CSO Elgar's Enigma - program 02-14-25

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February 14 & 15

Belk Theater

Olga

SCHUMANN
Piano Concerto
Ruth Reinhardt, conductor
Kern, piano

Welcome!

This month’s lineup at the Charlotte Symphony is a wonderful reflection of what makes live music so powerful — it meets us where we are. Whether you’re looking for a romantic evening with Schumann’s Piano Concerto on Valentine’s weekend, a lively escape to the rhythms of Havana Nights, a chance to explore the sounds of Charlotte with your family at Our Musical Neighborhood, or a laidback evening with friends at the final On Tap of the season, there’s something for everyone in February.

At the end of the month, we take a bold step into new territory at Blume Studios with Become Ocean, a breathtaking immersive experience presented in collaboration with Blumenthal Arts, the Knight Foundation, and the N.C. Aquarium Society. With 360-degree sound that ebbs and flows and lighting that shimmers like sunlight on the surface of the water, this performance will make you feel as though you’re submerged in the vast expanse of the ocean. It’s an opportunity to experience John Luther Adams’s Pulitzer Prizewinning work in a completely new and innovative way.

Each of these performances is a reminder of the many ways music connects us — whether by sparking emotion, celebrating our city’s unique soundscape, or offering new perspectives on the world around us. However you choose to experience the Symphony this month, we’re grateful to share it with you.

THE NINETY-THIRD SEASON

Elgar’s E NIGMA Variations

Friday, February 14, 2025, at 7:30 pm Saturday, February 15, 2025, at 7:30 pm

Belk Theater at Blumenthal Arts

Ruth Reinhardt, conductor Olga Kern, piano

JOSEF SUK (1874-1935)

Pohádka (Fairy Tale), Op. 16

I. The True Love of Radúz and Mahulena and Their Sorrows

II. Intermezzo: A Game of Swans and Peacocks

III. Funeral Music

IV. Runa’s Curse and Victory of Love

ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856)

Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54

I. Allegro affettuoso

II. Intermezzo: Andantino grazioso

III. Allegro vivace

Olga Kern, piano

[~30ʹ] - INTERMISSION -

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Elgar’s ENIGMA Variations

(continued)

EDWARD ELGAR (1857-1934)

Variations on an Original Theme (“Enigma”), Op. 36

Enigma: Andante

I. (C.A.E.) L’istesso tempo

II. (H.D.S-P.) Allegro

III. (R.B.T.) Allegretto

IV. (W.M.B.) Allegro di molto

V. (R.P.A.) Moderato

VI. (Ysobel) Andantino

VII. (Troyte) Presto

VIII. (W.N.) Allegretto

IX. (Nimrod) Adagio

X. (Dorabella) Intermezzo. Allegretto

XI. (G.R.S.) Allegro di molto

XII. (B.G.N.) Andante

XIII. (***) Romanza. Moderato

XIV. (E.D.U.) Finale. Allegro

CONCERT DURATION:

Approximately 2 hours, with one 20-minute intermission.

Ruth Reinhardt guest conductor

Ruth Reinhardt is the newly appointed music director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, beginning her tenure in the 2025–26 season as the 5th music director in the orchestra’s 80-year history. She will serve as music director designate in the 2024–25 season.

In 2024–25 Reinhardt will conduct orchestras on four continents — in Europe, North America, and Asia, where she makes her debuts with both the Seoul Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic, as well as in South America with the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra. She begins the season at the Lucerne Festival conducting a program dedicated to and celebrating the centennial of Pierre Boulez, with the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra. Other highlights include debuts with symphony orchestras in Bamberg, Nuremberg, Beethovenhalle in Bonn, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, and the Residentie Orchester in The Hague, along with return visits to the RSB Berlin, Stockholm Philharmonic, and Malmö Symphony Orchestra. In the United States, Reinhardt will conduct the Rhode Island Philharmonic and make debut appearances with the St. Louis Symphony and Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, and return engagements with the Milwaukee Symphony and San Diego Symphony.

