Community Newsletter of the Long Beach Symphony
FALL 2016, Vol. 1 | No.2
It’s almost time for Symphony Concerts for Young People! Wednesday, February 1 and Thursday, February 2, 2017 by Marilyn North, Josefa Curtin, Mary McKinley And you are invited to be a part of this unique program! We need all the volunteers we can get. Those of you who have volunteered in the past remember the thrill of seeing all those wide-eyed children (nearly 12,000 of them, all 4th and 5th graders from every Long Beach elementary school) as they filed into the Terrace Theater for a special concert performed by your Long Beach Symphony. If you haven’t volunteered before to help usher the kids to their seats and be of help in many ways, are you in for a treat! Even if you have not already replied to serve as a volunteer, it’s not too late. Call Marilyn North at (562) 4298891 or Issy Roberts at (562) 436-3203 ext. 228 to let them know which day or days you would like to help. Both sessions are in the morning. Also, if you have a friend who would enjoy being a part of this very special experience, bring them along. You will be thoroughly briefed on everything you will need to know as we get closer to the program. The concerts are Wednesday, February 1st and Thursday, February 2nd. You should arrive at the Terrace Theater by 8:30am. (we’ll have coffee ready) and plan to stay until 12:30pm. We like volunteers to wear red jackets or sweaters but if you don’t have anything red, don’t worry. You being there is what is important. Thank you so much for making these events a success!
In This Issue
SCYP Volunteer Call
A Letter From the Ovation! President
Ovation! Occasion
Ovation! Council
Introducing Art and Kelly Lucera!
Ovation! News
Meet our Conducting Fellows
Peggy’s POPS! Preview
Season Listings
Success Story
Tributes & Memorials
Board of Directors & Administration
Ovation! Volunteers of the Long Beach Symphony A Letter from the Ovation! President
Ovation! Event Volunteer Opportunities December 5, 2016 19th Annual Long Beach Symphony Golf Classic Virginia Country Club April 1, 2016 Crescendo 2017: A Moon River Gala Ebell Club Long Beach May 13, 2017 Lexus Opportunity Drawing Long Beach Arena Contact Bobbie Cusato at info@LongBeachSymphony.org to volunteer.
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Ovation!
249 E. Ocean Blvd., Suite 200 Long Beach, CA 90802 Tel: (562) 436-3203 Fax: (562) 491-3599 Email:
ovation@LongBeachSymphony.org
Web:
“Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect a nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another. Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections every four years, but when you volunteer you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” (Author unknown)
But did you know that volunteerism is declining? Why do we volunteer for Ovation!? Ovation! volunteers are an integral part of the Symphony! I believe we volunteer for an increased sense of purpose. To make friends, for our own personal growth and well-being. We want to make our city a better place!! We are givers. We want to share and encourage others to enjoy the beauty, and magic of music. We want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. So that live music thrives! We are proud to be a part of the Long Beach Symphony. We want the children in our community to have music in their lives, inspire them to play instruments and to hear stories created through music. To open their minds to the wonders of the orchestra, working together under the baton of a conductor. We feel so much pride when we bring thousands of Long Beach school children, often for the first time, to a concert hall. And with continued volunteer support we hope to expand our reach with these programs and others in the future. Ovation! assists with Symphony’s Instrument Petting Zoo at the many libraries in the city, reaching out to children who are completely new to the world of live music. They get to handle and try out the instruments, learning the sounds from each type of instrument, and how the instrument families work together. The children and their families come and have a blast! What memories we are creating. We want to be there for the Symphony musicians: for those who have given thousands of hours of practice, for those who have the talent, that we may not have, and for the composers who wrote wonderful music so long ago - so that their music may live on in a world they could not imagine! And for those who compose in today’s world with passion and vitality so that we can experience the joy their work can bring to all ages. We want our Orchestra to be the greatest! To have the finest musicians and a wonderful conductor to lead them. We are so excited to have Eckart Preu, our new Music Director to lead us forth into a new era! Let’s find others who want to be part of this wonderful group to help us grow and prosper and share the music!!
