony Hall.

The ball is not only a key opportunity to introduce newcomers to Miller Symphony Hall’s many musical offerings, it provides crucial support for the Allentown Symphony Association, maintaining a cultural resource for the community.

“We had record-breaking attendance, including many younger people who may never have had experience before with the symphony,” said Anne Episcopo, who was ball co-chair with Donna Leibensperger and Gina Morton. It was exciting to see the new faces mingling with long-time symphony supporters, she said, noting that organizers arranged for extra tables to accom-modate almost 400 attendees.

Honoring local leaders who have used their influence for the good of the community is a ball tradition. Cathy and Scott Fainor were the 2015 honorary co-chairs and recipients of the annual Spirit of Influence Award. Scott Fainor is president and chief executive officer of National Penn Bancshares. Cathy Fainor is an active community volunteer who serves on the board of The Baum School of Art. Both are deeply committed to the welfare of the Lehigh Valley, as they demonstrated with their hard work and focus on making the 2015 Symphony Ball a success. As the motto of the Spirit of Influence Award states, “Just as the power of music can transform lives, the power of a leader can transform a community.”

TheSymphonyBall

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Like other non-profit cultural organizations, ASA relies chiefly on philanthropy to support its concerts, performances and historic hall. The charts below explain the economic realities that we face. Your generosity sets the standards of excellence for our productions, presentations, education programs and our hall. On behalf of the ASA Board, staff, musicians, school children, concert-goers and our city, we thank you for keeping the arts humming at Miller Symphony Hall.

Financial Statement of Activities | Fiscal Year Ended May 31, 2015From the Allentown Symphony Association’s audited financial statements provided by the accounting firm of Buckno Lisicky Company

Contributed Support$2,575,836

Program Services$1,072,431

Special Events$162,075

revenue

expenSe

our MiSSionat work

Concert & Event Productions$2,632,077

Fundraising/Administrative$575,800

Education Services$377,113

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BaTon CLuB($25,000+)

League of American Orchestras, Getty Education and Community Investment Grants ProgramDolly & Lee ButzThe Century FundCity of AllentownState of Pennsylvania, Redevelopment Assistance Reinvestment GrantWilliam & Margaret HechtJulius & Katheryn Hommer FoundationKeystone Savings FoundationMrs. Lois Brong MillerJoan Miller Moran & William J. FenzaNational Penn Bancshares PPLThe Presser FoundationEdwin H. & Leigh W. Schadt TrustSchadt Violin TrustThe Harry C. Trexler TrustVirginia E Wartman Estate

VIrTuoso CIrCLE($10,000-$24,999)

Anonymous (3)Air Products FoundationAlvin H. Butz, Inc.Bennett Automotive GroupRob & Kristin BennettBessie S. Graham Music FundCapital Blue Cross/Capital AdvantageCharles & Joan ColeDuggan & Marcon Inc.First Niagara BankThe Fowler FamilyHon. & Mrs. William L. Heydt

Heydt Insurance AgencyMr. & Mrs. Peter L. KernLutronDonna & Roger MilgrimNational Endowment for the ArtsNational Penn Investors TrustPennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agencyThe J.B. & Kathleen Reilly Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community FoundationEstelle Reninger Trust

Wells Fargo FoundationZildjian

BraVo CLuB($5,000-$9,999)

Arbor Insurance GroupAlfred & Jill DouglassHon. & Mrs. James Knoll GardnerJudith A. Harris, Esq. & Dr. Jack MydloCharles H. Hoch FoundationJust BornThe Kairos TrustMr. & Mrs. Joseph KaminskiMarilyn and Richard KistlerLehigh County Quality of LifeLehigh Valley Carpenters Union Local 600The L. Charles & Ruth Marcon Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community FoundationMoravian Hall Square/Morningstar Senior LivingNational Penn InsuranceNorthampton Coin & JewelryDavid & Carol OsbornMr. Robert PearceWilliam H. & Denise SpenceMrs. Joel SpiraTD Charitable FoundationDr. & Mrs. Thomas V. Whalen

syMphony soCIETy($1,500-$4,999)

