Every time the musicians of the Charlotte Symphony step onto the stage, something remarkable happens. When you hear Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, you’re experiencing one of the most iconic works ever written — but never in quite the same way. Each performance is a fresh act of creation, the result of living, breathing artistry, made new in real time by the musicians on stage. That sense of immediacy is what makes the Orchestra a living art form rather than a museum of the past.
Tonight, we also introduce you to Judith by Gabriel Kahane, our inaugural CSO Spotlight Artist. Gabriel’s music reflects the world around us with intelligence, humor, and honesty, and we look forward to sharing more of his music as the season continues (see page 16). Alongside Judith, Amy Beach’s groundbreaking Piano Concerto reminds us that there is always more to discover, even in works written more than a century ago, whose brilliance is only now being fully recognized.
On Friday and Saturday, November 7 & 8, we’ll continue exploring new ways to experience orchestral music with Beethoven 360. In this special concert at the Booth Playhouse at Blumenthal, the audience surrounds the musicians as we follow Beethoven’s journey from the anguish of confronting his deafness to the surprising joy and hope of his later works. Through theatrical and musical storytelling, we step inside the world of the man behind the marble bust and gain a fresh perspective — both on Beethoven and the Orchestra. A Saturday matinee is available as well, providing a convenient alternative to the evening performance. This concert is one more way we’re reimagining how music — and those who create it — can resonate and connect, both with the past and with one another.
I hope to see you there.
David Fisk President & CEO
The 2025-26 Season
Threads
Music that connects — across time, place, and experience.
Woven through our season are questions of who we are, where we come from, and what binds us together.
These threads explore the meaning of home, the shaping of American identity, and the stories we share.
America @ 250
Reflect on our nation’s musical identity through works by American voices past and present, including Amy Beach, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and George Walker.
Soyeon Kate Lee plays pioneering composer Amy Beach's Piano Concerto, October 24–26
Perspectives on Home
Explore how composers from around the world wrestle with what it means to belong — from Dvořák’s longing for home in the “New World” Symphony to Anna Clyne’s response to pandemic isolation in The Years, receiving its U.S. Premiere.
The Charlotte Master Chorale debuts The Years alongside Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto, Apr 10 & 11
The 2025-26 Season (continued)
Iconic Fifths
Revel in three of the most iconic Fifth Symphonies — Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Tchaikovsky — timeless works that explore strength, struggle, and triumph.
Kwamé Ryan leads the CSO in Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, Feb 13 & 14
Spotlight: Gabriel Kahane
Take a closer look at composer, singersongwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Kahane in a season-long exploration of his poignant musical stories, culminating in the powerful finale, emergency shelter intake form.
Kahane performs in Pattern of the Rail, Feb 13 & 14 and emergency shelter intake form, May 15 & 16
…and discover what awaits this season.
For more information, visit us at
Your Charlotte Symphony Experience
Whether this is your first concert or you’ve been enjoying the Symphony for years, we’re glad you’re here. Below are a few things to know to help you feel right at home.
Food & Drink
A full bar, beverages, and snacks are available both before the concert and during intermission in the lobby.
Photography
We welcome and encourage you to capture and share photos before and after the concert or during intermission. Feel free to use your cell phone for photography without flash during the performance, but please refrain from video or audio recording.
Applause
You’ll notice that audiences applaud to welcome the concertmaster, conductor, and featured artists on stage. Some works may have several sections, or movements, separated by brief silent pauses. It is tradition to hold applause until after the last movement. If you are unsure, wait for the conductor to face the audience. But if you feel truly inspired, don’t be afraid to show your appreciation.
Need help or have questions?
Our ushers and staff are happy to assist — just ask!
THE NINETY-FOURTH SEASON
Friday, October 24, 2025, at 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 7:30 pm
Sunday, October 26, 2025, at 3:00 pm
Knight Theater at Levine Center for the Arts
Tianyi Lu, conductor
Soyeon Kate Lee, piano
GABRIEL KAHANE (b. 1981)
AMY BEACH (1867-1944)
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Judith
PART OF THE CSO SPOTLIGHT SERIES
Piano Concerto in C♯ minor, Op. 45
I. Allegro moderato
II. Scherzo: Vivace
III. Largo
IV. Allegro con scioltezza
Soyeon Kate Lee, piano
INTERMISSION
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
I. Allegro con brio
II. Andante con moto
III. Allegro
IV. Allegro
CONCERT DURATION: approx. 2 hours, including one 20-minute intermission.
THIS CONCERT IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF
Tianyi Lu guest conductor
Internationally recognized for her thrilling energy on the podium, deeply creative interpretation, and open-hearted leadership, Chinese-born New Zealander Tianyi Lu collaborates with leading orchestras and opera houses around the world. Her work is driven by an ethos of empowerment, creating connection, and compassion across diverse communities through music.
After winning first prize in 2020 at both the Sir Georg Solti International Conductors’ Competition and the International Conducting Competition ‘Guido Cantelli’ in Italy, Lu was appointed Conductor-in-Residence with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra in Norway, a position she held until the end of the 2023-24 season. She served as Principal Conductor of the St Woolos Sinfonia in the UK until 2024 and was Assistant Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2019. Recent highlights include Lu’s BBC Proms debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and cellist Sol Gabetta, as well as performances and recordings with the New York Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony, London Philharmonic Orchestra, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Philharmonia Orchestra, The Hallé Manchester, MDR-Sinfonieorchester, Orchestre National de Lyon, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid,
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, and Sydney Symphony. A former Dudamel Fellow, she made her Hollywood Bowl debut with the LA Philharmonic in 2021 and returned for her Walt Disney Concert Hall debut in 2023. Her operatic engagements include Verdi’s Rigoletto at Aalto-Musiktheater Essen and the 2023 world premiere of Celeste Oram’s Marie & Pierre at Theater Basel.
Lu makes notable debuts with international orchestras in the 2025-26 season, including the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, National Symphony Orchestra Washington, New World Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de MonteCarlo, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Utah Symphony Orchestra, Tiroler Symphonieorchester Innsbruck, Athens State Orchestra, Bochumer Symphoniker, and embarks on a touring project debut in Belgium with the Orchestre National de Belgique. She also returns to perform with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, and the Pacific Symphony.