www.LongBeachSymphony.org
Sincerely, Pauline Eade-Sheppard Ovation! President
Ovation! Volunteers of the Long Beach Symphony
2016–2017 Ovation! Council President: Pauline Eade-Sheppard President-Elect: Ethel Sanford Past President: Mary Hester Administrative Secretary: Judy Boland Treasurer: Patricia Salkowski Membership: Mary Hester, Joanne Irish Ovation! Occasion/Social: Cathryn Smyth, Doug Smyth, Peggy Lymburner, Vickie Sawtelle Coordinator of Volunteers: Bobbie Cusato, Shannon Taylor Marketing & Engagement Advisors: Steve Lang, Mary Lang Education Programs SCYP: Josefa Curtin, Mary McKinley, Marilyn North, Joanne Irish IPZ: Ethel Sanford. Sally Boyne Newsletter Editor Advisor: Renee Simon Nominating Committee: Mary Hester Parliamentarian: Miep van Tyen Personal Communications: Pat Mohler Rehearsal Receptions: Shannon Taylor Tributes/Memorials: Joan Gustafson
About Ovation! The mission of this organization shall be to support the programs, policies and goals of the Long Beach Symphony through the coordination and facilitation of volunteer activities.
Kelly and Art’s Ovation! Wedding Party!
A Celebration! by Miep van Tyen A celebration of Kelly Ruggirello and Art Lucera’s wedding was held at the lovely home of Bobbie Cusato on September 22nd. All Ovation! members were invited to the hors d'oeuvres/wine party. It was a wonderful event, with lots of laughter, a few speeches, a chance to talk to Kelly and Art, and a great opportunity to socialize with fellow Ovation! members. In lieu of "shower gifts" many people made a donation to the Symphony as a *tribute to the couple. The generous amount of donations was presented to Kelly to be used for the Symphony wherever she desired. Kelly and Art were so appreciative to be honored by the Symphony "family" in this way.
Ovation! News
Renee Simon Receives Arts Council Award by Bobbie Cusato Renee Simon has been honored by the Arts Council for Long Beach for her “decades of volunteering in Long Beach arts including helping integrate the arts into other areas of priority throughout the city.” Here are some of her achievements: She has served as a Board member and chairperson of Long Beach Arts Council, International City Theater, Long Beach Symphony Ovation!, Long Beach Library Foundation, Friends of the Long Beach Library, Long Beach Heritage, and Long Beach Navy Memorial Heritage Association. As a member of two foundation boards, she has helped provide funding for Long Beach Symphony’s Sounds and Spaces and ICT’s outreach to senior citizens. There’s more: Renee used her participation in non-arts groups to help promote the arts in Long Beach. Holding both committee and leadership positions, she has served on the boards of Long Beach Redevelopment Agency, California Women Lead, Long Beach Housing Dev. Co., Archstone Foundation, Community Rehabilitation Industries Foundation, Long Beach Transit, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, HOPE, League of Women Voters, Long Beach Board of Health and Long Beach Soroptimists. Ovation! is proud that the Arts Council has recognized Renee Simon, our very own editor of The Score for over 15 years and now consultant to that publication’s production staff. Thank you, Renee!
Why Join Ovation! by Renee B. Simon In 1999 what had been for more than 40 years the Long Beach Symphony Guild, a women’s support group, morphed into Ovation! Yes, with an exclamation point. It had been an idea slow to evolve but a change in tune with the times. The Guild met for monthly luncheons, promoted fun social events like the Black and White Ball, and diligently supported the school music education programs. What was missing? A broader base. Our city was emerging from its small-town aura; it was time for the Symphony’s support network to evolve accordingly. Ovation! encouraged family memberships, men as well as women, and an emphasis of hands-on volunteerism. Dues increased a bit to give the Symphony a larger annual contribution. We built such outstanding fundraisers as “Uncorked” and “Chefs’ Challenge;” we strung holiday decorations across the theatre’s lobby; as needed, many hands volunteer to make light work of sometimes massive two or three-day mailings lowering office expenses; both men and women usher the thousands of 4th and 5th graders for the annual Concerts for Young People, and much more. There is a place today for an Ovation! membership of many hundreds. We have barely explored the volunteer service we can offer that takes full involvement of our members and their multiple talents. Each of us, as Ovation! members, can be an integral part of the Symphony family and as any family knows, its strength relies on the nurturing each member brings to the whole. Why join Ovation!? Simple. It offers the ideal win-win environment. As a member you will definitely build new friendships and reinforce old ones while the Symphony too will find new friends, all available to help grow our symphony orchestra and our community. Help us grow. Bring in a new member.
