Board Leadership

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, INC.

LIFETIME MEMBERS CHAIRS EMERITI

Samuel Frankel◊ Stanley Frankel David Handleman, Sr.◊ Dr. Arthur L. Johnson◊ James B. Nicholson Clyde Wu, M.D.◊ Peter D. Cummings Phillip Wm. Fisher Stanley Frankel Robert S. Miller James B. Nicholson

DIRECTORS EMERITI

Floy Barthel Chacona Baugh Penny B. Blumenstein Richard A. Brodie Lois Cohn Marianne Endicott Sidney Forbes Barbara Frankel Herman H. Frankel Dr. Gloria Heppner Ronald Horwitz Harold Kulish Bonnie Larson David McCammon David R. Nelson William F. Pickard, Ph.D. Marilyn Pincus Lloyd E. Reuss Marjorie S. Saulson Alan E. Schwartz Jane Sherman Barbara Van Dusen Arthur A. Weiss

Mark A. Davidoff Chair Erik Rönmark President & CEO David T. Provost Vice Chair OFFICERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Faye Alexander Nelson Treasurer Hon. Kurtis T. Wilder (Ret) Secretary

Pamela Applebaum Officer at Large Ralph J. Gerson Officer at Large Glenda D. Price, Ph.D. Officer at Large

Shirley Stancato Officer at Large James G. Vella Officer at Large

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Directors are responsible for maintaining a culture of accountability, resource development, and strategic thinking. As fiduciaries, Directors oversee the artistic and cultural health and strategic direction of the DSO.

David Assemany, Governing Members Chair Elena Centeio Aaron Frankel Herman B. Gray, M.D., M.B.A. Laura HernandezRomine Rev. Nicholas Hood III Richard Huttenlocher Renato Jamett, Trustee Chair Daniel J. Kaufman Michael J. Keegan Arthur C. Liebler Xavier Mosquet Arthur T. O’Reilly Stephen Polk Bernard I. Robertson Scott Strong, Orchestra Representative Nancy Tellem Laura J. Trudeau Dr. M. Roy Wilson David M. Wu, M.D. Johanna Yarbrough, Orchestra Representative

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Renato Jamett, Chair Trustees are a diverse group of community leaders who infuse creative thinking and innovation into how the DSO strives to achieve both artistic vitality and organizational sustainability.

Renato Jamett, Trustee Chair Ismael Ahmed Richard Alonzo Hadas Bernard Janice Bernick Elizabeth Boone Gwen Bowlby Marco Bruzzano Margaret Cooney Casey Karen Cullen Joanne Danto Stephen D’Arcy Maureen T. D’Avanzo Jasmin DeForrest Afa Sadykhly Dworkin James C. Farber Linda Forte Carolynn Frankel Maha Freij Christa Funk Robert Gillette Jody Glancy Malik Goodwin Mary Ann Gorlin Donald Hiruo Michelle Hodges Julie Hollinshead John Jullens David Karp Joel D. Kellman Jennette Smith Kotila Leonard LaRocca William Lentine Linda Dresner Levy Florine Mark Anthony McCree Kristen McLennan Tito Melega Lydia Michael Lois A. Miller Daniel Millward H. Keith Mobley Scott Monty Shari Morgan Sandy Morrison Frederick J. Morsches Jennifer Muse, NextGen Chair Nicholas Myers, Musician Representative Sean M. Neall Eric Nemeth Maury Okun Vivian Pickard Denise Fair Razo Gerrit Reepmeyer Richard Robinson James Rose, Jr. Laurie Rosen Elana Rugh Marc Schwartz Carlo Serraiocco Lois L. Shaevsky Mary Shafer Cathryn M. Skedel, Ph.D. Ralph Skiano, Musician Representative Richard Sonenklar Rob Tanner Yoni Torgow Gwen Weiner Donnell White Jennifer Whitteaker R. Jamison Williams Margaret E. Winters Ellen Hill Zeringue

MAESTRO CIRCLE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Janet & Norm Ankers, Chairs

Cecilia Benner Joanne Danto Gregory Haynes Bonnie Larson Lois Miller Richard Sonenklar

MEET NEW DSO CONCERTMASTER ROBYN BOLLINGER

In July, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra announced ROBYN BOLLINGER as its next Concertmaster (Katherine Tuck Chair) to commence with the 20222023 season. She will be one of six new musicians in the DSO this fall, joining Principal Bassoon Conrad Cornelison (Byron and Dorothy Gerson Chair), violinists Elizabeth Furuta and Daniel Kim, bass trombone Adam Rainey, and flute fellow Shantanique Moore. We sat down with Robyn ahead of her appointment to discuss all things music, her love of the violin, what she is looking forward to in

Detroit, and what it means to be the youngest female concertmaster in the United

States.

By HANNAH ENGWALL ANd SARAH SMARCH

Anative of Philadelphia, Robyn grew up in a classical music household, with her dad, Blair, a bass trombonist in the Philadelphia

Orchestra, and her mom, Gerry, an educator and violist in The Philly

Pops. Growing up backstage, she went to her first rehearsal at just two weeks old, and at age two, took an interest in playing the viola herself. “My mom got to go out at night and wear a long black dress and play the viola, so I wanted to go out at night and wear a long black dress

and play viola,” she said.

Robyn’s parents gifted her a violin ahead of her fourth birthday. The idea was that she would start with a smaller instrument and then size-up to viola, but that change never came. “I always enjoyed practicing. I loved a challenge, figuring things out, and improving. The violin quickly became my identity,” she said.