Soyeon Kate Lee piano
First prize winner of the Naumburg International Piano Competition and the Concert Artist Guild International Competition, Korean-American pianist Soyeon Kate Lee has been lauded by The New York Times as a pianist with “a huge, richly varied sound, a lively imagination and a firm sense of style,” and by the Washington Post for her “stunning command of the keyboard.”
Highlights of recent seasons include appearances at the National Gallery, Library of Congress, Gina Bachauer Concerts, Purdue Convocations, Music@Menlo, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center on tour, San Francisco Performances, Camerata Pacifica tour, Chamber Music Chicago, and the Cleveland Art Museum. She was a member of Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society’s Bowers program, and is a regular participant in numerous chamber music festivals including the Great Lakes, Santa Fe, and Music Mountain Chamber Music Festivals. Ms. Lee has collaborated with conductors Carlos Miguel Prieto, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Jahja Ling, and Jorge Mester with the London, San Diego, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Naples Symphony Orchestras, among others.
She has commissioned works by prominent composers and has given world premieres of works written by Frederic Rzewski, Paola Prestini, Marc-André Hamelin, Alexander Goehr, Gabriela Lena Frank, Texu Kim, and Huang Ruo.
As a Naxos recording artist, her discography spans a wide range of repertoire from two volumes of Scarlatti Sonatas, Liszt Opera Transcriptions, two volumes of Scriabin, and Clementi Sonatas. Ms. Lee’s recording of Re!nvented under the E1/Entertainment One (formerly Koch Classics) label garnered her a feature review in Gramophone Magazine and the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year Award.
A second prize and Mozart Prize winner of the 2003 Cleveland International Piano Competition and a laureate of the Santander International Piano Competition in Spain, she is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she was awarded the William Petschek Piano Debut Award at Lincoln Center and the Arthur Rubinstein Award upon graduation, and received her Doctor of Musical Arts from The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her major mentors and teachers have been Richard Goode, Julian Martin, Robert McDonald, Jerome Lowenthal, and Ursula Oppens.
In 2022, Soyeon Kate Lee joined the piano faculty at the Juilliard School, and serves on the piano faculty at the Bowdoin International Music Festival during the summers. She resides in New York with her husband, pianist Ran Dank, and their two children, Noah and Ella.
Kwamé Ryan · Music Director
Christopher James Lees, Resident Conductor Christopher Warren-Green, Conductor Laureate
MUSICIAN ROSTER
FIRST VIOLINS
Calin Ovidiu Lupanu Concertmaster
The Catherine & Wilton Connor Chair
Joseph Meyer* Associate Concertmaster
Kari Giles
Acting Associate Concertmaster
Hanna Zhdan
Acting Assistant Concertmaster
Susan Blumberg°°
Jane Hart Brendle
Cynthia Burton
Fengwan Chen†
Ayako Gamo
David Horak†
Oliver Kot°°
Lenora Leggatt
Jenny Topilow
Dustin Wilkes-Kim*
SECOND VIOLINS
Kathleen Jarrell, Acting Principal
The Wolfgang Roth Chair
Carlos Tarazona°
Acting Assistant Principal
The Pepsi-Cola Foundation of Charlotte Chair
Monica Boboc
Martha Geissler
Sakira Harley
Tatiana Karpova
Ellyn Stuart
VIOLAS
Benjamin Geller, Principal
The Zoe Bunten Merrillt Principal Viola Chair
Pin-Hao Liao
Assistant Principal
Ellen Ferdon
Wenlong Huang
Pedro Mendez
Viara Stefanova
Ning Zhao
CELLOS
Jon Lewis, Principal
The Kate Whitner McKay Principal Cello Chair
Allison Drenkow
Assistant Principal
Marlene Ballena
Jeremy Lamb
Sarah Markle
Nicco Mazziotto
David Olson
DOUBLE BASSES
Jason McNeel, Acting Principal
Judson Baines, Assistant Principal
Jeffrey Ferdon
Eric Thompson†
HARP
Andrea Mumm Trammell Principal
The Dr. Billy Graham Chair
FLUTES
Victor Wang, Principal
The Blumenthal Foundation Chair
Amy Orsinger Whitehead
Erinn Frechette
PICCOLO
Erinn Frechette
This roster lists the full-time members of the Charlotte Symphony. The number and seating of musicians on stage varies depending on the piece being performed.
° Non-revolving position
°° Alternates between first and second violins
† Acting member of the Charlotte Symphony
‡ Funded by The Symphony Guild of Charlotte, Inc.
* On leave
OBOES
Timothy Swanson, Principal
The Leo B. Driehuys Chair‡
Erica Cice
Jamison Hillian†
ENGLISH HORN
Erica Cice
CLARINETS
Taylor Marino, Principal
The Gary H. & Carolyn M. Bechtel Chair
Samuel Sparrow
Allan Rosenfeld
E ♭ CLARINET
Samuel Sparrow
BASS CLARINET
Allan Rosenfeld
BASSOONS
AJ Neubert, Principal
Joshua Hood
Nicholas Ritter
CONTRABASSOON
Nicholas Ritter
The CSO is a proud member of the League of American Orchestras.
HORNS
Byron Johns, Principal
The Mr. & Mrs. William H. Van Every Chair
Andrew Fierova
Christopher Caudill†
The Robert E. Rydel, Jr. Third Horn Chair (acting)
Richard Goldfaden
Paige Quillen
TRUMPETS
Alex Wilborn, Principal
The Betty J. Livingstone Chair
Jesdelson Vasquez†
Gianluca Farina†
Acting Associate Principal
The Marcus T. Hickman Chair
Gabriel Slesinger*
TROMBONES
John Bartlett, Principal
Thomas Burge
BASS TROMBONE
Scott Hartman, Principal
TUBA
Colin Benton, Principal
The Governor James G. Martin Chair
TIMPANI
Denis Petrunin, Acting Principal†
The Robert Haywood Morrison Chair
PERCUSSION
Brice Burton, Principal
What does it mean to call a place home? Through music that spans centuries, continents, and perspectives, we invite you on a journey to explore the meaning of home — not just as a physical space, but as memory, identity, refuge, and hope.
