August 2024

The SVA’s “News and Notes” newsletter is a quarterly publication that reviews the previous quarter’s accomplishments and provides a preview of activities to come. Comments and suggestions are welcome at SVACommunications@slso.org. Photo: Russ Vanderbeek and Debbie Eldridge-Miali at a Coffee Concert. 

Hello SVA Members, 

We are approaching late summer, and I hope all of you have had an enjoyable one, whether it included travel or a staycation in the St. Louis area. 

Your executive and membership committees, along with our new hospitality team, have been active this summer planning several fun events that will allow us to reconnect after our summer break. Please join us to catch up with one another and to meet and welcome our newest volunteers. Details are included below so please read on and mark your calendar. 

As we enter the 145th SLSO season we are gearing up for our 2nd and final year away from Powell Hall. We have a lot to look forward to musically, and we have work to do in preparation for the return to our home on Grand. It will be another energizing year for us as volunteers and as patrons. The SLSO has been and continues to be very grateful for all the SVA has done to take such excellent care of our patrons, especially during these transition seasons. Thank you for being SVA members and for all you do to support our orchestra.  

The best is yet to come! 

With gratitude and my warmest wishes, 

Debbie 

As was announced in June, the SLSO has begun the search for a St. Louis-based Manager of Volunteer Activities. Laura Dwyer, the SVA’s treasured Associate Director of Volunteer Activities for the last ten years, will continue in the role until the end of the year and will help transition her replacement. 

We do not know how we can adequately express the depth of our gratitude to Laura for all she has done and continues to do for the SVA. Not only is she our “go-to” person, our expert on all things musical and SLSO, she is our friend, advocate, and guide. We will all miss her! 

Please join the SVA at our Fall Membership Meeting, September 26, to see and show our appreciation to Laura, who will be attending. This will be our last SVA-wide meeting before the end of the year and will be a great opportunity for you to visit with her. Please read on for more information. We hope we will see you there. 

Congratulations and thank you, SVA members, for your collective donations of more than $390,000 to Music for All: The Campaign for The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra!  

This once-in-a-generation initiative to expand and renovate Powell Hall, a 99-year-old civic gem, will help preserve and enhance the home of the SLSO for generations to come. Your generosity is enabling the SVA to make two named gifts to the project: the kitchenette in the Musicians’ Lounge and a tree-lined pedestrian corridor from the parking lot to the East Entrance.  

Gifts of all sizes are welcome. If you would like to support this important SLSO project and be part of the SVA’s gift, please contact Kristin Lamprecht, SLSO Senior Director, Campaign and Stewardship at KristinL@slso.org or Elaine Wichmer, Director, Individual Philanthropy Major and Planned Giving, at elainew@slso.org.  

To stay up to date on the renovation and expansion progress, visit slso.org/musicforall! 

Many thanks for your generous support and love of the SLSO! 

* The 3rd Annual SVA Ice Cream Social will be on Thursday, August 22, at 4:30 p.m. The social will be held at Kirkwood Park at the corner of W. Adams Ave. and Geyer Rd. We will meet at the Sugar Creek Pavilion, on Pavilion Drive off of W. Adams (by the tennis courts) – a block from the intersection of W. Adams and Geyer. Ted Drewes treats and water will be provided. Be prepared for some good conversation and camaraderie amongst fellow SVA members. See you there! 

Alex Shapiro is the SLSO’s new Chief Philanthropy Officer. We asked him to tell us a bit about his history and the goals he seeks to achieve in his new position.

I am a newcomer to St. Louis. I moved to this amazing community in April with my husband and we have been warmly welcomed from the moment we arrived. We have been delighted to discover the great food scene, the world-class museums, the many charming neighborhoods, the rich history–and above all, the incredibly friendly St. Louisans. While I may be new to the city and the SLSO, the arts and music have been an important part of my life for years. Both personally and professionally, I have been honored to have a close relationship with both performing and visual arts. I grew up in a household where everyone played at least one musical instrument. My brother started on trumpet and switched to cello, my father dabbled on both the clarinet and the baritone horn, and my mother played double bass and piano. My chosen instrument was French horn, which I played through college.  