Programmatically, Reinhardt’s interests have led her toward an indepth exploration of contemporary repertoire, leading the symphonic and orchestral world into the 21st century. Strongly centered on European composers, with significant emphasis on women composers of the second half of the 20th century and early 21st century, she brings new names and fresh faces to many orchestras for the first time. Among those whose works appear often in her programs are Grażyna Bacewicz, Kaija Saariaho, Lotta Wennäkoski, Daniel Bjarnason, Dai Fujikura, and Thomas Adès. Parallel programming can be complementary or contrasting, from the classic moderns such as Lutosławski, Bartók, Stravinsky, and Hindemith, or core composers of the symphonic canon, such as Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and Dvořák.

Conductor

In recent seasons, Reinhardt has made an important series of symphonic debuts in North America with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, and San Francisco, Detroit, Houston, Baltimore, Milwaukee, and Seattle Symphony Orchestras. In Europe, her appearances have been no less impressive — the Orchestre National de France, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Tonkünstler Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, to name several.

Born in Saarbrücken, Germany into a family of physicians — both parents and her sister are doctors — Reinhardt knew early on that music would be her calling. She studied violin and composition, even writing an opera while still in high school. Her studies took her first to the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste, studying violin with Rudolf Koelman and conducting with Constantin Trinks and Johannes Schlaefli, and continued at The Juilliard School of Music in the conducting class of Alan Gilbert and James Ross. Upon graduation, she joined the Dallas Symphony for two seasons as assistant conductor to Jaap van Zweden while also serving as a Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. During the summer she was assistant conductor to the Lucerne Festival Academy working with artistic co-directors Wolfgang Rihm and Matthias Pintscher. Previous fellowships include the Seattle Symphony (2015-2016), Tanglewood Music Center (2015), and Taki Concordia associate conducting fellow (2015-2017). Reinhardt currently resides in Switzerland.

Olga Kern piano

With a vivid onstage presence, dazzling technique, and keen musicality, pianist Olga Kern is widely recognized as one of the great artists of her generation, captivating audiences and critics alike.

In 2001, Kern launched her U.S. career at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, winning a Gold Medal — the only woman in the last fifty years to do so. She has since performed extensively with top-tier ensembles, among them the St. Louis Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Detroit Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, D.C.), Czech Philharmonic, and Filarmonica della Scala. She has also scored successes with Tokyo’s NHK Symphony, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Philharmonic, and Pittsburgh Symphony. She was a soloist on widely acclaimed U.S. tours with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 2018, 2019, and 2022. Kern performs riveting recitals throughout the world, playing in places such as New York, Fort Worth, Minneapolis, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, and Italy as well as with renowned organizations including The Gilmore Piano Festival, Chamber Music San Francisco, Hollywood Bowl, Ravinia Festival, the Minnesota Beethoven Festival, Bad Kissingen (Germany), Radio France Festival Montpellier, and others.

In the 2022–23 season, Kern appeared with the Dallas Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Ireland’s National Symphony Orchestra, and Colorado Symphony. She performed recitals at the American Pianists Association Conference in Indianapolis and the International Piano Festival of Oeiras in Portugal, as well as in Milan, Virginia Beach, Chicago, and San Francisco. Engagements in the 2023–24 season include performances of Rachmaninoff’s monumental four concertos and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Austin Symphony and Virginia Symphony Orchestra and a nationally broadcast New Year’s concert with the Czech Philharmonic. Other 2023–24 engagements included the Santa Rosa Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Toledo Symphony,

Pacific Symphony, Asheville Symphony, a tour of South Africa, and performances with the Prague Symphony, Taipei Symphony, and Tokyo Symphony.

Kern has served as a jury chairman of several high-profile competitions, including her own, the Kern International Piano Competition, of which she is Artistic Director. A dedicated educator, she has been on the piano faculty of the Manhattan School of Music since 2017, and in 2019, she was appointed the Connie and Marc Jacobson Director of Chamber Music at the Virginia Arts Festival. She also established “Aspiration,” a foundation that provides financial assistance to musicians around the world.

Olga Kern is a Steinway Artist.

Her well-regarded discography includes works of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Brahms, and Shostakovich.