AnonymousAllen Organ CompanyAmericaVenMichael & Karen BadellinoDexter F. & Dorothy H. Baker FoundationIbolya Balog & Harry CrapserBank of America Matching Gifts ProgramJohn Berseth & Carol DoreyMr. & Mrs. Ross BornDr. & Mrs. Richard BoulayKlaus & Roswitha BowersWilliam & Irene BrownBuckno, Lisicky & Co.Dr. & Mrs. William R. Burfeind, Sr.Dick & Peggy BusMr. H. Lloyd CarbaughC.F. Martin & CompanyCity Center Investment Corp.Concannon Wealth ManagementDr. Michael & Lois ConradCrayolaSandra L. Curet, MDDentist Down the LaneDeSales University StudentsStella M. DeSantisDr. & Mrs. Walter DexDiefenderferDigital FeastBob & Kathy DonatelliDr. Ethel Drayton-CraigEmbassy BankSheila EvansExchange Club of Western LehighExxonMobil Foundation Matching GiftsDr. Lona M. Farr & Rev. David V. VoellingerJim & Debbie FerryThe Florence Y. Flach Music FundMilton Focht

William & Phyllis GrubeMr. & Mrs. Frank HestonHighmarkDavid & Patricia HoffmanHook Seafood & GrilleConnie Houser-WenzelDr. & Mrs. Howard HudsonMary Lou HullDr. & Mrs. Robert HunsickerIBM Corp. Matching Grants ProgramThe IMPACT ProjectIronton Telephone CompanyPhilip Jackson & Deborah Fries-JacksonCatherine Jaindl-LeutheCharles & Jo-Ann KellyKraft Foods Matching Gifts ProgramDr. Rena LambertLafayette Ambassador BankCarl Lee & Lynnie GodfreyLehigh Gas CorporationLehigh UniversityM&T BankThe Martin Guitar Charitable FoundationSheilah McCallDr. Curtis & Phyllis McDowellJohn F. MitchellCary & Michael MoritzMr. & Mrs. Dennis C. Morton, Jr.New Tripoli BankNorris, McLaughlin & Marcus, Attorneys at LawOsborn Smart GroupCorning Painter & Dorothy PenneyParagon TransitPenn State Lehigh ValleyPeoples Security Bank & Trust CompanyPhoebe MinistriesScott & Gillian PidcockPPL Matching Gifts ProgramQNB-Community BankRalph Crispino, Jr.The Rider Pool FoundationRoberson Butz ArchitectsEdith M. RoederMr. & Mrs. Paul SchenkelLorrie ScherlineScherline Family Charitable FundRuth P. Seruga TrustMr. & Mrs. Jeffrey C. SkuminDr. Charles F. Smith, Sr.W. Cordes & Kathleen SnyderDr. & Mrs. Thomas TachovskyMr. Michael TorbertTrifecta TechnologiesUnivest National Bank and TrustMr. & Mrs. James VastineJames H. & Catherine WickMr. & Mrs. David WillardMr. & Mrs. Mark F. WiltenIlene WoodMr. & Mrs. James M. YorgeyAtty. & Mrs. Jeffrey M. Zimskind

ConCErTo CLuB($500-$1,499)

