Annual Children’s Concert sponsored by Daniel-Mickel Foundation, Michelin North America, and The Spinx Company.
A CELEBRATION OF YOUR GENEROSITY
Thanks to your generosity and passion, and under the visionary leadership of our Music Director, Lee Mills, our 77th season reached tens of thousands of hearts and minds. You played a meaningful role in every note we played.
This season, we brought music to a variety of audiences across many venues, classrooms, trail sides, coffee shops, libraries, amphitheaters, farmers markets, sporting events, and in lots of neighborhoods. We saw firsthand how Lee’s enthusiasm and our musicians’ energy are contagious. When we play, our audiences feel it—and they respond with joy, awe, and inspiration.
We remember with love those we lost this year: Tim Easter, our beloved Principal Double Bass, and three generous and dedicated symphony advocates: Don Beckie, Shirley Roe Tuck, and Beverley Whitten. Their impact is immeasurable and they are so very missed.
Because of you, this Annual Report is filled with good news. You’ve invested in a thriving ensemble that is a cornerstone of Greenville’s vibrancy, collaborative spirit, and creative soul.
Thank you for being part of our work and inspiring me every day.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Jessica Satava Executive Director, Greenville Symphony
Complete lists of our generous donors and partners may be found in our concert programs.
Contact the GSO Development Team:
Lieshe Lane at (864) 232-0344, ext.119, or llane@greenvillesymphony.org
Grace Butler at (864) 232-0344, ext.121, or gbutler@greenvillesymphony.org
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new music director! Celebrating Lee Mills in his first season free programs for youth
$50,090 raised with Double the Joy Matching Gift Campaign funding 1,500 student tickets
3,000 kids served at two Annual Children’s Concert performances Sponsored by Daniel-Mickel Foundation, The Spinx Company, and Michelin North America
18 partnerships with Greenville organizations
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27,000 kids had access to high-quality music at no cost to their schools or families thanks to programs like EdReach Sponsored by Ann and Mike Chengrian
94
37% growth in our classical audience, 11% total audience growth
46 new donors
free music events for all in Greenville County, including our first-ever live outdoor simulcast of Beethoven 9 on Opening Weekend
480 meals served to musicians by the Guild of the Greenville Symphony
3 packed performances of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, brought to you by KYOCERA AVX
4,100
Star Wars fans in attendance for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in concert at Bon Secours Wellness Arena
29 Musician Host families
Have a spare room and a knack for hospitality? Scan the QR code to learn more:
26 new Symphony Social Club members
Dear Friends,
As I reflect on my first season as Music Director of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, I am filled with gratitude for the extraordinary music we have made together and for the community that makes it all possible. From our unforgettable opening night performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony featuring a chorus united from Furman University, Bob Jones University, and North Greenville University—to our daring performance of Mason Bates’s Liquid Interface, this past year has been one of both grand tradition and bold innovation.
Looking ahead, I am thrilled to celebrate America as we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding through a season that features many of the great American musical voices that have emerged from, shaped, and continue to influence our culture. It is an opportune season to shine a grateful light on your role as donors to the Greenville Symphony. Traditionally, orchestras were maintained by royalty, and in many countries, symphony orchestras are still predominantly sustained by government funding. Here in the United States, it is the generosity of individuals—people like you—that makes our work possible. There is no greater testament to democracy than citizens coming together, philanthropically, to support an undertaking as vast and vital as the Greenville Symphony Orchestra.
Your investment in the Greenville Symphony Orchestra is a gift to your community. It does more than sustain great performances—it enriches the quality of life for the entire Upstate. Each concert creates shared moments of beauty, connection, and inspiration that ripple far beyond the walls of the concert hall. We do not take our responsibility lightly. It is both an honor and a privilege to be entrusted with your gift, and together we will continue to multiply the value of your investment by bringing people together in music that uplifts and unites us all.
With deepest gratitude,
Lee Mills Music Director
AN ODE TO JOY AND COMMUNITY IN THE WAKE OF DESTRUCTION
“It was a joyous expression of community unity and resilience after the devastation of Hurricane Helene...” —Paul Hyde, Earrelevant.net
Beethoven’s life and music were shaped by hardship. His epic Ninth Symphony—written while he was enduring complete and profound hearing loss—emerges not from despair but from hope. Out of silence, he gave the world one of the most unforgettable melodies in history: Ode to Joy.
How fitting, then, that this music became our balm in the days following Hurricane Helene.
That weekend, the stage filled with voices from Bob Jones, Furman, and North Greenville Universities. Each campus had suspended classes and shuttered facilities due to storm damage, yet the student vocalists returned to Greenville—many at their own expense—to sing together.
Our orchestra musicians, too, traveled from across the region, some still without water or electricity at home. They came because music mattered— because healing mattered.
From the college choristers, to the orchestra, to every one of us in the audience, the concerts became more than a performance. They were a reminder: we were alive, we were together, and we had transcendent music to lift us beyond grief and fear.
On Sunday, that spirit spilled into the city. Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, the performance was simulcast outdoors for free. Hundreds of neighbors—families with children and dogs, couples with picnic baskets, friends with lawn chairs—gathered under open skies. County Council representative Liz Seman welcomed the crowd, tossing GSO t-shirts into the throng, while Mayor Knox White joined the celebration.
The joy was unmistakable. The sense of community, undeniable. Beethoven’s Ode to Joy had once again fulfilled its promise: to remind us of our shared humanity, and to carry us, together, toward the light.