Kern’s iconic dresses are designed by Alex Teih (New York), and her jewelry is designed by Alex Soldier (New York).

olgakern.com | Facebook | Instagram

Christopher James Lees

Resident Conductor

Christopher Warren-Green Conductor Laureate

2024 · 2025 MUSICIAN ROSTER

FIRST VIOLINS

Calin Ovidiu Lupanu, Concertmaster

The Catherine & Wilton Connor Chair

Joseph Meyer,* Associate Concertmaster

Kari Giles, Acting Associate Concertmaster

Dustin Wilkes-Kim,

Acting Assistant Concertmaster

Susan Blumberg°°

Jane Hart Brendle

Cynthia Burton

Ayako Gamo

David Horak†

Lenora Leggatt

Jenny Topilow

Angela Watson†

Hanna Zhdan

SECOND VIOLINS

Oliver Kot, Principal

The Wolfgang Roth Chair

Kathleen Jarrell, Assistant Principal

The Pepsi-Cola Foundation of Charlotte Chair

Carlos Tarazona°

Monica Boboc

Martha Geissler

Sakira Harley

Tatiana Karpova

Ellyn Stuart

VIOLAS

Benjamin Geller, Principal

The Zoe Bunten Merrillt Principal Viola Chair

Kirsten Swanson†

Acting Assistant Principal

Matthew Darsey†

Ellen Ferdon

Wenlong Huang

Viara Stefanova

Ning Zhao

CELLOS

Jon Lewis, Principal

The Kate Whitner McKay Principal Cello Chair

Allison Drenkow, Assistant Principal

Marlene Ballena

Jeremy Lamb

Norbert Lewandowski†

Sarah Markle

Oksana McCarthy†

DOUBLE BASSES

Jason McNeel, Acting Principal

Judson Baines, Assistant Principal

Justin Cheesman†

Jeffrey Ferdon

° 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

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.

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

OBOES

Timothy Swanson, Principal

The Leo B. Driehuys Chair‡

Erica Cice

Jamison Hillian†

Terry Maskin*

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

HORNS

Byron Johns, Principal

The Mr. & Mrs. William H. Van Every Chair

Andrew Fierova

Bradley Burford

The Robert E. Rydel, Jr. Third Horn Chair

Richard Goldfaden

Paige Quillen

TRUMPETS

Alex Wilborn, Principal

The Betty J. Livingstone Chair

Jonathan Kaplan*

Peter Stammer†

Gabriel Slesinger, Associate Principal

The Marcus T. Hickman Chair

TROMBONES

John Bartlett, Principal

Thomas Burge

BASS TROMBONE

Scott Hartman, Principal

TUBA

Colin Benton, Principal

The Governor James G. Martin Chair

TIMPANI

Jacob Lipham, Principal

The Robert Haywood Morrison Chair

PERCUSSION

Brice Burton, Principal

The CSO is a proud member of the League of American Orchestras.

Musician Spotlight

Nicholas Ritter

Member of the CSO since June 2023 · Received tenure Nov 2024

HOMETOWN: Vienna, Virginia

Fun Facts

• If Nicholas could meet any composer, he’d love to ask how Jean Sibelius drew inspiration from the world around him and shaped it into music.

• Outside of work, Nicholas enjoys hiking in the mountains and takes a few weeks each year to go backpacking.

• If he weren’t a professional musician, Nicholas might be a librarian. He spent several summers working in a library handling old and rare materials and found it fascinating.

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 130,000 music lovers.

The 2024-25 season marks a transformative era under the dynamic leadership of newly appointed Music Director Kwamé Ryan. With 65 full-time musicians, the Symphony performs throughout the community in a variety of venues, from the Belk and Knight theaters to parks, breweries, community centers, schools, senior care centers, and places of worship. With its new mobile stage, CSO Roadshow, the Symphony extends its reach directly into neighborhoods, bringing live music to communities across the region.

Engaging with more than 10,000 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 after-school lessons in music and life skills to over 200 students in under-resourced areas.

OUR MISSION

The Charlotte Symphony uplifts, entertains, and educates the diverse communities of Charlotte-Mecklenburg 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.