AnonymousMs. Magda Abou-SaifDavid A. AckermanAmerican Bank

Thankyou TO OUR DONORS JunE 1, 2014 – May 31, 2015

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George & Judith Arangio FoundationB. Braun MedicalChristopher & Marcia BaroneMrs. Doris BovaMr. & Mrs. Nathan BraunsteinCarol & Jack BuryEric Butz & Debora RobersonHon. & Mrs. Edward CahnDr. & Mrs. Joseph A. CandioMr. Howard CohenDr. Eleanor CumminsDonna CupplesMr. August DeClementeKathryn K. DixonKaren M. El-ChaarRobert & Anne EpiscopoHoward & Linda EpsteinRichard & Patricia FoltzLynne Fowler-BlattMr. & Mrs. Robert GadomskiDrs. James & Mary Lou GreenAtty. & Mrs. Malcolm GrossLeona K. GruberConnie HansellScott & Jennifer HawkJane HeftMr. & Mrs. Todd HellerInterior Workplace SolutionsJean B. Weiner FoundationMrs. Ruth KeblishJerry & Jane KingKiwanis Foundation of AllentownDr. & Mrs. Patrick KleavelandCarol KoenigJon & Maggie KollerMrs. Andrea KozeRuss & Donna LeibenspergerDoug & Melissa LeonziJoseph & Kathryn LombardoMr. & Mrs. Richard MarchiandoJohn & Genevieve MarconColleen & Paul McGeeMDF Law OfficesLou & Winnie MelinskyMichael & Mary de CastroAtty & Mrs. Anthony MuirHank & Jill NarrowCarol NolanLydia Panas & Edwin BaldrigeRegan, Levin, Bloss, Brown & SavchakTom & Nina ReillyOscar & Joan ReyesFrank RomakerWilliam & Rose Marie ScharleMr. Erwin SchmidStuart SerioAtty. John P. ServisElmer & Lois ShafferTrudy SiakMr. & Mrs. Frank SmithSodexoSoroptimist InternationalHon. Robert L. Steinberg & Mrs. Linda DelbalsoCarl Stolpe & Elaine CederquistValley BuildersMr. Walter TrimbleNick & Carol WattersStafford Barkley WavrekMr. Donald F. WilliamsJames & Linda Wimmer

Diane Wittry & Richard PeckhamRaymond WolfWomen’s Philharmonic Advocacy

oVErTurE CLuB($350-$499)

Joseph & Linda AbrahamLewis & Traci CyrMr. & Mrs. Joel DerstineMichael Finley & Audrey EttingerMr. & Mrs. John FernbacherBill & Donna FritcheyMichael & Tara GratherMr. & Mrs. John HaddonRichard & Linda HeintzelmanMr. Sean KingJohn & Linda KirnerKlunk & MillanBarbara Long & Amy SmartJohn & Sara MacGowanJennifer MannEd & Jane MeehanDr. & Mrs. Marshall G. Miles, F.A.C.S.The MMZ FoundationNatalie FosterRandy & Sharon PrymockMichael & Barb Scarlato HouseholdMr. & Mrs. Ronald SmollMichael & Sybil StershicJ. Bryan Tuk, Esq.Mr. David WebsterPaul & Rosemary Zambo

EnCorE CLuB($200-$349)

Anonymous (2)Mr. & Mrs. Nathaniel AgentisMaryann BaroneSandy & Pat BeldonMr. Mike BodnykPrudence BrantonFrancine Cavanagh & Charles EngleChrist Lutheran Church of HellertownJay & Bonnie CohenDr. & Mrs. Stuart S. CohnDorothy CoughlinConnie CowenRalph & Ann DaubertMr. & Mrs. Karl DeBoeserMr. & Mrs. Ron DeGrandisDesignPointBrian & Dotlyn DibbsRose DrainaMrs. Ingrid DresslerJune DuckettMr. & Mrs. Walter FortBarry L. Goldin, Esq.Margery L. GotshallRev. Richard & Judith GuhlMr. Bob HaffnerPatricia M. HelfrichDavid & Ann HoheRev. & Mrs. William HornJosh Early CandiesJane KapinasBernadette & Gerald KueblerCharles & Jamie LaputkaMr. & Mrs. John Leh

Lehigh Township Lions ClubJean LehmannMr. & Mrs. Walter LiebermanMr. & Mrs. Ralph LongsworthRichard LotteBob & Sandy LovettT. Jerome & Johanne M. MadisonNellie MangesMark & Rebecca VerschUlla H. M. MartzPeggy MatweyRill Ann & Steven MillerCatherine & Ron MordoskyJudith & Norman NardelliDr. & Mrs. James A. NewcombDr. & Mrs. Bruce NicholsonDr. Christine OaklanderDr. & Mrs. Douglas P. OvensMr. Joe & Dawn PoshFrederick PreuningerRobert & Mary PritchettBrian & Lynn Regan HouseholdRoberto FischmannDr. & Mrs. Bruce RodenbergerLaura RothkopfThomas & Amy ScaliciDrs. Paul & June SchlueterDr. Diane ScottRuth SkinnerGary & Dawn SmithKaren SmithMr. & Mrs. Lynn F. SmithMr. & Mrs. Friedolf SmitsColin & Kathleen SnyderSophisikateSpillman-Farmer ArchitectsDon & Marlene SteffyMrs. Caroline T. StewartDr. Michael Stroock & Dolores YundtThe Merck FoundationTransamerican Office FurnitureMr. & Mrs. Seymour TraubScott TrautmannMr. & Mrs. Thomas VadaszVerizon FoundationCharles VersaggiWard’s Oriental Rug ServiceJenny & Patrick WhalenCharles & Jane WhirlRoger & Marilyn WhiteleyFloyd & MaryLee WilberPeter & Nancy YenawineJohn YoungAtty. Donald Zamborsky & Dr. Kathy OwensAllen and Ilse Zinnes

