Education
Business Journal • December 2010
PAGE 27
SSO Celebrates 25 Years Of Making Music Together By Mellinda Brandon, Chair Salisbury Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors
From left are Dave Owens, vice president for research and development for Perdue, his colleague, product development director Dan Grall; graduate students Michline Brice and Robert Korir; UMES development director Veronique Diriker and Jurgen Schwarz, director and associate professor, Food Science and Technology doctoral program.
Perdue awards food science and technology scholarships Michline Brice and Robert Korir are the recipients of 2010 Perdue Food Science and Technology Scholarships. The Perdue scholarship is a $5,000 merit award that goes to graduate students in the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Food Science and Technology program. Perdue has been a UMES partner in support of graduate school scholarships since 2005 and has underwritten awards for two deserving graduate students since 2008. Dr. Jurgen G. Schwarz, director of the Food Science and Technology program, said industry support for food science study and research is critical for institutions like UMES, which are training the next generation of professionals looking to enter the field. The focus of Brice’s doctoral project is developing “a predictive model for survival and growth” of Salmonella bacteria on shrimp. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native earned her bachelor’s degree from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from Delaware State University in 2008 with a concentration in food science and technology. Korir, who grew up in Kenya, is pursuing a master’s degree working on
a project evaluating “the microbial quality and safety of fresh produce.” He received a Bachelor of Science degree in General Agriculture - with emphasis on Plant and Soil Science – from UMES in 2008. During an informal on-campus ceremony recognizing Korir and Brice, Dave Owens, Perdue’s vice president for research and development, extended both students an invitation to present reports on their work at the company’s headquarters next spring. The UMES Center for Food Science and Technology, through teaching, research and outreach programs, is committed to enhancing the safety, quality and availability of foods important to the Eastern Shore, including poultry, seafood, produce and small farm animals. The doctoral program under Schwarz’s direction is part of the UMES School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences. Dr. Gladys Shelton is its dean. Contact the university’s Office of Institutional Development at 410-6516676 for more information about the Perdue Scholarship for Food Science and Technology or the UMES Center for Food Science and Technology.
“Art isn’t easy,” Stephen Sondheim wrote. Neither are relationships. Nearly 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce. So, imagine a 25-year relationship between not two, but more than 50 people! That’s what the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra has managed to do for a quarter century. Most weekends its members—from students to retirees— unite in a common passion: performing beautiful music together. During four annual concerts, they share their hard work and enthusiasm with the rest of us. At a time when arts organizations nationwide have collapsed, the SSO plays on. The secret of its success, according to its musical director, Dr. Jeffrey Schoyen, is the partnership between the community and the University. If either were removed, the orchestra could not exist. Three players have been with the orchestra since its first concert in May 1986, and we celebrate their commitment. Under the baton of the orchestra’s founder, Dr. Thomas Elliot, Julia Barton (oboe), Bobbie Thamert (violin) and Dr. Charlie Smith (percussion) performed a program which included Vivaldi and Faure’s Requiem. Mary-Beth Goll (violin) joined the SSO after the first concert and has been making a 50-mile trek from Talbot County to rehearse and play for the past 24 years. “The musicians are like family,” said Thamert. I understand that feeling. One of the great pleasures of serving on the SSO board has been hearing and witnessing its musical growth. Schoyen, a gifted cellist, has led the orchestra for the last five years and also heads the SU strings program with his wife, Sachio Murasugi, a violinist and SSO concert master. Together, they have developed a vibrant string section for the orchestra. Schoyen has been key in taking the orchestra to the next level. The six-foot, seven-inch former champion discus thrower is a pleasure to watch as he conducts. He radiates enthusiasm, intelligence and sly humor. With the support of SU President Janet Dudley-Eshbach, benefactors Dr. Peter and Judy Jackson, who have pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars to the symphony and its endowment, and hundreds of other fans, the SSO has become a cultural icon in Salisbury. In recent years, the symphony has sought to introduce even the youngest Delmarva residents to orchestral music by adding a popular Children’s Concert to its annual lineup. It also has brought in guest soloists from the worlds of jazz, opera and classical music. They have ranged from legendary jazz guitarist Mundell Lowe, to renowned vocalists Charlotte Paulsen and John Wesley Wright, to a nationally recognized roster of
instrumentalists such as saxophonist Gary Louie, violinist Kia-Hui Tan, harpsichordist Gwen Toth and piccolo player Sarah Jackson, among others. This anniversary year will again celebrate musical excellence. The annual Holiday Concert is 7:30 p.m. Saturday, December 11, in Holloway Hall Auditorium. Paulsen, who performed with the SSO in 2007, re-joins the symphony to sing highlights from Handel’s Messiah, as well as popular holiday favorites “O Holy Night” and “White Christmas.” Other seasonal works include RimskyKorsakov’s A Christmas Eve Suite and selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, the awardwinning Paulsen has performed in France, Luxembourg, Mexico and Germany. A pre-concert talk by Public Radio Delmarva’s Bill Bukowski is 6:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of Holloway Hall. A free parking shuttle runs from the Guerrieri University Center lot off Dogwood Drive to Holloway Hall from 6:30-7:30 p.m., returning following the concert. Sponsored by PNC Bank, admission is $20, $15 for seniors, $5 for children 12 and under. For tickets visit www.salisburysymphonyorchestra.org. Jackson, principal piccolo for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, also returns to perform in the February 26 Concert, “Vive la France!” Cellist Wesley Baldwin joins the SSO for the annual Spring Concert, “Tchaikovsky and Friends,” on May 14. The Local Owner Restaurant Association offers 10 percent off the entire check at participating restaurants on concert weekends with an SSO ticket or stub. For a list of restaurants visit www.lorarestaurants.org. And not to be missed is the SSO Silver Anniversary Gala, an evening of dining and dancing to live music in the Salisbury University Commons. The black tieoptional party on Saturday, March 19, includes special guests from the SSO. Cocktails begin at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m. Menu entrees range from seafood to vegan. Music includes classical and big band dance selections. Tickets are $125 per person. Table discounts and sponsorships are available. Call 410-548-5587 or visit the SSO Web site at www.salisburysymphonyorchestra.org for more information. We hope to see you soon!