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. For more information, visit us online at charlottesymphony.org

Josef Suk

BORN: January 4, 1874 in Křečovice, Bohemia

DIED: May 29, 1935 in Benešov, Czechoslovakia

Pohádka (Fairy Tale)

Opus 16 (1901)

Approximate performance time is 30 minutes.

Josef Suk attended the Prague Conservatory from 1885–92, where he studied composition with Antonín Dvořák, who counted Suk among his favorite pupils. In 1898, Suk married Dvořák’s daughter, Otilie. During his long and distinguished career, Suk carried on the great tradition of Czech concert music as exemplified by Dvořák and his predecessor, Bedřich Smetana. Suk was an accomplished and successful composer and also a talented violinist. In 1891, he co-founded the Bohemian (later, the Czech) String Quartet, serving as the ensemble’s second violinist. He remained with the Quartet for over four decades, performing in more than 4,000 concerts. From 1922–35, Suk was a member of the composition faculty at the Prague Conservatory.

During the period of 1897–98, Josef Suk composed incidental music for a production of Julius Zeyer’s play, Radúz and Mahulena , the fairy tale romance of a prince and princess from rival kingdoms. Radúz and Mahulena are finally able to wed, but only after overcoming numerous challenges, including the sorcery of Queen Runa. Suk composed both orchestral and vocal numbers for Zeyer’s play. Later, Suk used the Radúz and Mahulena incidental music as the basis for a four-movement orchestral suite, entitled Pohádka (Fairy Tale) . The work is a marvelous example of Suk’s gifts of melodic inspiration, colorful orchestration, and his seamless blend of classical and folk elements.

I. O věrném milování Radúze a Mahuleny a jejich strastech (True Love of Radúz and Mahulena and Their Sorrows)

II. Intermezzo – Hra na labutě a pávy (A Game of Swans and Peacocks)

III. Intermezzo – Smuteční hudba (Funeral Music)

IV. Runy kletba a jak byla láskou zrušena (Runa’s Curse and Victory of Love)

Robert Schumann

BORN: June 8, 1810 in Zwickau, Germany

DIED: July 29, 1856 in Endenich, Germany

Concerto for Piano in A Minor Opus 54 (1845)

PREMIERE: December 4, 1845 in Dresden, Germany

Approximate performance time is 32 minutes.

Robert Schumann composed the Piano Concerto for his beloved wife, the gifted pianist and composer Clara Wieck Schumann. The work originated in May of 1841 as a single-movement Fantasy in A Minor for Piano and Orchestra. In 1845, Schumann added two movements to the Fantasy. Clara Schumann wrote in her diary, “(The Fantasy) has now become a concerto that I mean to play next winter. I am very glad about it for I have always wanted a great bravura piece by him.” The following month, Clara enthused, “I am happy as a king at the thought of playing it with orchestra.”

Clara Schumann was the soloist in the December 4, 1845 premiere of Robert’s Concerto in A Minor for Piano and Orchestra. The first performance took place in Dresden at the Hall of the Hôtel de Saxe, led by the work’s dedicatee, conductor Ferdinand Hiller. On New Year’s Day, 1845, Clara Schumann played the new concerto with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, under Felix Mendelssohn’s direction. In many subsequent performances of the Schumann Piano Concerto, it was Robert who served as conductor/accompanist for his wife.

In a letter written to Clara a few years before their marriage, Robert Schumann described his conception of a piano concerto as “a compromise between a symphony, a concerto and a huge sonata. I see I cannot write a concerto for the virtuosos — I must plan something else.” And, despite the considerable technical hurdles for the soloist, there is throughout an admirable sense of partnership between pianist and orchestra. Further, it is remarkable that while four years separate

Program Notes

the composition of the first movement and the final two, the concerto is an organic composition that proceeds unerringly from start to finish. These admirable qualities, coupled with Schumann’s inspired lyrical gifts, are the hallmarks of a sublime work, one of the finest piano concertos of the Romantic era.