THE GREENVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Lee Mills, Music Director
Edvard Tchivzhel, Music Director Emeritus
Nse Ekpo, Assistant Conductor
– Thomas A. and Shirley W. Roe Podium Fund
For a full list of the musicians of the orchestra, scan the QR code:
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Ashley Addison, Production Manger
Grace Butler, Donor Relations Coordinator
Lucas Colmenares, Marketing Assistant
Derek Eilert, Orchestra Librarian and Operations Associate
Angie Jones, Orchestra Operations and Personnel Director
Taylor Keeter, Marketing and Communications Manager
Lieshe Lane, Director of Development
Jennifer Mullins, Office Manager and Board Liaison
Meghan Roum, Assistant Orchestra Librarian
Jessica Satava, Executive Director
Anneka Zuehlke-King, Education and Community Programs Manager
GREENVILLE SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2024-2025
Officers
Cathy Jones – President
Matthew W. Couvillion – Vice President
Kasel Kennerly Knight – Secretary
Susan J. Bichel – Treasurer
Directors
Rick Blackwell
Rececca Bowne
Robert Carter
Sean Dogan
Sue Fisher
George W. Fletcher
Allison Foy
Gene Gibson
Margaret Jenkins
Dr. Mimi Jenko
Mary Burnet Johnston
Yoshi Kirsch
Matt Madden
Kristin Maguire
Debbie Paden Mobley
Joanna Mulfinger
Christopher Nicholas
Diane Perlmutter
Susan C. Priester
Gary Robinson
XiaoLi Saliny
Jeff Schmersal
Jocelyn Thomas
Kurt Wallenborn
John Warner
Burl F. Williams
Deborah York
Adopted May 2025
VISION The Greenville Symphony is an orchestra without barriers, inspiring and connecting all through the power of the shared experience of music.
VALUES Excellence, Innovation, Connection
FUNDING THE MUSIC
Sources and uses for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2025
Despite economic challenges, the symphony maintained fiscal responsibility, receiving an audit report that confirms our financial stability. Here are a few key highlights.
IN THE GLOW OF HOLIDAY AT PEACE, A
YOUNG CONDUCTOR EMERGES
Susan, a devoted patron, attended Holiday at Peace with her four-year-old granddaughter, Clementine. Here’s what she wrote:
“Just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed Holiday at Peace this year. It was so great! We brought our four-year-old granddaughter, not knowing if she would make it until 9:00 (way past her bedtime!). She absolutely loved it! In fact, as soon as the show ended, she exclaimed, ‘That was the best show I’ve ever seen in my whole life!’ She was so enthralled with Lee Mills, she has taken up conducting! Thank you again for an absolutely wonderful performance.” Susan shared a video of Clementine in action! Scan the QR code to watch her conduct!
Holiday at Peace is presented by United Community, who have partnered with us on this Greenville favorite family Christmas tradition from the beginning. Thank you, United Community! May we inspire thousands more with your help.
MUSICIAN MILESTONES
Retiring
Virginia Zeblisky Metzger
40 years as Principal Oboe
Anniversaries
• Kathy Robinson, violin: 40 years
• Alvoy Bryant, viola: 20 years
• James Johnston, violin: 20 years
Richard deBondt
57 years as Bass Trombone
• Sarah Land, violin: 10 years
• Jonathan McWilliams, double bass: 10 years
REMEMBERING TIM EASTER
Timothy Duncan Easter
Principal Double Bass
April 24, 1963 ~ January 7, 2025
The Greenville Symphony mourns our beloved friend, Tim Easter. A respected artist and dedicated educator, he began his career with the orchestra in 1979.
“In an orchestra, the bass is the silent hero-- felt, not always heard, but never unnoticed.” —Dani Easter
2025-2026
SEASON AT A GLANCE
Concert Hall Series
Saturday performances at 7:30
Sunday at 3:00 pm
Opening Night: Hollywood
Retrospective
October 4 & 5
An American in Paris
November 22 & 23
Dvořák’s Cello Concerto
February 7 & 8
Grand Canyon Suite + Rachmaninoff 2
March 14 & 15
West Side Story Symphonic Dances + Fanfare for the Common Man
April 11 & 12
Season Finale: Porgy and Bess
May 16 & 17
Gunter Theatre Series
Peter and the Wolf
November 1 at 3:00 pm
November 2 at 3:00 pm
Dvořák’s American String Quartet
February 14 at 7:30 pm
February 15 at 3:00 pm
The Last Five Years:
American Music Now
March 28 at 7:30 pm
March 29 at 3:00 pm
Dicey Langston: The South Carolina Girl Who Defied an Army
April 25 at 3:00 pm
April 26 at 3:00 pm
Special Concerts at the Peace Center
Holiday at Peace
December 12 at 7:00 pm
December 13 at 7:00 pm
December 14 at 2:00 pm
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire™ in Concert
January 10 at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm
January 11 at 2:00
Chamber Music Series
American Echoes: from Apollo to Bluegrass
September 23 at 5:30 pm, Warehouse Theatre
September 24 at 7:00 pm, Hotel Hartness
Rhythms of the Night: A Tango Affair
February 24 at 5:30 pm, Centre Stage
February 25 at 7:00 pm, Hotel Hartness
Scan the QR Code for an American Season playlist curated by Music Director Lee Mills!
