President’s Message

Deborah Stapley-Graham

Welcome to this weekend’s Holiday Pops concert, a wonderful Missoula tradition that welcomes in the Holiday Spirit. The first taste of Holiday Spirit I received this year came in October when I attended a gathering of Missoula Symphony and Chorale members and supporters at the opening of the MSO Holiday Pops exhibit at the Historical Museum of Fort Missoula. It was fun to hear stories told by some of the instigators of Holiday Pops, who were able to convince conductor Joseph Henry that a Christmas pops concert could be performed in a way that would not degrade the dignity of our Orchestra and Chorale. We are fortunate that Joseph Henry relented and made room in the program for a Holiday concert. We owe thanks to Carol Stovall, Marci and Jim Valeo, and Dean Peterson for having advocated for and establishing what has become an indispensable part of the Missoula Christmas season. I encourage you to visit the Holiday Pops exhibit at the HMFM and learn about or reminisce on the history of this annual concert.

The Missoula Symphony continues to add new traditions to our programming. Julia Tai has been successful in launching outreach programs such as our Library Concerts and collaborations with the Missoula Youth Symphony with the intent to integrate the MSO further into our community. It won’t take long for these new programs to become a cherished pieces of the fabric of Missoula, just like Holiday Pops. Thank you for your patronage, donations, and sponsorships that enable the Missoula Symphony to celebrate our tradition of bringing beautiful music to our Missoula audience.

Deborah Stapley-Graham President

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