CONDUCTORDiane Wittry ASSOCIATE CONDUCTORRonald Demkee FIRST VIOLINEliezer Gutman ConcertmasterInna Eyzerovich Associate ConcertmasterStefan Xhori Assistant ConcertmasterYeseul AnnSimon BilykJames FineganMarilyn KistlerAndrea LevineRoss SnyderConnie TrachEdgar TumajyanAdrienne Walsh SECOND VIOLINInna Nedorezov, PrincipalTallie Brunfelt Assistant PrincipalJulie BougherNatasha ColkettKaren CreedenDaniel DemetriouKathy DeRemerHeather Frank OlsenRobin LubertLaura Sabol VIOLAAgnes Maurer, PrincipalCameron Raecke Assistant PrincipalRonald DeGrandisSteven HeitlingerEdward LottoDebra ReillyCarol YaleEllen Yorgey CELLODavid Moulton, PrincipalJameson Platte Assistant PrincipalJanice GalassiMercedes JurkiewiczMargery MetzgerAudrey K. SimonsJeanette Stenson DOUBLE BASSPeter Paulsen, PrincipalDevin Howell, Assistant PrincipalNathaniel ChaseChristopher JohnsonJoshua LebarIssac Trapkus

FLUTERobin Kani, PrincipalAllison Kiger PICCOLOCatherine DeBoeser CLARINETJohn Schwartz, PrincipalDeborah Andrus BASS CLARINETSteve Reisteter OBOERick BasehoreJennifer Case BASSOONSusan Shaw, PrincipalLee Walck FRENCH HORNJonathan Clark, PrincipalSteve Sherts Assistant PrincipalJohn DeVivoConor JensenAaron Korn TRUMPETLawrence Wright, PrincipalWilliam OwensGerald Serfass TROMBONEGilles Bernard, PrincipalNicholas MartinRobert Fournier TUBARonald Demkee, Principal TIMPANIGlen Wilkofsky, Principal PERCUSSIONRandy Edelman, PrincipalRichard GrollerGlenn Kressley PIANO/KEYBOARDSMichael Toth, Principal HARPFrances Duffy, Principal PERSONNELRonald Demkee LIBRARIANStu Serio

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AllentownSymphony2014-2015SHEILA EVANS Executive Director DIANE WITTRY Music Director/Conductor

Kevin Bahler Grant Writer Lucy Bloise VP Marketing & Community Engagement Ronald Demkee Associate Conductor / Orchestra Personnel Manager Budd DiStefano Food & Beverage Coordinator Donna Fritchey Operations Manager Bonnie Hawk Development Assistant Benjamin Hill Stage Supervisor Staci Horvath Corporate Sponsorship & Marketing Manager Nancy Keeler Development Director Kyle Keller Operations Manager, El Sistema Lehigh Valley Stephanie Kocher Education Director Katie Koval Production Manager Daniel O’Connor Office Assistant Ed Rice Finance Director & Business Manager Sharon Schenkel Creative Design Manager /Website Administrator Stu Serio Orchestra Librarian Daniel Shively Technical Director Deb Wessner Senior Box Office Associate Colleen Wilt Events Manager Arieal Wright-Pinkney Box Office Manager/Database Administrator

Allentown Symphonystaff

named executive director of the Allentown Symphony Association in 1951, Virginia Wartman saw the young organization through its tenuous start and, during her 40-year tenure, solidified its place as a major cultural institution. She engineered many changes, including the purchase of the Lyric Theater, now Miller Symphony Hall, making the Allentown Symphony Orchestra one of the few in the nation of its size to own its own home.