After graduation, I embarked on a nonprofit career. Although I’ve had the privilege to work for a variety of organizations, the arts have been a constant thread over the years. I was executive director of Santa Fe Pro Musica, and I was in charge of fundraising for the Museum of Performance and Design in San Francisco and the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. From 2016 to 2024 I was Vice President of Philanthropy for the Kansas City Symphony. In my seven years with the KCS, I had the opportunity to lead a dedicated team who, among many accomplishments, achieved a 10% yearly increase in major gifts in 2023, expanded membership in the Legacy Circle by 12% in one year, and collaborated with four volunteer groups to produce five fundraising events each year. Now I have the dream job of a Chief Philanthropy Officer of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. 

In the coming months, I look forward to working with my colleagues to find the resources and strategies to return home to Powell Hall. In particular, I welcome the chance to collaborate with the passionate members of the Symphony Volunteer Association as we find ways to welcome the community back to the renovated and expanded Powell Hall. Once we’re back in our own venue again, my team and I will focus on securing the means to not only sustain the SLSO for years to come but to help the vibrant organization grow in innovative ways to meet the evolving needs of St. Louis and beyond. I can’t wait to meet the SVA members in the upcoming season. Many thanks to you for your commitment, advocacy, and enthusiasm. 

Calling all bakers and assemblers who want to support our musicians, singers, and staff in a particularly tasty way!

Upon the musicians’ and chorus members’ return from COVID restrictions, the SVA began recognizing and celebrating them by delivering packages of delicious, home-baked cookies at a few key moments during the year. (Note the message printed ON THE COOKIE!) Needless to say, the treats have been much appreciated, so much so that we have created a Hospitality Team, and are looking for committee members.

Each treat bag delivery is for roughly 100 people and the goal is for each treat bag to contain four different cookies. So, the more bakers we have, the fewer cookies we will need from each baker. Cookies must be nut-free and easy to pack with other baked goods without crumbling. Prior to each planned delivery, committee members will be asked if they can bake cookies to add to the treat bags and/or help with packaging and, if they are able, they’ll start revving up their ovens. Then, during an energetic, laughter-filled get-together, cookies are packaged with a note to the group receiving the treats.

So, get out your favorite recipes to share with the musicians, singers, and staff that we all love. Or if you aren’t much of a baker, consider joining the fun of a packaging morning.

Contact Janice Seele at seelestl@aol.com or Marjie Smith at smithmrs@sbcglobal.net if interested in joining the Hospitality Team. 

For those of you who are new to the SVA, Cocktails and Conversation meetings are one-hour interactive conversations on Zoom with SLSO musicians and staff–and occasionally our own talented members! In the past, we have hosted these interviews 5-6pm on a Tuesday afternoon, and of course, we begin each session with a toast!

We typically have one “C and C” in the fall and two in the spring. This past season, we had another stellar year featuring Erik Harris, Principal Bass, Shannon Wood, Timpanist, and Kevin McBeth, Director of the SLSO IN UNISON Chorus. Not only are these conversations entertaining but they give you a rare opportunity to meet and ask questions of your favorite SLSO movers and shakers!

Although we’ve begun to think about this coming year’s lineup, it’s not too late to give us your suggestions! We look forward to seeing you at our next “C and C”! 

Marilyn Humiston — Co-team Lead
Phyllis Traub — Co-team Lead

The New and Prospective Committee is very pleased to introduce you to the following new SVA members:

Patti Davis (joined in April 2024)
Samia Fouche (joined in April 2024)
Tony Pettus (joined in June 2024)
Kelly Ward (joined in June 2024)
Judy Schechtlman (joined in June 2024)
Sandy Hochecker (joined in June 2024)
Angelica Han (joined in June 2024)
Lydia Porter (joined in June 2024)
Joseph Hagele (joined in June 2024)
Magdalena Luchini (joined in June 2024)

In case you missed it, the SVA was featured in June’s edition of the SLSO e-news. It was a wonderful feature that resulted in several new members (see list above!) The New and Prospective Committee is looking forward to collaborating on additional communications projects and updated recruitment materials in the coming season!  

As always, if you have any ideas on how to recruit new SVA members or know someone who might be interested in joining, please contact us at SVANewandProspective@slso.org. We would love to hear from you!  

Elizabeth Hahn, Chair 
Connie Wepfer, Vice-Chair 

Pick & Choose continues its mission of supporting the SLSO staff. In July, we helped collate donor benefit packets and stuff envelopes in preparation for mailing. This has become an annual project, and it’s a great time to meet other volunteers and show how efficient we are. (Photo from last season)

For information about future opportunities, contact Pick & Choose Chair, Sue Propper at SVAOneandDone@SLSO.org. 