FEATURING
Respighi’s Pines of Rome
November 14 & 15, 2025 Belk Theater
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5
February 13 & 14, 2026 Belk Theater
Dvořák’s New World Symphony
March 27 – 29, 2026 Knight Theater
Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto
April 10 & 11, 2026 Belk Theater
Explore the full season online and buy tickets today!
box office : 704.972.2000 · charlotte symphony .org
FEATURING
Holiday Pops
A CAROLINA CHRISTMAS
December 12 – 14, 2025 Knight Theater
The Music of Motown
January 23 & 24, 2026 Knight Theater
THE CONCERT: A Tribute to ABBA
February 27 & 28, 2026 Knight Theater
FEATURING
Holiday Pops FAMILY MATINEE
December 13, 2025 Knight Theater
The Orchestra Games
January 24, 2026 Knight Theater
CLASSICAL KIDS LIVE: Beethoven Lives Upstairs
February 28, 2026 Knight Theater
FEATURING
Home Alone IN CONCERT
November 28 & 29, 2025 Belk Theater
DISNEY’S Encanto IN CONCERT
March 20 & 21, 2026 Belk Theater
MARVEL’S Black Panther IN CONCERT
June 5 & 6, 2026 Belk Theater
The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is one of the premier music organizations in the Southeastern United States and the oldest continuously operating symphony orchestra in the Carolinas. As Charlotte’s most active performing arts group, the CSO presents around 150 concerts each season, reaching more than 150,000 music lovers.
The 2025–26 season marks the next chapter in the Charlotte Symphony’s artistic evolution under Music Director Kwamé Ryan. Framed by a season-long exploration of home — reflecting on belonging, identity, and place through a wide range of musical voices — the season offers bold new works, symphonic masterworks, and creative collaborations across the Classical, Pops, Movie, and Family series. Highlights include the debut of the CSO Spotlight Series, an everexpanding look at the work of this season’s CSO Spotlight Artist, Gabriel Kahane; performances of audience favorites like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Ravel’s Boléro; and more events that showcase the Orchestra’s breadth, from the music of Dolly Parton to Black Panther in Concert. Engaging with more than 15,000 students each year, the Charlotte Symphony nurtures the next generation of musicians and music lovers through its four diverse
youth orchestras, in-school education programs, instrument coaching, and Project Harmony, which offers free afterschool lessons in music and life skills to over 200 students in under-resourced areas. With its new mobile stage, CSO Roadshow, the Symphony extends its reach directly into neighborhoods, bringing live music to communities across the region.
Founded in 1932, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra continues to play a vital cultural role in the region and remains committed to the belief that music, accessible to all, enriches and unites our community.
OUR MISSION
The Charlotte Symphony uplifts, entertains, and educates the diverse communities of CharlotteMecklenburg and beyond through exceptional musical experiences.
OUR VISION
Reaching out through the transformative power of live music, the Charlotte Symphony will be a civic leader, reflecting and uniting our region.
For more information, visit us online at charlottesymphony.org
Introducing the CSO
Explore a new musical voice each season with the CSO Spotlight Series. We start with a focused look at an artist’s work and gradually expand, illuminating more facets and revealing a fuller picture as the season unfolds.
This season, the Charlotte Symphony shines a light on composer, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Kahane, whose poignant musical storytelling traverses genres and themes with insight, empathy, and imagination.
CSO Spotlight Series Concerts
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 · October 24–26 featuring Judith
Delve into a character study of a fictional older widow performed by the CSO, based on Gabriel Kahane's original song “Last Dance.”
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 · February 13 & 14 featuring Pattern of the Rail: Six Orchestral Songs from Book of Travelers
Follow the musical diary of Gabriel Kahane's cross-country train journey after the 2016 Presidential Election, revealing a portrait of the United States as he sings and plays piano with the CSO.
Copland & Kahane · May 15 & 16 featuring emergency shelter intake form
In the season finale, Gabriel Kahane’s oratorio-style work responds to Portland’s housing crisis, drawing from the sterile intake process at shelters. The societal issues of homelessness and poverty are humanized with power, humor, and honesty with Kahane, the CSO, and a community chorus of people affected by homelessness — inviting us to reflect on what home and privilege truly mean.
SPOTLIGHT ARTIST
Gabriel Kahane
Program Notes
by Ken Meltzer
Gabriel Kahane
BORN: July 10, 1981 in Venice Beach, California
Judith A Character Study for Orchestra (2022)
PREMIERE: September 30, 2022, at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon
Approximate performance time is 8 minutes.
THE COMPOSER SPEAKS
In 2009, I wrote a tune called “Last Dance,” which would later appear on Where are the Arms, my second album as a singer-songwriter. Clocking in at about three-and-a-half minutes, the song is the staging ground for multiple compositional devices: the first verse is heard in a strict canon; my voice echoed by an electric guitar trailing two measures behind the melody. The second verse restates that theme, this time accompanied by a choir of brass instruments and a skittering drum machine. Then, a refrain takes hold: a plaintive fourteen-bar sequence in a 7/8 meter, which repeats half a dozen times, each iteration growing more urgent and ecstatic with the addition of new musical elements — drums, guitars, harmony vocals, trombones.
The lyric, meanwhile, is a character study of a fictional older woman. We learn that she is recently widowed. In need of a reprieve, she finds her way to the “ladies lounge all decked in velvet,” where, locking herself in a stall, she begins to sing:
How do I deny, do I deny that I am tired and trembling over evening When all I want is a face to hold And love and light and sex and cigarettes?
One final delight, final delight In all the finer things that I had grown so used to When all I want is your face All I want is a last dance?
For Judith, I’ve retained aspects of the formal structure of the original song, while expanding it into a brief set of variations based on that fourteen-bar refrain. But perhaps more importantly, I’ve tried to hold onto the feeling of a character study — now through strictly instrumental music — that is psychologically complex. In these eight minutes, I hope that the listener can sense a woman who, grappling with mortality, remains wholly unwilling to surrender to death. There is contemplation, joy, grief, libido, rage, and delight. Almost fifteen years after creating this character in the song, “Last Dance,” I’ve finally given a name to its protagonist: Judith.