The concerto is in three movements, the final two played without pause. The first (Allegro affettuoso) opens in dramatic fashion, with a forte orchestral chord, immediately followed by an emphatic descending passage for the soloist. The winds sing the espressivo principal theme, soon repeated by the soloist. The brief second movement (Intermezzo. Andantino grazioso) is in A—B—A form. The soloist, in dialogue with the strings, presents the charming opening theme, derived from the ascending portion of the opening movement’s principal melody. The cellos launch the more rhapsodic “B” section. In the finale (Allegro vivace), the soloist introduces the joyous central theme, again related to the principal melody of the opening movement. The finale concludes with an expansive coda, in which the soloist takes center stage, closing with a dazzling, ascending flourish.

Edward Elgar

BORN: June 2, 1857 in Broadheath, England

DIED: February 23, 1934 in Worcester, England

Variations on an Original Theme (“Enigma”)

Opus 36 (1899)

PREMIERE: June 19, 1899 at St. James’s Hall in London Approximate performance time is 30 minutes.

After the premiere of Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations in London, conductor Hans Richter called the composer to the stage to acknowledge the audience’s enthusiastic reception. On June 23, Elgar’s mother wrote to the composer’s wife: “What can I say to him, the dear one, I feel that he is some great historic person — I cannot claim a little bit of him now, he belongs to the big world.”

The word “Enigma” is found in the score above the introduction of the principal theme. In correspondence to Charles Barry, program annotator for the premiere concert, Elgar admitted:

It is true that I have sketched for their amusement and mine, the idiosyncrasies of fourteen of my friends, not necessarily musicians; but this is a personal matter and need not have been mentioned publicly.

The Enigma I will not explain — its “dark saying” must be left unguessed, and I warn you that the apparent connection between the Variations and the Theme is often of the slightest texture; further, through and over the whole set another and larger theme “goes,” but is not played...So the principal Theme never appears, even as in some late dramas...the chief character is never on the stage.

These comments have inspired musical sleuths over the past century to try to uncover Elgar’s mystery “principal Theme.” In a 1911 commentary, Elgar suggested that the “enigma” revolves not around some hidden melody, but the manipulation and development of the theme that is clearly presented at the opening of the piece: “This work, commenced in a spirit of humour and continued in deep seriousness, contains sketches of the composer’s friends. It may be understood that these

personages comment or reflect upon the original theme and each one attempts a solution of the enigma, for so the theme is called.”

Such intrigue and conjecture have never obscured the status of the Enigma Variations as a brilliantly crafted and often moving work, a testament to Elgar’s considerable gifts in a celebration of beloved friends.

Theme “Enigma” The strings, followed by the winds, present the various elements of the haunting principal theme.

Variation I. “C.A.E.” This warm, romantic music characterizes his loving spouse and most trusted advisor, Alice. It includes a tune Elgar would whistle to let her know he was arriving home.

Variation II. “H.D.S-P.” Hew David Steuart-Powell was an amateur pianist who, according to Elgar, would begin each session with “a characteristic diatonic run over the keys.”

Variation III. “R.B.T.” Richard Baxter Townshend was an author and amateur actor who regaled audiences with his ability to instantly shift his vocal range from the deepest basso profundo to the highest soprano.

Variation IV. “W.M.B.” The shortest of the variations depicts William Meath Baker, lord of Hatsfield Court and R.B.T.’s brotherin-law, informing his guests of arrangements he made for their transportation and then quickly leaving the room, “with a bang on the door.”

Variation V. “R.P.A.” Richard Penrose Arnold was the son of poet Matthew Arnold. Elgar delighted in the fact that Arnold’s “serious conversation was continually broken up by whimsical and witty remarks.”

Variation VI. “Ysobel” Isabel Fitton, Elgar’s long-suffering viola pupil, always had trouble with string crossings, which are depicted in the viola section.

Variation VII. “Troyte” Troyte Griffith was an architect and amateur painter. It seems that this stormy variation, with its thundering timpani, represents only one aspect of his character.

Variation VIII. “W.N.” Winifred Norbury served with Elgar as joint secretary of the Worcestershire Philharmonic Society. Elgar claimed that this genial variation was a portrait of Winifred’s country home, but the playful wind interjections offer “a little suggestion of a characteristic laugh.”