Meet our 2016–2017 Conducting Fellows
Daniel Gee Warmest Greetings! My name is Daniel Gee and it is my privilege to serve as one of the conducting fellows with the Long Beach Symphony. The Long Beach Symphony fellowship has been a wonderful opportunity for me to work closely with some exceptional conductors and musicians, as well as give me perspective into the logistics and inner workings of a professional orchestra. I look forward to being able to engage the talent, experience, and vast musicianship of our upcoming conductors, as well as build relationships with the musicians of the orchestra as we come together for each concert. Everyone has been very welcoming, and our first rehearsals and concert in October was an invaluable experience. My favorite composer? What a tough question! In no particular order some of my favorites include: Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel, Alberto Ginastera, Krzysytof Penderecki, and Osvaldo Golijov. Whether as a conductor, composer, cellist, concert goer, or avid KUSC listener, I am constantly amazed at the rich tradition of music we have to engage and enjoy, not to mention our growing ability in today’s age to encounter musical cultures outside of the Western art music tradition, established and vibrant in their own right. It is a joy to be a member of the team at Long Beach Symphony, and I look forward to the remainder of the season!
Erin Hobbs Reichert I am excited to be working with Long Beach Symphony this concert season! I love the Symphony’s strong connection with the community, particularly in the area of music education, and being a music teacher myself, this is one of the things I am most eager to learn more about and participate in. I am currently working on a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting at CSU Long Beach, so this partnership is a fortuitous opportunity for me to work with and learn from many different musicians and staff members of Long Beach Symphony. I am looking forward to studying many classic orchestral works for this concert season and the opportunity to meet and observe several different conductors. One of my favorite composers is Sergei Rachmaninoff. His music is full of so much passion and elegance! This is going to be a fantastic season of performances, and I look forward to all that I can learn and experience working with the fantastic Long Beach Symphony!
Spend the Holidays With Us!
Upcoming Concerts December 10, 2016 A Broadway Holiday with Ana Gasteyer Long Beach Arena February 4, 2017 Symphonie fantastique with Eckart Preu Terrace Theater February 18, 2017 The Nat King Cole Songbook Long Beach Arena March 4, 2017 Beethoven & Dvořák Terrace Theater March 11, 2017 Symphonic Spectacular: See the Music! Long Beach Arena April 29, 2017 An Evening of Mozart Terrace Theater May 13, 2017 Up All Night: Music of the ‘80s Long Beach Arena June 10, 2017 A JoAnn Falletta Homecoming Terrace Theater
Upcoming Events December 5, 2016 Long Beach Symphony Golf Classic Virginia Country Club April 1, 2017 Crescendo 2017: A Moon River Gala Ebell Club Long Beach May 13, 2017 Lexus Opportunity Drawing Long Beach Arena
Peggy’s POPS! Preview! by Peggy Magee When Kelly and I began discussing “A Broadway Holiday” a year and a half ago, we had a lot of names on our list and as I began my research I came across Ana Gasteyer. I fondly remembered Ana for her hilarious parodies of Martha Stewart, Celine Dion and Hillary Clinton when she was a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996–2002. More recently she has appeared on Grease Live (as Principal Magee) and she has a new television series called People of Earth. A truly gifted comedian, Ana is also a legitimate singer with a range that landed her on Broadway playing juicy roles such as Elphaba in Wicked, Mrs. Peachum in The Threepenny Opera and Columbia in The Rocky Horror Show. While she has been performing her Cabaret show for some time with a small jazz ensemble, Ana is thrilled to be making her Symphony debut with the Long Beach Symphony on December 10 with Larry Blank conducting. This debut is especially meaningful for her because she was trained as a classical violinist and spent her high school years sitting 4th chair in the orchestra. During a recent phone conversation, I asked her if she would consider bringing her violin and playing a little something and she replied, “I better start practicing!” We have created several new charts for Ana for this special concert and have a lot of surprises in store. I don’t want to give too much away but I will share that her opening number is a stunning Jule Styne medley that culminates in Don’t Rain on my Parade and should bring the house down! I sincerely hope you can join us for some holiday fun on December 10 and stay tuned for more POPS! previews! Purchase tickets at www.LongBeachSymphony.org or by calling (562) 436-3203. Group rates available for holiday parties at (562) 436-3203 ext. 1.