— Gabriel Kahane, November 2022
Amy Marcy Cheney Beach
BORN: September 5, 1867 in Henniker, New Hampshire
DIED: December 27, 1944 in New York City
Piano Concerto in C ♯ minor Opus 45 (1899)
PREMIERE: April 6, 1900 at Boston Music Hall in Boston, Massachusetts
Approximate performance time is 37 minutes.
BEHIND THE MUSIC
During an era when both Americans and women were discouraged from pursuing a career in classical music, Amy Beach earned international acclaim as an accomplished pianist and composer. Between 1885–95, Beach performed as a soloist on several occasions with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and in 1896, the BSO and Emil Paur gave the premiere of her “Gaelic” Symphony in E minor, Op. 32, the first symphony by an American woman to be published.
On April 6, 1900, at Boston Music Hall, Amy Beach appeared as soloist in the world premiere of her Piano Concerto in C-sharp minor, performing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and conductor Wilhelm Gericke. After the successful premiere, Beach performed the work with several prestigious American and German orchestras.
WHILE YOU LISTEN
• The concerto begins with an expansive first movement before launching into a playful Scherzo and brooding Largo, described by Beach as a “dark, tragic lament”
• The final movement continues without pause, recalling the theme from the third movement before heading into a buoyant finale
• The work is in the grand Romantic tradition, with rich orchestration, captivating melodies, and numerous virtuoso opportunities for the soloist
THE COMPOSER SPEAKS
“Women are expected to be wives, mothers, and do all the nasty things in the community (oh, I do them). And if a woman is cursed with having talent too, then she keeps apologizing for it… It really is a curse, in a way, because instead of working 12 hours a day like other women, you work 24.”
Ludwig van Beethoven
BORN: December 17, 1770 in Bonn, Germany
DIED: March 26, 1827 in Vienna, Austria
Symphony No. 5 in C minor Opus 67 (1808)
PREMIERE: December 22, 1808 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna
Approximate performance time is 31 minutes.
BEHIND THE MUSIC
Beethoven’s immortal Fifth Symphony is music that continues to astonish listeners with its elemental power, taut drama, and, above all else, a sense of absolute inevitability. And yet, there was nothing inevitable about the process of the work’s creation. The composition of the Fifth Symphony took place over a span of approximately four years (1804-08). During that time, Beethoven wrote and rewrote passages, filling sketchbook upon sketchbook with ideas for the Symphony.
THE PREMIERE
Beethoven finally completed his Fifth Symphony in the spring of 1808. The work received its premiere that December, in a concert sponsored by the composer, held at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien. Beethoven served as both conductor and pianist in a marathon program, featuring almost four hours of his music.
Perhaps a music lover who had access to a time machine might choose this concert as his first destination. Imagine the opportunity to witness Beethoven performing several of his greatest
masterworks! By all accounts, however, the event was far from a triumph. A lack of sufficient rehearsal time, coupled with Beethoven’s failings as a conductor, led to performances that were haphazard at best, and disastrous at worst. Further, the audience endured this long, wintertime concert in an unheated theater.
“THAT IS VERY GREAT, QUITE MAD…”
Today, of course, Beethoven’s Fifth maintains its status as one of the greatest and most popular symphonies. However, its extraordinary power and revolutionary nature at first inspired confusion, awe, and even fear on the part of some music lovers. In 1830, Felix Mendelssohn visited Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, where he played excerpts on the piano of the opening movement. Mendelssohn described Goethe’s reaction:
At first he said, “But it does not move one at all; it merely astounds; it is grandiose,” and then went on growling to himself, until after a long time he began again: “That is very great, quite mad, one is almost afraid the house will fall down; and only imagine when they are all playing together!”
WHILE YOU LISTEN
• The Symphony’s four movements chart a course from darkness to triumph. The first opens with the iconic “short-short-short-long” motif – the seed from which the entire work will grow. Anton Schindler quoted the composer as describing this passage in the following manner: “Thus fate knocks at the door!” The authenticity of this quote has long been a subject of dispute.
• The second movement is in the form of variations on two themes, the latter incorporating the central four-note motif
• The third and fourth movements are played without any pause, a departure from tradition
• In the concluding fourth movement, Beethoven introduces piccolo, contrabassoon, and trombones for the first time in any symphony
THE COMPOSER SPEAKS
In 1802, upon confronting the loss of his hearing, Beethoven wrote to his brothers:
“I was on the point of putting an end to my life — The only thing that held me back was my art. For indeed it seemed to me impossible to leave this world before I had produced all the works I felt the urge to compose…”
LUDWIG
I. Allegro con brio
II. Andante con moto
III. Allegro
IV. Allegro
VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Opus 67
1804-5 portrait by Joseph Willibrord Mähler
Annual Fund
We gratefully acknowledge these generous donors to the Charlotte Symphony Annual Fund. This list reflects gifts received through October 10, 2025.
BENEFACTOR CIRCLE
$100,000+
The Fox Family Jane & Hugh McColl* Douglas Young Anonymous Jacqueline B. Mars
$50,000 – $99,999
$25,000 – $49,999
Joan & Mick Ankrom
Ruth & Richard Ault
Dr. Milton & Arlene Berkman Philanthropic Fund
Judith & Mark Brodsky
Margarita & Nick Clements
Roberta H. Cochran
Jean & Dick Cornwell
Susan Cybulski
Linda & Bill Farthing
Ralph S. Grier
Maria & John Huson
Ginger Kelly
Sally Gregory & Richard Krumdieck
Betty P. & Jeffrey J. Lee
Patrick J. O’Leary
Sandra Levine
Richard J. Osborne*
Pat Rodgers
Carolyn Shaw
Susan & John Shimp
Andrea & Sean Smith
Tara & Ken Walker
$15,000 – $24,999
Joye D. Blount & Jessie J. Knight Jr.