Variation IX. “Nimrod” “Nimrod” is Elgar’s depiction of his friend, August Jaeger (“jaeger” in German means “hunter,” thus the reference to the biblical hunter Nimrod). The glorious Adagio is the composer’s fond recollection of “a long summer evening talk, when my friend grew nobly eloquent (as only he could) on the grandeur of Beethoven, and especially his slow movements.”

Variation X. “Dorabella” Dora Penny was W.M.B.’s step-niece whom Elgar nicknamed “Dorabella,” after a character in Mozart’s opera, Così fan tutte . Both Dora Penny’s love of dance and her slight stammer are depicted in this fetching Intermezzo.

Variation XI. “G.R.S.” George Robertson Sinclair was an organist at Hereford Cathedral. According to Elgar, this brief episode is not a portrait of Sinclair, but rather, the music depicts Sinclair’s bulldog, Dan, plunging into the river, vigorously swimming to shore and finally landing with a “rejoicing bark.”

Variation XII “B.G.N.” Basil G. Nevinson was an amateur cellist who often played chamber music with Elgar. The variation begins and ends with a plaintive cello solo.

Variation XIII. “***” The penultimate variation is inspired by Lady Mary Lygon. During composition of the Enigma Variations, Elgar learned his friend would soon embark upon a voyage to Australia. Over undulating strings, a solo clarinet plays a descending phrase — a quote from Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Overture.

Variation XIV. “E.D.U.” Finally, the composer himself appears (“E.D.U.” is derived from “Edoo,” Lady Elgar’s nickname for her husband). Elgar recalled he created this section “at a time when friends were dubious and generally discouraging about the composer’s musical future.” However, there is no lack of selfconfidence in the swagger of this Finale. Echoes of previous variations return — notably “C.A.E.” and “Nimrod” — leading to the grand final measures.

We gratefully acknowledge these generous donors to the Charlotte Symphony Annual Fund. This list reflects gifts received between July 1, 2023 through February 1, 2025.

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Jeanine & Naeem Qasim

Dr. John & Susan Rae

Anne & Mark Riechmann

Brendan Reen

Audrey & Donald Schmidt

Dr. Stephen P. Schultz & Donna Dutton

Anjan Shah

Jane Perry Shoemaker

Katy & Raleigh Shoemaker

Rebecca & Eric Smith

Patricia & Morris Spearman

Maxine & Robert Stein

Jean Summerville

Tillie S. Tice

James H. Trexler & Kelly Zellars

Vera Watson

Grant Webb

Linda & Craig Weisbruch

Pam West

Cricket Weston & David Molinaro

Bryan Wilhelm

Elizabeth & Stephan Willen Deems Wilson

Barbara Yarbrough

$1,000 – $1,499

Anonymous (5)

Michele & Ross Annable

Marc Aspesi & Paulette Isoldi

Dianne & Brian Bailey

Mr. & Mrs. Lincoln A. Baxter

Katherine & John Beltz

Shirley W. Benfield

Donald H. & Barbara K. Bernstein

Family Foundation

Sam Blackmon

Ethan Blumenthal & Sara Kidd

Marilyn & Herb Bonkovsky

Jodie & Erik Bowen

Khary Brown In Memory of Kyden Justice Brown

Jane & Larry Cain

Amanda & Kevin Chheda

Dr. & Mrs. Bill Chu & Jin Wang

John Colton

Dr. Kilian Cooley

Ann F. Copeland

Kathleen Goldammer-Copeland & Mark Copeland

Dr. & Mrs. Mark Couture

Larry J. Dagenhart

Gwin Dalton

Judy & Bob Erb

Heather & Thomas Finke

Melisa & Frank Galasso

Carol & Joseph Gigler

Mariam Abdul Hamid & Ferd Davis

Annual Fund Supporters

Joyce

Marsha

Libby

Angie & Howard Bush

Mary Lou & Greg Cagle

Barbara F. Caine

Catherine P. Carstarphen

Dr. W. Gerald Cochran & Mr. Timothy D. Gudger

Thomas E. Collins, Jr.