Miss Wartman started early on her path to a life dedi-cated to classical music. She grew up surrounded by music lovers in a genteel Allentown neighborhood of fashionable Edwardian homes on North Fourth Street. She attended Syracuse University and was the first woman to earn a BA in journalism there, afterward returning to Allentown.

The young college graduate quickly connected with music lovers who were trying to establish a classical symphony orchestra in Allentown. These like-minded business people, philanthropists, medical profession-als, and amateur and professional musicians came to be called the Allentown Symphony Association.

Soon the hunt was on for a conductor and the Association wanted someone prominent to assure success. Luckily two nationally famous musicians with Allentown roots had kept in touch with search committee members Fred Kramer and Bill Hager, old high school friends. Renowned trumpeter Don Bryan and Don Voorhees of the popular Bell Telephone Hour both had excellent qualifications to lead the fledgling orchestra.

The question was how to lure one of these celebrities back to Allentown. Virginia came to the fore as she joined a contingent to New York City to entice one

of the men back to their home town. Don Voorhees agreed to come on board, but wanted Bryan to join him as associate director. Virginia had helped land both of these great candidates.

At one of the Allentown Symphony Association’s first meetings it concluded that a strong women’s group was essential for success. Virginia took on the assign-ment and quickly connected with Kitty Eagan Miller. Kitty, a music graduate of West Chester College, was married to Sam Miller, co-owner and publisher of The Morning Call newspaper for which Virginia wrote. Soon the women’s group became a valuable asset, selling tickets, entertaining patrons, seeing to the welfare of orchestra members, raising needed funds, and open-ing their homes for many related activities. The first big fundraiser was a Grand Ball that continues to this day as the Symphony Ball.

Later in life, Miss Wartman sold her house in Allentown and moved to Surf City, New Jersey. However, she continued to attend and oversee important events, and when people heard that “Virginia is coming to town,” a great flurry of activity would ensue to ready things for her discerning eye. Volunteer workers, board members, supporters and important donors visited her at her sea-side home as did many world-renowned soloists, guest artists of the symphony.

Even after her full-time retirement to Surf City, she kept her finger on the pulse of the Association and often recalled the long history of her success with the Al-lentown Symphony. Virginia Elizabeth Wartman died at her beach home on June 15, 2013, at the age of 102. Her passing was an incalculable loss but her legacy gift to a grateful community lives on.

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VirginiaWartman

Virginia “Jinny” Wartman was at the heart of the

symphony from the beginning.

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AllentownSymphony

Allentown Symphony ASSociAtion 2014-2015 BoArd of directorS

OfficersPresidentpeter l. Kern

Vice Presidentl. charles marcon

Secretaryeleanor p. cummins, phd,

Treasureribolya Balog

Board MembersJohn BersethKristine Burfeind Alvaro A. diazhon. percy h. dougherty, phd ethel drayton-craig, phd lona m. farr, phdhon. James Knoll Gardnerfred Greenewilliam h. Grube, Jr. Judith A. harris, esq. frank hestonmary lou hull

philip c. JacksonJo-Ann S. Kelly ellen millard-KernJoan m. morandennis c. morton, Jr. david m. osbornphil osbornecorning f. painterdouglas pelletiercharles V. ruppert Victor SalicettiJeffrey c. Skumin charles f. Smith, md thomas tachovsky, mdmichael J. torbertJ. Bryan tuk, esq. James S. Vastine James h. wickmark f. wiltenilene wood James yorgeyJeffrey m. Zimskind, esq.

eX-OfficiOhon. Amanda holt

eMeriTUslois Brong miller robert pearce donald f. williams

ALLENTOWNSYMPHONYASSOCIATION

miller Symphony hall23 north Sixth StreetAllentown, pA 18101

Administrative offices610-432-7961 tel610-432-6735 fax

Box office610-432-6715

AllentownSymphony.org