Nicola & Emanuel Clark
Catherine & Wilton Connor*
Denise & Peter DeMaio
Robin & Christoph Feddersen
Laurie & Barry Guy
Fran & Greg Hyde
Tanya & Steve Makris
DeDe & Alex McKinnon
Ulrike & Alex Miles
Mica Post Oberkfell & Keith Oberkfell
Debbie & Pat Phillips*
Juliette & Walter Pryor
Judy & Derek Raghavan
Cameron & Stuart Sherrill
Melinda & David Snyder
* The CSO recognizes donors of exceptional generosity whose cumulative giving exceeds $1 million with the designation of Music Director Society.
For more information, please contact Shayne Doty at 704.714.5104.
Annual Fund Supporters (continued)
$10,000 – $14,999
Kristen & Paul Anderson
Katharine & Frank Bragg
Betsy & Alfred Brand
Lynne & Colby Cathey
Jeanie & Tom Cottingham
Peter De Arcangelis
Donna & Alvaro de Molina
Peggy & Richard Dreher
Lisa & Carlos Evans
Eileen Friars & Scott Pyle
Dr. Robert A. Gaines & Toni S. Burke
Caren & Charles Gale
Andrea & Todd Griffith
In Loving Memory of Zaydee & Antonio
Lopez-Ibanez from Lina & Enrique Lopez-Ibanez
Leslie & Michael Marsicano
Elizabeth & Jay Monge
Robert Norville
Ann & Fritz Rehkopf
Kathy & Paul Reichs
Kelli & Michael Richardson
Rosalind S. Richardson
Sara Garcés Roselli & Dan Roselli
Lindsay & Frank Schall
Sherry & Thomas Skains
Drs. Jennifer Sullivan & Matthew Sullivan
Ann & Michael Tarwater
Kelly & Neal Taub
Jill & Kevin Walker
Michael Waterford
John Drew Witherington
Lisa & Richard Worf
VIRTUOSO CIRCLE
$5,000 – $9,999
Debbie & Wedge Abels
Carol B. McPhee & Howard P. Adams
The Charlotte Assembly
Si & Michael Blake
Krisha & Andy Blanchard
Mary & Charles Bowman
Barbara & Twig Branch
Robin & Bill Branstrom
Shirley & Mike Butterworth
Dr. William J. Charles & Dr. Cynthia Nortey
Morgan & Brian Cromwell
Elizabeth & Christopher Daly
Mary Anne Dickson
Anne O’Byrne & David J.L. Fisk
Amy & Sidney Fletcher
Joan & Parker Foley
Carol & Ron Follmer
Carrie & Jay Galloway
Sarah & Frank Gentry
Laura & Marshall Gilchrist
William & Patricia Gorelick Family Foundation
Lucia Zapata Griffith & Michael Griffith
Janet M. Haack
Reginald B. Henderson, Esq.
Vivian & Robert Lamb
Anna & Laszlo Littmann
Stacie McGinn
Susanne & Bill McGuire
Paula & Paul McIntosh
Susan & Loy McKeithen*
Marcy Thailer & Chuck Miller
Courtney Reichs Mixon
Torsten Pilz
Emily & Nima Pirzadeh
Kelli & Michael Richardson
Anne Robinson
Nancy & Charlie Robson
Laura A. & Michael J. Schulte
Ylida & Bert Scott
Mr. & Mrs. Harley F. Shuford, Jr.
Nancy E. Simpson
Erin & William Sparks
Elizabeth Connor Stewart
Chris & Jim Teat
Nancy & Dick Thigpen
Brienne Tinder
Judith & Gary Toman
Rocky & Curtis Trenkelbach
Annual Fund Supporters
$5,000 – $9,999 (continued)
Daniel Troy in Loving Memory of Kathleen Troy
Susan & Paul Vadnais
In Memory of Tess Verbesey
Elizabeth & Stephan Willen
Glenda Colman & Floyd Wisner
Joan H. Zimmerman
Abby & Albert Zue
$3,500 – $4,999
Andrea & Alexander Bierce
Dawn Beatty-Batten & Philipp J. Bischoff
Jan & Bob Busch
Mary & Phil Delk
Pat English & Clay Furches
Posey & Mark Mealy
Dick Metzler
Holly & Jason Norvell
Linda & Tony Pace
Suan & Bob Salvin
Teresa & Stuart Singer
Emily & Zach Smith
Dr. Mark R. Swanson
Deborah J. Cox & Bob Szymkiewicz
$2,500 – $3,499
Harriet B. Barnhardt
Tiffany & Jason Bernd
James Biddlecome in Loving Memory of Bernadette Zirkuli Biddlecome
Lee & Alan Blumenthal
Dr. & Mrs. O. Robert Boehm
Frances & Herbert Browne
Maggie Callen
The Jack H & Ruth C. Campbell Foundation
Dr. William H. Carson
Pauline & Bill Chinnis
Brent Clevenger
Ann Thomas Colley
Amy & Alfred Dawson
Cheryl DeMaio
Peggy & Charles Dickerson
Elizabeth Betty Eaton
Lucy Quintilliano & Leonard Fumi
Kara & Timothy Gallagher
Melisa & Frank Galasso
Billy L. Gerhart, in Memory of Judith Gerhart
Katherine G. Hall
Jennifer & Logan Henderson
Ivan Hinrichs
Megan & Brendan Hoffman
Christy & Ben Hume
Leigh & Watts Humphrey
Peggy Hynes
Shirley & Bob Ivey
David S. Jacobson
Christopher James Lees
Meghan & Luis Lluberas
Jim & Kathleen Lynch
Dottie & Jim Martin
Rob Roy McGregor
Cynthia L. Caldwell & Richard I. McHenry
Dee Dee McKay
Carolyn & Sam McMahon
Debbie Miller & Tim Black
Susan D. Montgomery
Janet & Peter Nixon
Laura Paschall & Brad Glaza
Pamela Pearson & Charles Peach
Dr. Reta R. Phifer
Vincent Philips & Paul Pope
Kathleen D. Prokay
Lisa & Robert R. Rollins, Jr.
Dr. & Mrs. Mahesh Sardesai
Glenn Sherrill, Jr.