Dr. & Mrs. Charles E. Cook

Jack Cook

Margie & Alpo Crane

Ellen M. Crowley Todd Croy

Libby & David Currier

Margaret & George Dewey

Diane & Doug Doak

Kris & Thomas Duffy

Heather & Gray Dyer

Kate & Trae Fletcher

Dr. John & Eileen Gardella

Jean & Stephen Geller

Stacy & Pete Gherardi

Walter H. Goodwin, Esq.

Linda & Dan Gordon

Cynthia Greenlee

Gloria Gunst

Dr. & Mrs. Michael D. Heafner

Stefan Heinzelmann

Priscilla & Michael Johnson

Mary & Steven Kesselman

Nancy H. Kiser

Moira Klein

Dorothy & Theodore Kramer

Jonathan Lamb

Barbara & Jerome Levin

Megan Levine

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

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†

Richard & Ruth Ault

Baldwin Family Trust

Barnhardt Thomas Trust

Lincoln A. Baxter & Helen M. Fowler

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 Bruns†

Jan & Bob Busch

Dr. Helen G. Cappleman, Ph.D.† Jim Cochran† Robin Cochran

Catherine & Wilton Connor

Tom Covington

Charles & Peggy Dickerson

Mr. Martin Ericson, Jr.

David J.L. Fisk & Anne P. O’Byrne

Peter & Ann† Guild

William G. &

Marguerite K. Huey Fund†

Dr. Nish Jamgotch, Jr.

Betty & Stanley Livingstone†

Lucille & Edwin Jones

Paula & Paul McIntosh

Nellie McCrory†

M. Marie Mitchell†

Cricket Weston & David Molinaro

Joan & Richard Morgan

Don C. Niehus

Eva Nove

Richard J. Osborne

Gwen Peterson & Tom Hodge

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. Thompson

Tim Timson

Jenny & Ken Tolson

Ms. Deborra Wood & Mr. Russell Propst

† Deceased

Corporate Partners

Government & Foundations

We are grateful for the following outstanding foundation and government funders:

The Trexler Foundation

Dowd Foundation, Inc.

The Dickson Foundation

Cole Foundation

The Charlotte Assembly

The Jack H. & Ruth C. Campbell Foundation

The Mary Norris Preyer Fund

The George W. & Ruth R. Baxter Foundation

Barnhardt/Thomas Trust

For

Comprehensive Campaign

We gratefully acknowledge these generous donors to the Charlotte Symphony Comprehensive Campaign. This list reflects gifts received through February 1, 2025.

$10,000,000+ Ban k 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

Jane & Hugh McColl The Leon Levine Foundation

$1,000,000 - $1,999,999

Michele & Ross Annable Atrium Health Howard C. & Margaret G. Bissell Foundation Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. · EY · Contributions

Falfurrias

& Susan McKeithen Novant Health

$500,000 - $999,99 9

Anony mous Arlene & Milton Berkman Robin & Bill Branstrom Deloitte

Mary & Mike Lamach · Rich Osborne · Debbie & Pat Phillips · 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 Betsy Fleming & Ed Weisiger

$100,000 - $249,000

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

Dr. Richard Krumdieck & Mrs. Sally Gregory Elizabeth & Jay Monge Steelfab, Inc. · Andromeda & John Williams

$50,000 - $99,999

Cresce nt Communities · Karen Fox · Eileen Friars & Scott Pyle Ulrike & Alex Miles Chris & Jim Teat 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 · Carlos & Lisa Evans · David Fisk & Anne O’Byrne

Bill & Carol Lorenz · Michael Marsicano · Virginia & Chan Martin · Dede & Alex McKinnon · Posey & Mark Mealy · Dale & Larry Polsky · Wanda & Steve Phifer

