Greenville Symphony 2024-2025 Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT

2024-2025

200 S Main St Greenville, SC 29601 greenvillesymphony.org (864) 232-0344

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

1

72

new music director!

Celebrating Lee Mills in his first season

27,000

$50,090

kids had access to high-quality music at no cost to their schools or families thanks to programs like EdReach

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

Sponsored by Ann and Mike Chengrian

94

partnerships with Greenville organizations

meals served to musicians by the Guild of the Greenville Symphony

growth in our classical audience, 11% total audience growth

new donors

29

4,100

3

packed performances of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, brought to you

by KYOCERA AVX

Star Wars fans in attendance for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in concert at Bon Secours Wellness Arena

Musician Host families

Have a spare room and a knack for hospitality?

Scan the QR code to learn more:

free music events for all in Greenville County, including our first-ever live outdoor simulcast of Beethoven 9 on Opening Weekend

480

37%

46

free programs for youth

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.

Corporate Sponsorships 233,000 Contract Concerts 35,000

0

23 0 1, 3,0 0 71 600 00 6,0 ,00 00 0

Grant Funding 187,000

Uses of Operating Funds

Program 2,820,000

Ticket Sales 1,600,000

40

18 Endowment Support Sources of 59 7,0 19 8,0 00 598,000 1 Operating Funds 35 ,0 00 0 ,0 0

20

Miscellaneous Revenue 191,000

Individual Donations 716,000

Management and General 437,000

Fundraising 461,000

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

Richard deBondt 57 years as Bass Trombone

Anniversaries

• K athy Robinson, violin: 40 years • Alvoy Bryant, viola: 20 years • James Johnston, violin: 20 years

• S arah Land, violin: 10 years • J onathan 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

Special Concerts at the Peace Center

Opening Night: Hollywood Retrospective October 4 & 5

Holiday at Peace December 12 at 7:00 pm December 13 at 7:00 pm December 14 at 2:00 pm

Saturday performances at 7:30 Sunday at 3:00 pm

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

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!

Dicey Langston: The South Carolina Girl Who Defied an Army April 25 at 3:00 pm April 26 at 3:00 pm Greenville Symphony • 200 S Main St, Greenville, SC 29601 • GreenvilleSymphony.org • (864) 232-0344