2016–2017 Classical Series Come celebrate music in its most fantastic form! You won’t want to miss any upcoming concerts! 2.4.17 | SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE Eckart Preu, conductor | Meet our NEW Music Director! Saint-Saëns Debussy Dukas Berlioz
Danse macabre Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Symphonie fantastique
3.4.17 | BEETHOVEN & DVOŘÁK Paul Polivnik, conductor | Rong-Huey Liu, oboe Beethoven Lebrun Dvořák
Leonore Overture No. 3 Oboe Concerto No. 2 in G minor Symphony No. 8 in G major
4.29.17 | AN EVENING OF MOZART Robert Istad, conductor | Long Beach Camerata Singers Mozart Mozart Mozart
Overture to The Magic Flute Symphony No. 25 in G minor Requiem
6.10.17 | A JOANN FALLETTA HOMECOMING JoAnn Falletta, conductor | George Li, piano Shostakovich Prokofiev Tchaikovsky
The Gadfly Suite (Overture, Fair, Gallop, Romance) Suite from Cinderella Piano Concerto No.1 in B-flat minor
PRESENTED BY
CLASSICAL SERIES SPONSOR
2016–2017 POPS! Series PARTY AT THE POPS! MUSIC • DINNER • DRINKS • FRIENDS • FUN 12.10.16 | A BROADWAY HOLIDAY WITH ANA GASTEYER Larry Blank, conductor | Ana Gasteyer, vocals Broadway leading lady and Saturday Night Live alum, Ana Gasteyer, makes her Symphony debut with veteran Broadway conductor and arranger, Larry Blank. Spectacular Broadway songs and other holiday surprises!
2.18.17 | THE NAT KING COLE SONGBOOK Stuart Malina, conductor | Denzal Sinclaire, vocals With his velvety voice and silky-smooth style, Nat King Cole was a true legend of American music. Canadian jazz singer Denzal Sinclaire’s caressing baritone voice will have you swooning to this classic songbook. A perfect concert for you and your Valentine!
3.11.17 | SYMPHONIC SPECTACULAR: SEE THE MUSIC! Michael Krajewski, conductor This concert will feature some of the world’s best known symphonic music enhanced with video imagery and stunning lighting effects. Known for his unique sense of humor, conductor and host Michael Krajewski provides the concert insights and commentary. Visual producer and designer, Elliott Forrest, provides vivid and imaginative imagery of Long Beach to enhance the listening experience.
5.13.17 | UP ALL NIGHT: MUSIC OF THE ‘80S Stuart Chafetz, conductor | Aaron Finley & Nicole Parker, vocals OMG, a finale of totally awesome ’80s music! Stuart Chafetz leads the orchestra featuring mega-hits by Lionel Richie, Sting, Michael Jackson, John Williams and a special encore dedicated to Prince. Broadway stars Nicole Parker and Aaron Finley are featured in songs including "True Colors", "Boys of Summer" and "In the Air Tonight”. PRESENTED BY
POPS! SERIES SPONSOR
Impacting the Lives of Our Community
‘Tis the Season of Giving - A Long Beach Musical Journey Begins In 2012, 6 year old Gaia attended one of Long Beach Symphony’s Instrument Petting Zoos at her local downtown library where she got to touch and play with orchestral instruments for the very first time. Gaia instantly fell in-love with the cello and from that moment has worked with her mother to get her Long Beach public school to provide cello lessons for 2nd and 3rd graders. She adores practicing and even composing music on the cello and is inspired everyday by its beautiful, deep tone and sound. She has even developed a relationship with our principal cellist, Cécilia Tsan who writes to her regularly with words of encouragement. It is stories like these that inspire our love for Long Beach Symphony and for the opportunities to volunteer, engage with, and impact our community. Thank you to all of the volunteers who have provided their love and care for our programs for so many years. Did you know that Long Beach Symphony also needs the financial support of residents throughout the community to help our programs thrive? Please consider giving an annual gift at any amount to the Long Beach Symphony this holiday season so that children, like Gaia, can find their passion! To donate, please send a check to Long Beach www.LongBeachSymphony.org or call 562-436-3203 x226. Happy Holidays to everyone!
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Tributes & Memorials Ovation members have an opportunity to make donations to the Long Beach Symphony in the form of tributes, also memorials. *Recently the Ovation members came together to present a tribute to Kelly and Art in honor of their upcoming marriage. Below is the form that can be used to make a donation. Just complete the information below and mail in your donation to the Long Beach, Symphony office at 249 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, 90802. Joan Gustafson, Tributes/Memorial Chair
Simply fill out the form below and mail to my attention at the Long Beach Symphony office. Your Information
Gift made in Honor/Memory of:
_____________________________________ Name
______________________________________ Name of Person Honored/Memorialized
_____________________________________ Address
______________________________________ Occasion/Message
_____________________________________ _____________________________________ City, State, Zip ______________________________________ Email
______________________________________ Phone
Long Beach Symphony is a 501(c)(3) non-profit operating under Federal Tax ID 95-6004958.