SVA President Debbie Dillon opened the annual spring general membership meeting on June 7, 2024, at the Missouri Athletic Club West by thanking our hosts Margie and Don Franz. Members of the committee on hand to coordinate the event included Kathryn Norwood, Chair, Penny Bari, Terri Ciccolella, Amee Colvin, Marilyn Humiston, Mark Mittleman, Teri Steinberg, and Phyllis Traub. 

Our featured guest musician was Julia Payne, who joined the SLSO in 2022 and is 2nd Bassoonist. She was joined by Andrew Cuneo, Principal Bassoonist; together they gave a delightful performance of the duets from Rossini’s Barber of Seville, which was perfect for opera season! 
 

Julia kindly answered questions after the performance, sharing that most bassoons are made of red maple and most American players sit on a strap connected to the bassoon to help support the weight of the instrument.  

As a delicious luncheon was served, President & CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard shared reflections on the year. She profusely thanked the SVA for all the indispensable services we provide and encouraged us to save September 20, 2025, as the date for the gala grand reopening of Powell Hall. She further recognized two important contributors to SLSO success who recently passed away, Dr. Ken Smith and Virginia Weldon. Both will be honored during the upcoming season. 

Debbie expressed her personal gratitude to the SVA members for all that we accomplished over the past year.  

Kathy Norwood, Chair 
Dianna Barron, Vice-Chair 

As you may already know, the big 100th anniversary of the SVA is coming up in 2025. Nancy Malvin, with assistance from others, has been working on an SVA history project. The first step was to conduct a series of interviews with past SVA presidents and other long-term members. It is now time for those interviews to be transcribed, and we need help listening to the recordings and typing the dialogue. The work will be done from your home with your computer, and Nancy will provide a computer-generated transcript to be used as a starting point.

If you’re interested and able to type, please contact Nancy at SVAHistory@slso.org.

Kathryn Snodgrass continues to send cards in sympathy or with well wishes. Anyone in the SVA membership is encouraged to contact Kathryn at SVAEngagement@slso.org, requesting written recognition of a fellow volunteer’s needs or celebrations. 

Kathryn Snodgrass, Team Lead 

So, what are we looking at? It looks like a construction site with a huge gymnasium being built on the corner. Am I right? 

You are close! 

It’s an auditorium! It’s a space large enough to accommodate an event with 23 tables with ten guests at each table. It’s a rehearsal hall large enough to accommodate the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, the entire Symphony Chorus, or the members of the IN UNISON Chorus as they prepare for a performance. It’s a significant part of the SLSO’s Education and Community Partnerships department’s new quarters being added with the renovation and expansion of Powell Hall. 

The Education and Community Partnerships department is being handed approximately 22,000 square feet of space to carry out the mission of the SLSO, the mission to enrich people’s lives through the power of music. And what better way than to reach out to young people, from toddlers to elementary and secondary level students, encouraging them to embrace music and become future patrons of the SLSO. Who knows? Perhaps these same young people will even become future members of the Symphony Volunteer Association! (Photo: Maureen Byrne and Jessica Ingraham, SLSO Education and Community Partnerships leadership.) 

As we look towards the upcoming 2024/2025 season, please consider volunteering with many of the opportunities made available by the Education and Community Partnerships department. These opportunities take the form of meeting and greeting school buses, escorting children to various activities, providing support to visiting groups as a host/hostess, and other opportunities specific to particular events. Watch your email for information from the various education and community committees and sign up on Sign-up Genius. This technology allows you to choose the event and the role you would like to take at that event. 

Please pencil in the following events on your calendar and watch for an email approximately two months prior to the event. If you are hesitant, ask a volunteer that has participated in any of these programs, and I’m sure you will hear an enthusiastic report on their experiences. 

Picture the Music will continue to have its own schedule of needs and events, so watch for additional information. Dates include February 24, March 17, April 12, April 14, and May 12 for everything from inventory of the artwork, framing, the actual awards ceremony, and the delivery of artwork to the two exhibit sites. 

