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Feature Story: Why I give to the Bozeman Symphony
Why I Give to the
Bozeman Symphony
Music has always been a central part of Kippy Sands’ life. She moved to Bozeman in 1976, and not long after, took a position as music teacher at the Emerson School (now the Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture). She retired in 2003, but over those more than 25 years, she saw firsthand the power of music.
“I firmly believe that music education is very important. There are all sorts of studies that show that kids who are involved in music are much more likely to succeed and excel. Music can take the kid who’s the outlier, or who may not be the athlete or the most academically oriented, and help them find their place in the world.”
Like many Bozeman residents, Kippy feels strongly that music — and specifically the Symphony — is crucial for the ongoing cultural health of the Gallatin Valley. Whatever one’s background or beliefs, music can offer a common language and generate shared emotions through a uniquely dynamic medium.
Longtime supporter of the Symphony Bruce Jodar moved to Bozeman from San Francisco more than three decades ago, and at the time assumed the quality of classical music he enjoyed in the Bay Area would probably not be found in the mountains of Montana. But, it turns out, he discovered quite the opposite.
“Unless people have been to major cities and heard worldclass symphonies, I don’t think they can appreciate just how special what we have here in Bozeman really is — it’s extraordinary,” says Jodar. “The level of quality that our musicians produce is just amazing, especially for a community this size. Kimberlie and I are just thrilled with the direction the Bozeman Symphony is going and happy to be able to support what they’re doing.”
While the Bozeman Symphony’s current trajectory is exciting for audience members and supporters alike, Symphony leadership has also been thinking out front, having determined that a plan of action was needed to support a sustainable future that fit the vision. “We recently launched the Bozeman Symphony Growth Council as a way for local business leaders to invest in Bozeman’s quality of life by championing the performing arts in the Greater Yellowstone community,” describes Ken May, Symphony board member who, along with Director of Development Michael Wainwright, helped create the Growth Council concept.
“We’re in a vibrant commercial community in which we have many entrepreneurs who’ve been successful and are enjoying more success as the economy grows. These forward-thinking employers want inspired, fruitful, happy employees who will stick around and add further value to their companies and to the community. The potential to partner with the business community in that role is a winwin-win, and exactly why we formed the Growth Council.”
Through financial commitment to the Symphony, businesses receive tickets and special opportunities, along with brand recognition in publications and online. But for some businesspeople, council membership is motivated from a more inward-focused perspective.
“In this day and age, jobs are not all about just the paycheck. At the end of the day, I think a lot of people are looking for things to believe in when it comes to their place of employment,” explains Bert Bartle, VP/Regional President of Opportunity Bank, and a Growth Council member.
“We’ve had a couple of employees attend concerts last year who otherwise probably wouldn’t have really considered it, but took advantage of our company tickets and just loved the experience — and now they’ll be going back, with their friends and families. Supporting the arts is part of Opportunity Bank’s culture and who we want to be as an organization.”
Robyn L. Erlenbush, longtime Bozeman resident and owner of ERA Landmark Real Estate, has been a personal supporter of the Symphony over the years, and now she’s brought ERA Landmark to the Growth Council as well.
Robyn L. Erlenbush, ERA LANDMARK REAL ESTATE
“The arts are an integral part of our well-being, and Bozeman is very, very lucky to have a vibrant performing arts community that not only draws tourism but also attracts new families along with new commerce to our town,” Erlenbush points out.
“Personally, I’ve always felt that live music feeds the soul and the intellect. And, in a world that is very digitally oriented these days, I still believe that nothing replaces the feeling one gets from live performance.”
Forty-some years after landing in Bozeman, Kippy Sands is excited for what the future of the symphony has in store — but at the same time, she holds a fondness for the roots on which it’s been built.
“I would hope that, like it is today, the Bozeman Symphony ten or twenty years from now will somewhat be the same — just in the sense that some of the people we see on stage would still be our friends and neighbors. I think it’s a wonderful quality of the Bozeman Symphony that, along with exceptional musicians from all over, we get to enjoy performances by locals who love it here and love making music together.”