Send Card To: _______________________________________ Name _______________________________________ Address _______________________________________
When you make a tribute the amount of the gift will not be disclosed and Ovation is pleased to send an acknowledgment of your gift to the person or family you designate.
Please make checks payable to Long Beach Symphony Association 249 E. Ocean Blvd., Ste. 200, Long Beach, CA 90802 Please Charge my __ Visa __MasterCard __ Amex ___Discover
Amount $ ______________
Cardholder’s Name _____________________________________________________ Card Number Phone
_________________________________
_______________________________
Exp. Date _____________
Email _______________________
Signature _____________________________________ Thank you for your generous support.
Board of Directors and Administration EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Irv Miller, President Group Vice President (retired), Toyota Motor Sales, USA Roger Goulette, Treasurer Chief Operating Officer, InspiRD, Inc. Sandor X. Mayuga, Secretary Shareholder, Keesal, Young & Logan MEMBERS Rob Bellevue Principal, Granite Group, Inc Barbara Blackwell Community Leader John Blumberg Principal, Blumberg Law Corporation Dr. Oliver Brooks Pediatrician Chris Brown Vice President, Retail Banking Manager Opus Bank Jim Callahan President & CEO, Nautilus International Holding Corp. Alex Cherin Englander, Knabe & Allen, SVP Cindy Costello Branch Manager, Massingham & Associates Tom Croslin Vice President (retired), Engineering Southern California Commercial Airplanes, The Boeing Company Bill Cusato Boeing, VP Material Services Bobbie Cusato Community Leader John Di Carlo Managing Partner, Windes LaDonna DiCamillo Regional AVP of Govt. Affairs, BNSF Railway Company Pauline Eade-Sheppard, ex officio President, Ovation! Steve Faichney Community Relations and Government Affairs Manager, Valero Energy Co. Debra Fults Chief Financial Officer, Wallboard Tool Co., Inc. Jason Gwin Regional Vice President, Wells Fargo David Hancock Consulting Director, ADI Strategies
Mary Hester Community Leader Margie Masterson Community Leader Henry Matson President, Matson Development Company Paulette Matson President and C.E.O., Paulette Barrett Interiors Sean Miller Senior V.P. & Chief Investment Officer, Farmers and Merchants Trust Company Randy Mizer Vice President (retired) Boeing Company Peggy Morse Boeing, Systems Director (ret.) Jennifer Peterson Community Leader Christopher Pinckney Gunn | Jerkens Marketing Communications Lyn Pohlmann Owner, Pohlmann Piano Barbara Richards Community Leader Nanette M. Salley Managing Director, US Trust – Bank of America Pvt. Wealth Mgmt. Lee Shoag Realtor, Re/Max College Park Realty Margaret Farwell Smith President, Farwell Associates Douglas Smyth Community Leader Michele Vadon Burke, Williams & Sorenson, Attorney Mike Van Dyke Partner, Shadden Group at Morgan Stanley W. H. Walker CEO, Farmers and Merchants Bank Sharon Weissman Senior Advisor to the Mayor of Long Beach
LONG BEACH SYMPHONY ADMINISTRATION 249 E. Ocean Blvd., Suite 200, Long Beach, CA 90802 Tel: (562) 436-3203 | Fax: (562) 491-3599
Kelly Lucera Executive Director DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING Genevieve Macias Director of Development and Communications Ben Rubinstein Development Associate Lisa Cochrane Special Events Coordinator Florita Davis Manager of Sales & Box Office Robb Belmontez Marketing and Systems Manager
ARTISTIC OPERATIONS Peggy Magee Director of Artistic Operations Issy Roberts Manager of Operations, Education and Community Programs Nicholas Cotter Music Education Assistant Marty Fenton Frear Librarian Scott Jones Assistant Librarian Carrie Holzman-Little Orchestra Personnel Manager
Kristina Rakosh House Manager Robert Echavarria Stage Manager Mario Flores Assistant Stage Manager FINANCE Dana Ramos Director of Finance Katrena Rainey Office Administrator and Finance Assistant CONDUCTING FELLOWS Daniel Gee Erin Hobbs Reichert