Other opportunities supporting teachers will be announced during the season. They will take the form of workshops, some presented in the evening. Keep an eye out for these for those of you who prefer working with adults. These sessions benefit from volunteers doing check-in, dispersing instructional materials, and helping to serve a light supper. 

Suzanne Seibel 
VP Education and Community Programs 

Dave Propper has assumed the leadership of the Coffee Concert Committee this year. Milly and Doug Neff did a wonderful job of leading this team for the past several years, and the SVA and SLSO extend our appreciation to them for their hard work and superb organizational skills, which made my participation as a committee member an absolute pleasure. This committee and its volunteers are responsible for greeting and welcoming our concert attendees and serving coffee, tea, and donuts to all those who wish to partake in the goodies prior to the beginning of the concert.

There will be eight Coffee Concerts this season. Coffee Concerts will be held at the Touhill Performing Arts Center at UMSL on Friday mornings at 10:30am. Below is a summary of the concerts by date:

Dave recently sent an email to all current Coffee Concert Committee members announcing the dates and to begin the scheduling activity for our 20-22 volunteers required to support each concert! If you would like to join the Coffee Concert team, please contact Dave directly as shown below:

Dave Propper, Team Lead
Team email: SVACoffeeConcerts@slso.org
Mobile phone: 314-225-5167
Home phone: 314-395-1349
Home email: wb2pmp@gmail.com

The planned “Listening Session for ETM – Reimagining” took place on Monday, April 8, 2024, at the Richmond Heights Community Center.

Despite the solar eclipse affecting attendance, the eager group that responded to our invitations came from a variety of school districts. Their individual disciplines included creative writing, music, drama, and art in the Middle and High School grades. Some of the teachers had participated in past ETM programs.

The event included dinner with music performed by four of our esteemed SLSO musicians. The participants were then encouraged to “express the music” they had heard in creative ways.

Following that experience, a moderator, and a note-taker from the SVA documented the teachers’ comments about:

As the participants were leaving, they offered many positive remarks about the event and looked forward to the “Reimagining.”

In May, the group met again to share ideas about our next steps. The SLSO team, Jessica Ingraham and Sarah Ruddy, reported that the Grand Center Arts Academy students were very aware of the emotional power of music. Based on feedback from the Reimagining event, the SVA workgroup members and the GCAA students, it was determined that three areas for development of a program are necessary to consider:

The workgroup meetings have paused for the summer. Jessica and Sarah will develop a proposal, based on what has been learned, to present when meetings reconvene in September. Patty Kaplan and Bev Cox have been asked to research Fine Arts Coordinators in school districts who could help identify possible candidates to participate in this new venture.

Many thanks to 
The SLSO education staff: Sarah Ruddy, Jessica Ingraham, Joseph Hendricks, Laura Dwyer
SVA guests who helped moderate and take notes: Rose Ingraham, Paul Kravitz, Suzanne Seibel
SVA workgroup members: Sue Darcy, Liz Halpin, Paula Hertel, Patty Kaplan, Lynda Leiberman, Mary Parks, Janice Seele, Connie Wepfer.

Paula Hertel, Vice-Chair

Picture the Music is in the planning stages for the 2024/2025 season. At this early date, we can only announce that the PTM award ceremony has been set for Saturday, April 12 and will be held again at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

For more information, contact PTM chair Beth Rogers at SVApicturethemusic@SLSO.org.

Mike Darcy, Chair
Sue Darcy, Vice-Chair

Last season, the Instrument Playground committee helped with the Family Concert on February 3 with hands-on activities for the families to enjoy before the concert. On February 6, 7, and 8, IP facilitated music activities for the Tiny Tunes concerts at The Sheldon. Photo: Gerry Frankenfeld helps a young conductor (photo by Brendon Batchelor).

Watch your email for announcements of activities for the fall season. For more information about Instrument Playground, contact us at SVAInstrumentPlayground@slso.org.

Harry Moppins, Chair
Christine Henry, Vice-Chair

Education Hosts’ final assignment for this season was the much-loved Link Up concert series on May 8-9. If you haven’t witnessed the spectacle of over a thousand students playing their recorders (properly) along with the SLSO, it would be worth your while to sign up for next year!

For information about Education Hosts, please contact Team Lead Steve Seele (SVAEduAmbassadors@slso.org).