Judy & Derek Raghavan · Shannon & Eric Reichard · Sara & Daniel Roselli

Emily & Zach Smith · Melinda & David Snyder

Dr. John A. Thompson, Jr. & Dr. Lee Rocamora · Jill & Kevin Walker

$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

Martha Ann & Craig Wardlaw

2024-2025 OFFICERS

Richard Krumdieck, Chair

Ulrike Miles, Vice Chair

Melinda Snyder, Vice Chair

Linda McFarland Farthing, Immediate Past Chair

Kevin Walker, Treasurer

Denise DeMaio, Secretary

David Fisk, President & CEO

Kwamé Ryan, Music Director

2024-2025 DIRECTORS

Mick Ankrom

Joye D. Blount

Krisha Blanchard

Mike Butterworth

Nick Clements

Mary Delk*

Sidney Fletcher

Lucia Zapata Griffith

Byron Johns*

Valerie Kinloch

Stephen Makris

Alex McKinnon

Sara Garces Roselli

Lindsay Schall

Ylida Scott

Jennifer Sullivan

Brienne Tinder*

Andrea Mumm Trammell*

Ken Walker

*ex-officio

2024-2025 TRUSTEES

Richard Osborne, Chair

Paul Anderson

Ruth & Richard Ault

Arlene & Milton Berkman

Jason & Tiffany Bernd

Mary & Charles Bowman

Frank Bragg

Robin & Bill Branstrom

Dr. William Charles & Dr. Cynthia Nortey

Derick & Sallie Close

Robin Cochran

Catherine & Wilton Connor

Jeanie & T. Thomas Cottingham III

Brian Cromwell

Susan Cybulski

Alessandra & Pasquale De Martino

Alvaro & Donna de Molina

Peggy & Richard Dreher

Lisa Hudson Evans

Karen Fox

Eileen Friars & Scott Pyle

Ralph S. Grier

Laurie Guy

Janet Haack

Reginald B. Henderson, Esq.

Mark & Whitney Jerrell

Jeff Lee

Gov. James G. Martin

Jane & Hugh McColl

Susan & Loy McKeithen

Elizabeth & Jay Monge

Mica Oberkfell

Patrick J. O’Leary

Debbie & G. Patrick Phillips

Paul Reichs

Nancy & Charles Robson

Patricia A. Rodgers

M.A. Rogers

Laura & Mike Schulte

Carolyn Shaw

Emily & Zach Smith

Will Sparks

Bob & Marsha Stickler

Kelly & Neal Taub

Adam Taylor

Elizabeth & Steve Willen Braxton Winston

Richard Worf

Joan Zimmerman

Albert Zue

EXECUTIVE

David J. L. Fisk, President & CEO

Samantha Hackett, Executive Administrator

ARTISTIC OPERATIONS

Scott Freck, Vice President for Artistic Operations & General Manager

Carrie Graham, Senior Director of Artistic Planning

Tim Pappas, Director of Operations

Bart Dunn, Principal Music Librarian

Nixon Bustos, Senior Music Librarian

Emily Schaub, Assistant Music Librarian

Erin Eady, Senior Manager of Orchestra Personnel

Claire Beiter, Artistic Operations Manager

John Jarrell, Stage Manager

DEVELOPMENT

Shayne Doty, Vice President of Development

Mandy Vollrath, Director of Corporate & Institutional Relations

Libby Currier, Director of Individual Giving

Tammy Matula, Senior Manager of Development Operations

Jennifer Gherardi, Development Manager - Campaign & Special Events

Meghan Woolbright, Annual Fund Manager

Noel Kiss, Advancement Associate

Josh Bottoms, Institutional Giving Coordinator

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

Christian Drake, Vice President of Finance & Administration

Chazin & Company, Financial Services

Amy Hine, HR Coordinator & Office Administrator

Channing Williams, Accounting Associate

HUMAN RESOURCES

Maribeth Baker, Human Resources Counselor

LEARNING & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Aram Kim Bryan, Vice President of Learning & Community Engagement

Dylan Lloyd, Senior Manager of Youth Orchestras

Mark Rockwood, Education & Community Programs Manager

Michaela Sciacca, Project Harmony Manager

Gavin Fulker, Education & Community Programs Assistant

Lily Moore, Youth Orchestras Assistant

Bria Alexander, Learning & Community Engagement Assistant

MARKETING & AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

Frank Impelluso, 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

Chad Calvert, Visual Communications Manager

Meghan Starr, Patron Experience Manager

Garrett Whiffen, Ticketing Manager

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