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Quarter Notes
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Kennett Symphony |
In this issue
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FROM THE PRESIDENT Here comes Summer! And for the Kennett Symphony, that means Here Comes Longwood Gardens! We start this Summer edition of our newsletter with a preview of our June and August concerts. Then a quick look at next season's program. We had a terrific Spring, which we share through a recap of concerts and competitions. (The picture above is from the April concert.) We continue our profiles of the professional musicians in the Symphony with Mark Ward, Cello. And we introduce several of our newest Board members. And while we're talking, be sure to check out the new Photos! page on our web site. Board member Rich Burlingame serves as our unofficial staff photographer and we think you will enjoy his terrific work. Like other symphonies across the country, we are feeling the downturn in the economy. We are surviving, but just barely. You can rely on all of us to be fiscally responsible as we go forward. But the best planning cannot replace your continued support - whether it is attending our summer concerts at Longwood Gardens, buying or renewing a subscription for next season, making a contribution to our Annual Fund this fall, buying an ad in our program, or attending a fundraiser, such as our Classics event on October 4 or the Luncheon and Fashion Show on November 4. Thank you! |
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SUMMER CONCERTS AT LONGWOOD GARDENS OPEN AIR THEATRE Here's how Maestra Mary Woodmansee Green describes this season's Longwood concerts:
Before the concert, your ticket allows you to tour the beautiful Gardens for the full day and dine at Longwood’s newly renovated restaurant or café. And after each concert, enjoy a illuminated fountain show. |
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2009-2010 SEASON Maestra Green has prepared a marvelous program for the upcoming season.
You can find details on our web site and in our brochure, which we would be glad to mail you. Buying or renewing a subscription lets us offer you several benefits, some new this year:
You can subscribe or buy individual tickets by phone (610-444-6363), by mail, or on-line. |
Maestra Mary Woodmansee Green |
APRIL CONCERT REPORT Our April concert might have been subtitled "New Things." The concert took place in the beautiful — and acoustically spectacular — Westminster Presbyterian Church. And the format, Meet the Music, allowed Maestra Green to discuss Beethoven's masterpiece with illustrations from the Symphony before performing the work in its entirety.
As Caryl Huffaker of The Kennett Paper reported: "The concert...was a smashing success with a crowded house and a standing ovation afterward. The acoustics at the Westminster Presbyterian Church are superb and made the audience feel as though they were in a maelstrom of notes and exquisite music." We thank Herr's Foods for their many years of sponsorship and Acme markets for the reception that followed the concert. |
Tony Marie Palmertree |
COMPETITION UPDATE On March 21, 2009, the Symphony held the 2009 Voice Competition at Kendal at Longwood. More than 15 entrants performed and the talent was remarkable! Prize winners include: Soprano Toni Marie Palmertree, First Place; Soprano Kelly Curtin, Second Place; Soprano Stephanie O'Dea, Third Place. Ms. Palmertree is a graduate of The Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and her hometown is Fleetwood, PA. She currently lives in Pottstown, PA and will perform with the Symphony at our December, 2009 concert, Home for the Holidays. Thanks to the organizers, participants, judges and our hosts at Kendal. Details |
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NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Four generous and energetic members of our community have joined the Kennett Symphony Board of Directors this year. We profile two in this newsletter and two in the next. Paul MerluzziPaul and his wife Irena live in West Chester PA and were long-time attendees and supporters of the Kennett Symphony before Paul became a board member in March 2009. Paul holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University and MS and PhD degrees in Systems and Control Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. Both academic locations, Boston’s Back Bay and Cleveland’s University Circle, offered ample opportunity to nurture both the right and left sides of his brain and he often took advantage by attending concerts by the Boston Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra. He has worked in engineering positions for Accuray Corporation in Columbus OH, Stauffer Chemical Company in Dobbs Ferry NY, ARCO Chemical Company in Philadelphia PA, and Fischer and Porter Company in Warminster PA before founding Sequential Automation Consultants in 1983. Sequential specializes in designing and building computer-based manufacturing automation and information systems. Paul is also a member of the Board of Directors of Music at Gretna and currently serving as President. In addition to enjoying classical music and jazz, Paul’s spare time is spent tinkering with his vintage sports car collection and participating in vintage racing and road rallies. Emily MoodyAs the Performing Arts Assistant Manager at Longwood Gardens, Emily Moody is the artist liaison to the Philadelphia Orchestra and Curtis Institute of Music in addition to local performing arts organizations including the Kennett Symphony, The Savoy Company and The Brandywiners, LTD. She programs the piano series which includes a new relationship with the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the Wine & Jazz Festival, both of Longwood’s resident instruments: the carillon and organ as well as performances for the Christmas season and New Year’s Eve. Emily has a Bachelor degree in Theater from Temple University and received her Masters degree in Arts Administration from Drexel University in 1998. Before coming to Longwood six year ago, Emily worked in fundraising at Opera Delaware. Emily resides in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania with her husband and son. In our next newsletter, we will profile Ellen Fenstermacher and Bill Schaller. We thank all of our Board members for their commitment to our organization. |
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MUSICIAN PROFILE Instrument: cello. Birthplace: Nyack , N.Y. Earliest musical memory: I think I have forgotten, but my father is a composer and music was everywhere when I was a child. Schools: N. C. School of the Arts, Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard. Most influential teacher: Janos Starker, though I never had a private lesson with him. He is amazingly observant and extraordinarily thoughtful about how to play an instrument. I don't really care for his music making which has been instructive too. Noteworthy: I am the cellist of the Copeland String Quartet comprised of KSCC members Eliezer, Gutman, Thomas Jackson and Nina Cottman. Interests and hobbies: Human relations, world politics, cooking and dining with friends and family and my cat. Books at bedside: "Guns, Germs and Steel" By Diamond. Favorite thing about performing music: Being in the moment, one of a kind, swept away and being a small part in a world of wonder. Favorite composer: There are a few contenders; certainly Bach and Beethoven... First performed with the Kennett Symphony: Way back in the 70's. |
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