In Honor of Robin Branstrom
Jane Perry Shoemaker
Peggy & Pope Shuford
Hazel & Murray Somerville
Patricia & Morris Spearman
Ken Spielfogel & Richard Withem
Maxine & Robert Stein
Dottie Stowe in Loving Memory of Dickson Stowe
Kelly Zellars & James H. Trexler
Jenny & Ken Tolson
Mindy & Don Upton
Drs. Iris Cheng & Daniel Uri
Mary Claire & Dan Wall
Deborra Wood & Russell Propst
Barbara Yarbrough
Annual Fund Supporters
PATRON CIRCLE
$1,500 – $2,499
Marcia Adams
Sharon Baker & Peter Moore
Merilyn & Craig Baldwin
Katie & Morgan Beggs
Georgia & Bill Belk
Donald H. & Barbara K. Bernstein
Sallie & Derick Close
Jean E. Davis & Robert Metzger
Dr. Kandi & Gary Deitemeyer
Martin Ericson, Jr.
Judith Greene
Karen Gunther
Maureen & Daniel Haggstrom
Angela M. & Michael D. Helms
Martha D. Jones
Helen & Gene Katz
Ginger Kemp
Mary & Michael Lamach
Lucinda Nisbet Lucas
Dr. & Mrs. Randolph Mahnesmith
Anna Marriott
Rosemarie Marshall & Lee Wilkins
Tammy & Steve Matula
Louise & Gary McCrorie
Cricket Weston & David Molinaro
Helen & Arvind Patil
Catherine Philpott
Greater Golf Express
Dr. John & Susan Rae
Brendan Reen
Anne & Mark Riechmann
Donald Schmidt
Dr. Stephen P. Schultz & Donna Dutton
Anonymous
Katy & Raleigh Shoemaker
Rebecca & Eric Smith
Marsha & Robert L. Stickler
Jean M. Summerville
Tillie S. Tice
Henry Ward
Grant Webb
Pam West
Bryan Wilhelm
Deems Wilson
$1,000 – $1,499
Anonymous (3)
Mariam Abdul Hamid & Ferd Davis
Larry Anderson
Michele & Ross Annable
JWD Atchison
Dianne & Brian Bailey
Elsie & William Barnhardt
Ms. Helen Fowler & Mr. Lincoln A. Baxter
Emerson Bell
Katherine & John Beltz
Shirley W. Benfield
Samuel Blackmon
Sara & Ethan Blumenthal
Jodie & Erik Bowen
In Memory of Kyden Justice Brown
Jane & Larry Cain
Amanda & Kevin Chheda
Rebecca & D. Mark Cody
Dorothy & Mike Connor
Dr. & Mrs. Charles E. Cook
Dr. Kilian Cooley
Kathleen Goldammer-Copeland & Mark Copeland
Ann F. Copeland
Larry J. Dagenhart
Heather & Gray Dyer
Judy & Bob Erb
Heather & Thomas Finke
Karen Geiger
Jenn & Taylor Gherardi
Carol & Joseph Gigler
Audean & Berkley Godehn
Joyce & Ed Hamilton
Anne J. Henderson
Juliet & Brian Hirsch
Linda & Paul Ibsen
Joan Irwin
Lea & Stuart Johnson
Priscilla & Michael Johnson
Dr. Valerie Kinloch & Mr. Thomas A’Hearn
Joan Kirschner
Marilyn Kroll
Holly & Christopher Maurer
Arrington Mixon
Joan Morgan
Sue Lin Tan & Rama Narayanan
Eleanor W. Neal
Mr. & Mrs. E. O. Oakley
Caroline Olzinski
Patricia & James Petillo
Dr. William G. Porter
Annual Fund Supporters
Joan Rasmussen & Morry Alter
Sally & Russell Robinson
Rita & Thomas Robinson
Elizabeth & Robert Rostan
Anjan Shah
Sandra Shuster
Birte & Roman Streitberger
Scott Smith
Tamara & Cassiel Smith
Alice & Al Sudduth
Ann & Wellford Tabor
Annette & Eric Telljohann
Catherine Thompson
Libby & Vint Tilson
Tim Timson
Sarah S. Tull
Maureen Turner
Emily & Jeff Vaughan
Dr. & Mrs. Bill Chu & Jin Wang
Rebecca Waters
Linda & Craig Weisbruch
Peter White
Jennie & Ry Winston
Lauren Wooden
Velva W. Woollen
Sandy & John Yakob
$500 – $999
Anonymous (2)
Lynda & Doug Abel
Cathy & Bob Becker
Beth & Carl Belk
Dr. John L. Bennett & Mr. Eric T. Johnson
Mary Ann & Timothy Beranek
Jeffrey Boghosian
Marilyn & Herb Bonkovsky
James Broadstone
Nelle & Ken Brown
Aram Kim Bryan
Mary Lou & Greg Cagle
Jennifer & Daniel Callahan
Nan & Brooks Carey
Thomas E. Collins, Jr.
Jack Cook
In Loving Memory of Ruth Jernigan
Dr. & Mrs. Mark Couture
Gaither & Robert Deaton
Dr. Roy E. DeMeo, Jr. & Ms. Linda A. Evanko
Margaret & George Dewey
Diane & Doug Doak
Kate & Trae Fletcher
Lucinda & Harvey Gantt
Dr. John & Eileen Gardella
Dr. & Mrs. Richard Gellar
Stacy & Pete Gherardi
Linda & Dan Gordon
Cynthia Greenlee
Gloria Gunst
Johanne & Patrick Hawk
Dr. & Mrs. Michael D. Heafner
Stefan Heinzelmann
Ms. Yvonne DeBeauville & Mr. Roger Hill
John J. Kelly, Jr.