On Friday, June 28, Governor Mike Parson signed the state budget into law for the FY25, which began July 1. In that funding, he approved the legislature’s recommendation of $10.1 million in funding for the Missouri Arts Council. He also approved $6 million of capital improvements toward the renovation and expansion of Powell Symphony Hall. $850,000 was also approved to fully fund the Missouri Fine Arts Academy, which supports Missouri’s best and brightest students in the arts.

Representative Del Taylor, St. Louis City District 84, was instrumental in the budget item for Powell Hall. Senator Brian Williams and Senator Karla May were very helpful on the Senate side. They are on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Please take time to write a thank you note to your state representative and state senator as well as Governor Parson. Please explain to them in your own words how funding from the Missouri Arts Council will help the SLSO provide quality arts programming in their District.

Look up your legislator: Senator Missouri Senate | Missouri Senate (mo.gov) 
Write to Governor Parson: Contact the Governor’s Office | Governor Michael L. Parson (mo.gov) 

Thank you for your continued advocacy. 

Paul Kravitz (new Advocacy chair, photo above)
314-749-8943

The Ambassadors Committee has now had a year of learning and adapting to conditions, and we have been honored with a great team of volunteers to act as Shuttle Hosts and Valet Greeters for performances at the Touhill and Stifel. We will soon be sending out the new schedule to allow for planning and sign-ups to ensure Shuttle Hosts and Valet Greeters for the upcoming season.

We expect near full use of the shuttles after the popularity of the service last season. We are always looking for more volunteers to help our patrons enjoy the season. The main duties are greeting and thanking everyone for their support of the SLSO. We will also need volunteers for our annual Art Hill concert on September 19. This is the time where we shine as ambassadors, welcoming everyone coming to enjoy a wonderful evening of music!

For more information, contact Ambassadors at SVAAmbassador@SLSO.org.

Sharongay Pearline, Chair
Donald Pearline, Vice-Chair

Dr. Ken Smith, a long-time, devoted member of our SLSO community–SVA member, donor, concert attendee–passed away on May 16 at the age of 92. St. Louis lost a giant, a leading figure of our medical community for over 70 years, and lifelong music lover, who, with his wife Marjie and family, hosted, welcomed, encouraged, and nurtured many musical and artistic careers. Their lively home in Compton Heights housed many chamber concerts and events for the SLSO and other organizations. Their generosity was unmatched, and over several decades Marjie and Ken served as a host family and official “groupies” for many artists and SLSO newcomers. 

Ken had a lasting impact on the SLSO and many of us both individually and collectively. We are grateful for Ken’s endless devotion and love for the SLSO and for his friendship–he is irreplaceable and will be forever missed. Please keep Marjie and their family in your thoughts and prayers. 

The SLSO will share his obituary when available, including details on a service this fall. The SLSO plans to dedicate the November performances of Mozart’s Requiem to his memory. 

In the meantime, if you wish to share memories or remembrances of Ken for his family, please email Jessica at jessicab@slso.org. We will collect them for Marjie and her family to have and cherish forever. 

Here is a link to Ken’s obituary in the Post-Dispatch. 

We are sad to announce that on June 14, 2024, at the age of 88, Naomi Carolyn Edmonds of Chesterfield, Missouri, passed away.

As we bid farewell to this cherished soul, solace is taken in the memories held dear—the laughter shared, the wisdom imparted, the moments of quiet reflection in their presence. Though Naomi Carolyn may no longer walk among us, her spirit lives on in the echoes of her kindness, the warmth of her embrace, and the light of her enduring love. She was loved and cherished by many people, including her husband Dr. Robert Edmonds; her nephew Ron Jennings; her daughters, Diane Levine (Aaron) and Kristin Edmonds; her grandchildren, Max, Noah Levine, Emily, and Wesley Itoku; and her sister Lenna (Sedalia). She was also cherished by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Naomi’s honor to the Women’s Safe House at https://twsh.org.

Your General Board consists of the Executive Committee; Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs, who fall under one of the three VPs; and Team Leads, whose groups take on recurring tasks within certain committees. 

All these leaders are available, via their “official” SLSO emails, to welcome you into their committees/teams, answer questions, and generally provide resources to enrich your SVA experience. All Execs, Chairs, and Team Leads have SLSO emails, as listed below. Vice Chairs do not have SLSO an email address but are listed below for completeness.

Exec Committee

Membership Committees

Education Committees

Philanthropy & Stewardship Committees

Team Leads