She began violin lessons at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, and in fifth grade, began homeschooling to allow for more time to practice. Her teacher was Kimberly Fisher, Principal Second Violin of the Philadelphia Orchestra, who was a major influence at the time. Robyn made her Philadelphia Orchestra debut at age 12, and has since performed regularly as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across the United States.

She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees with academic honors from the New England Conservatory in Boston and went on to become a faculty member at the conservatory’s preparatory school, as well as Brandeis University in the Boston area, where she has lived for the last 12 years.

A lover of violin repertoire, Robyn is also celebrated for her series of solo multimedia performance projects. She received a prestigious Fellowship from the Lenore Annenberg Arts Fellowship Fund for CIACCONA: The Bass of Time, an examination of the history and legacy of Bach’s famed chaconne for solo violin. Furthermore, she was recognized with an Entrepreneurial Musicianship Grant from the New England Conservatory for her Project Paganini featuring the twenty-four Caprices of Paganini. Most recently, she was awarded a historic EarlyCareer Musician Fellowship from Dumbarton Oaks Museum in Washington, D.C. to research and prepare her next multimedia project, Encore! Just One More, which is slated to debut in a future season.

Creating a cohesive narrative around the music with historic images, animation, voiceover narration, and live remarks, the multimedia projects give a compact history of context on the music’s relevance and importance, in unique venues and performance spaces. Through them, Robyn is interested in channeling an empathic process: “Empathy is an essential part of interpretation. I want to understand not only the construction, but also what the composer was thinking—what do they want me to do here? Why was this music important in this time?”

She cites Bach's Ciaccona from Partita No. 2 in D minor as a poignant reference for this connection. It is believed the piece was written by Bach in memory of his first wife after she passed away. “There’s no

hard proof for that, but loss is so intrinsic in the music,” Robyn said. “This piece was my grandfather's favorite, and he requested that I play it at his memorial service. The experience forever changed that music for me. Part of the project is that I invite people to remember their own loss and that this music is universal. Whether it's Bach's loss, my loss, or your loss—we can all be in that moment together—and that’s something special that music can do.”

Robyn is keen to maintain her sense of connection and relationships as she continues in her new role. As Concertmaster, she plays a large part in tuning the orchestra before concerts. “During tuning, I’m usually looking around, making eye contact, and smiling at people to wish them

“As Concertmaster, I’m the designated delegate to the conductor, and I also hope to be a liaison between the orchestra and the community.”

good luck. When I’ve done that with other orchestras, I sometimes get weird looks, but in Detroit, everybody smiles back.”

Ahead of her move to Detroit, Robyn had an appreciation for the DSO. She grew up listening to DSO recordings and was familiar with the orchestra’s strong reputation for programming contemporary music. She was also aware that the DSO has had two previous female concertmasters in Yoonshin Song (2012–2019) and Emmanuelle Boisvert (1989–2011). “I’m joining a long line of strong female leadership—not just from the concertmaster chair—and I’m really privileged to carry that on,” she said.

The significance of Robyn’s status as the youngest female concertmaster in the United States is not lost on her: “This is a huge honor and an incredible responsibility. There are still relatively few female concertmasters in the classical music industry and I’m proud to carry the torch. I hope to be a role model, not only for my colleagues, but also for young people who may see part of themselves in my story.”

Relishing the support she has received from the concertmaster community and her colleagues, Robyn feels optimistic about her new role and is eager to get to work.

“I believe strongly in legacy, and my first order of business is to learn a lot more,” she said. “People in leadership positions sometimes fall into a trap of thinking, ‘I’m here, I’m going to change things, we’re going to do things my way,’ but that’s not my value system. I have ideas and things that I want to accomplish, but I’m really invested in the community and understanding what I’m joining so that I can represent it in the best way possible and continue the legacy.”

In developing that legacy, she is excited to embrace and evolve the DSO sound with her colleagues, Music Director Jader Bignamini and new Assistant Conductor (Phillip and Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador) Na’Zir McFadden, a fellow Philadelphia native.

“I’m interested in the content of sound— is it deep, is it colorful? The only way to talk about sound is in metaphor, but sound is incredibly inspiring,” she said. “I look forward to working with Jader and learning more about his color palette. He’s not afraid to ask for details, and that makes for a much more refined and specific sound. In rehearsals we have limited time, and it can be tempting to gloss over things, but he’s not interested in glossing. I love that though, because when you roll up your sleeves and work, you get a better product.”

She continued, “Jader and I make a good team because of our investment in relationships, which makes for a more united experience. With some conductors, it can feel like the orchestra is just going through the motions or following directions, but with Jader, it feels like we’re all in it together.”

Robyn is also focused on settling into her new city. She and her husband, Dane, have moved to a home with a practice room above the garage and a fenced in back yard for their dog, Schroeder, an appreciated feature coming from a Boston apartment. She is enthusiastic about embracing Detroit’s arts and culture scene, from grabbing a pastry at Midtown favorite Warda Pa ^tisserie, to exploring the work of Detroit-born fashion designer Tracy Reese. “People speak about how much energy there is in this city, and I’m really passionate about being part of its continued growth,” she said.

“As Concertmaster, I’m the designated delegate to the conductor, and I also hope to be a liaison between the orchestra and the community. Everything I’ve said about getting to know the orchestra absolutely applies to the city, because I do see that as part of my role. Before I do anything, I need to know the history, values, and culture of where I am. I’m excited to go to restaurants, schools, and other cultural institutions to understand the soul of Detroit and learn how I can use my role to strengthen the DSO’s relationship to our city.”