Mary & Steven Kesselman
Nancy H. Kiser
George W. & Constance C. Knight
Linda & Norman Kramer
Maria Kurtz
Jonathan Lamb
Barbara & Jerome Levin
John J. Locke
Katherine & Mark Love
Dr. & Mrs. William W. MacDonald
Allison Malter
Leigh & Bruce Marsh
Paula & Francis Martin
Wendy & Ed Matthews
Jill Maxwell
Constance & Kiran Mehta
Amanda & Matthew Molbert
Sally Staub Moore
Jennifer & Michael Neurohr
Mary Newsom
Dr. & Mrs. Paul Nitsch
Nancy Olah & Bill Pace
Ynez Olshausen
Gwen Peterson & Tom Hodge
Janet & Rick Pfeiffer
Moira Quinn
Sabine & Haywood Rankin
Susanne & Mark Rascio Family
Emily & Brian Reinicker
Joan & Albert Rodgers
Margaret Rogers & John R. Willis
Betty & Bill Seifert
Michael Silverman
Dr. & Mrs. Henry L. Smith II
Scott Smith
Julia J. Souther
Tara & Joseph Spil
Mary & Bill Staton
Kathryn Stewart, MD, MPH
Susan & Jet Taylor
Molly & Chris Tull
Melanie & James Twyne
Signature Web Design
Karen & Charles Wolff
Judith Wood
The Encore Society
The Encore Society includes individuals who have made provisions for the CSO in their estate plans. We are honored to recognize their support:
Anonymous (3)
Geraldine I. Anderson†
Michele & Ross Annable
Richard & Ruth Ault
Baldwin Family Trust
Barnhardt Thomas Trust
Lincoln A. Baxter & Helen M. Fowler
Annette Bedford†
Larry & Joyce† Bennett
Dr. Milton & Arlene Berkman
Donald H. & Barbara K. Bernstein
Mark & Louise Bernstein†
Rosemary Blanchard†
Twig & Barbara Branch
Saul Brenner
Mike & Joan Brown†
Mrs. Joan & George Bruns†
Jan & Bob Busch
Dr. Helen G. Cappleman, Ph.D.†
Jim Cochran† & Robin Cochran
Catherine & Wilton Connor
Charles & Peggy Dickerson
Martin Ericson, Jr.
Linda & Bill Farthing
David J.L. Fisk & Anne P. O’Byrne
Sylvia T. Forsythe†
Dorris H. Goodyear†
Peter & Ann† Guild
William G. & Marguerite K. Huey Fund
Dr. Nish Jamgotch, Jr.†
Betty & Stanley Livingstone†
Lucille F. & Edwin L. Jones
Endowment for the Arts
Polly and Don Kellam†
Jim Martin
Paula & Paul McIntosh
Nellie McCrory†
M. Marie Mitchell†
Cricket Weston & David Molinaro
Joan & Richard Morgan
Francis A. Mueller†
Don C. Niehus
Eva Nove
Richard J. Osborne
Gwen Peterson & Tom Hodge
Gilbert Pirovano†
James Y. Preston†
Mrs. Clayton (Dusty) Pritchett
Ann & Fritz† Rehkopf
Elizabeth Waring Reinhard
Nancy W. Rutledge
Mike Rutledge
Harriet Seabrook
Mr. & Mrs. William Seifert
Morris & Patricia Spearman
Bob & Maxine Stein
Dr. Ben C. Taylor III
Mr. & Mrs. Hans Teich
Cordelia G. & Dr. Chandler† Thompson
Tim Timson
Jenny & Ken Tolson
Ms. Deborra Wood & Mr. Russell Propst
For more information, please contact Shayne Doty at 704.714.5104.
Comprehensive Campaign
We gratefully acknowledge these generous donors to the Charlotte Symphony Comprehensive Campaign. This list reflects gifts received through August 1, 2025.
$10,000,000+
Bank of America · The C.D. Spangler Foundation
$5,000,000 - $9,999,999
John S. & James L. Knight Foundation
$2,000,000 - $4,999,999
The Leon Levine Foundation · Jane & Hugh McColl
$1,000,000 - $1,999,999
Michele & Ross Annable · Atrium Health · Howard C. & Margaret G. Bissell Foundation
Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. · EY · Contributions Associated with Falfurrias Capital Partners
Lynn & Brian Good · Julie & Howard Levine · Susan & Loy McKeithen · Novant Health
$500,000 - $999,999
Anonymous · Arlene & Milton Berkman · Robin & Bill Branstrom · Deloitte
Mary & Mike Lamach · Rich Osborne · Debbie & Pat Phillips · Pat Rodgers · M.A. Rogers
Robert Haywood Morrison Foundation · Trane Technologies · Truist Financial Corporation
$250,000 - $499,999
Cathy Bessant · The Dickson Foundation · The Gambrell Foundation
The Gorelick Family Foundation · Moore & Van Allen PLLC · Janet Preyer Nelson The Trexler Foundation · Betsy Fleming & Ed Weisiger
$100,000 - $249,000
Anonymous · Jeannette & Francisco Alvarado · Joan & Mick Ankrom
Ruth & Richard Ault · NCFI/Barnhardt Foundation · Catherine & Wilton Connor
Robin Cochran · Denise & Peter DeMaio · The Dowd Foundation · Linda & Bill Farthing
Fran & Greg Hyde · Dr. Richard Krumdieck & Mrs. Sally Gregory · Elizabeth & Jay Monge
Patricia & Thruston Morton · Steelfab, Inc. · Linda & Craig Weisbruch
Andromeda & John Williams
Comprehensive Campaign
$50,000 - $99,999
Amy & Robert Brinkley · Crescent Communities · The Fox Family · Eileen Friars & Scott Pyle
Mariam & Robert Hayes Charitable Trust · Ulrike & Alex Miles · Ruth Shaw
Chris & Jim Teat · Rita & Bill Vandiver · Lisa & Richard Worf
$10,000 - $49,999
Anonymous Wedge & Debbie Abels · Mary Lou & Jim Babb · Tiffany & Jason Bernd
Frank Bragg · Shirley & Mike Butterworth · Joye Blount & Jesse Knight, Jr.
The Cato Corporation · Margarita & Nick Clements · Mary Delk
Caroline & Ben Dellinger III · Lisa & Carlos Evans · David Fisk & Anne O’Byrne
Averill, Johanna, & Lauren Harkey · Carol & Bill Lorenz · Leslie & Michael Marsicano
Virginia & Chan Martin · DeDe & Alex McKinnon · Posey & Mark Mealy ·
Wanda & Steve Phifer · Ridgely & John Phillips · Dale & Larry Polsky
Judy & Derek Raghavan · Shannon & Eric Reichard · Sara & Daniel Roselli · Lori & Eric Sklut
Emily & Zach Smith · Melinda & David Snyder · Dr. John A. Thompson, Jr. & Dr. Lee Rocamora
Jill & Kevin Walker · Jim Worrell
$5,000 - $9,999
Brian S. Cromwell · Toni Burke & Bob Gaines · Sarah & Frank Gentry · Carol & Joseph Gigler
Lucinda Nisbet Lucas · Dee Dee & William Maxwell · Melissa & Dennis McCrory
Cyndee Patterson · Betty & William Seifert · Peggy & Pope Shuford · Nancy E. Simpson
Drs. Jennifer & Matthew Sullivan · Mary Claire & Dan Wall · Martha Ann & Craig Wardlaw
Corporate Partners
We are grateful for the following outstanding corporate funders: For more information, please contact Tara Spil at 704.714.5138.
We are grateful for the following outstanding foundation and government funders:
ANONYMOUS
The Trexler Foundation
Dowd Foundation, Inc.
The Dickson Foundation
Cole Foundation
The Charlotte Assembly
The Mary Norris Preyer Fund
The George W. & Ruth R. Baxter Foundation
Barnhardt/Thomas Trust
Minor Foundation, Inc
Music Performance Trust Fund
For more information, please contact Tara Spil at 704.714.5138.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2025-26 OFFICERS
Richard Krumdieck, Chair
Ulrike Miles, Vice Chair
Melinda Snyder, Vice Chair & Secretary
Denise DeMaio, Treasurer
David Fisk, President & CEO
Kwamé Ryan, Music Director
2025-26
DIRECTORS
Krisha Blanchard
Joye D. Blount
Mike Butterworth
Nick Clements
Sidney Fletcher
Craig Froelich
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Linda McFarland Farthing, Chair
Francisco & Jeannette Alvarado
Paul Anderson
Ruth & Richard Ault
Rachel Gogal Badillo
Arlene & Milton Berkman
Jason & Tiffany Bernd
Mary & Charles Bowman
Frank Bragg
Robin & Bill Branstrom
Paige & Steve Burgess
Dr. William Charles & Dr. Cynthia Nortey
Derick & Sallie Close
Robin Cochran
Catherine & Wilton Connor
Jeanie & T. Thomas Cottingham III
Brian Cromwell
Susan Cybulski
Marcia & Jason Daily
Alessandra & Pasquale De Martino
Alvaro & Donna de Molina
Peggy & Richard Dreher
Lisa Hudson Evans
Bill Farthing
Karen Fox
Eileen Friars & Scott Pyle
Ralph S. Grier
Laurie Guy
Janet Haack
Reginald B. Henderson, Esq.
Mark & Whitney Jerrell
Jeff Lee
Carrie Galloway
Lucia Zapata Griffith
Fran Hyde
Byron Johns*
Valerie Kinloch
Stephen Makris
Juliette Pryor
Manley Roberts*
Sara Garces Roselli
Lindsay Schall
Ylida Scott
Cameron Sherrill
Jennifer Sullivan
Brienne Tinder*
Andrea Mumm Trammell*
Ken Walker *ex-officio
Gov. James G. Martin
Jane & Hugh McColl
Stacie McGinn
Susan & Loy McKeithen
Alex & DeDe McKinnon
Elizabeth & Jay Monge
Mica Oberkfell
Patrick J. O’Leary
Richard Osborne
Debbie & G. Patrick Phillips
Derek & Judy Raghavan
Paul Reichs
Nancy & Charles Robson
Patricia A. Rodgers
M.A. Rogers
Frank Schall
Laura & Mike Schulte
Carolyn Shaw
Emily & Zach Smith
Will Sparks
Elizabeth Connor Stewart
Bob & Marsha Stickler
Kelly & Neal Taub
Adam Taylor
Chris & Jim Teat
Kevin & Jill Walker
Elizabeth & Steve Willen
Braxton Winston
Richard Worf
Joan Zimmerman
Albert Zue
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
EXECUTIVE
David J. L. Fisk
President & CEO
Samantha Hackett
Manager of Executive Administration & Board Relations
ARTISTIC OPERATIONS
Scott Freck
Vice President for Artistic Operations & General Manager
Erin Eady
Director of Orchestra Personnel
Laura Lindsay
Director of Orchestra Operations
Claudia Schmitz
Director of Artistic Planning
Bart Dunn
Principal Music Librarian
Emily Schaub
Assistant Music Librarian
Ana Faithe Allen
Operations Coordinator
John Jarrell
Stage Manager
Byron Johns
Senior Stage Technician
Ross Jarrell
Stage Techician
DEVELOPMENT
Shayne Doty
Vice President of Development
Richard Riedl
Associate Vice President of Development
Mary Nell Johnson
Senior Director of Individual Giving
Tara Spil
Director of Corporate & Institutional Giving
Tammy Matula
Director of Development Services
Josh Bottoms
Manager of Corporate & Institutional Giving
Jennifer Gherardi
Manager of Development Services & Events
Noel Kiss
Manager of Individual Giving & Events
HUMAN RESOURCES
Maribeth Baker
Human Resources Counselor
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
Christian Drake
Vice President of Finance & Administration
Amy Hine
HR Coordinator & Office Administrator
Kensloe Norrington
Staff Accountant
Chazin & Company, Financial Services
LEARNING & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Aram Kim Bryan
Vice President of Community Relations & Learning
Dylan Lloyd
Senior Manager of Youth Orchestras
Mark Rockwood
Senior Manager of Youth Education
Michaela Sciacca
Senior Manager of Youth Programs
Gavin Fulker
Education Programs Assistant
Bria Alexander
Community Engagement Assistant
MA RKETING & AUDIENCE
Frank Impelluso
DEVELOPMENT
Vice President of Marketing & Audience Development
Deirdre Roddin
Director of Institutional Marketing & Communications
Nicole Glaza
Senior Manager of Digital Marketing
Laura Thomas
Senior Manager of Marketing & Audience Development
