A Letter from the Executive Director
Dear friends, On March 11th, our full orchestra came together for three daytime performances held for close to 4,000 4th graders from Spartanburg County for our annual Link Up concert. The Link Up concerts are an absolute joy and one of the highlights for me each year. I love seeing the awe and excitement on the kids’ faces when they are performing with the orchestra in the grand Twichell Auditorium. This particular Link Up concert day was quite special for me since two of my children were performing - my son Kaese as a 4th grader participating with his recorder and my daughter Lily as part of the Spartanburg High School Drum Line that performed with our orchestra for the concerts. Looking back, that day is particularly special right now since that is the last time our full orchestra performed together before the pandemic spread across the world. Like all performing arts across the country, we chose to cancel our remaining concerts for the season in an abundance of caution. Like for all of you, the past 6 months have been tough. Our organization has spent countless hours constructing our new season, dreaming up new ways to create music together and learning from our peers. I believe orchestras exist to reflect our time, our place, and our local communities, which feels especially important in this moment. Personally, I have spent a considerable amount of time reflecting on the role of music in our society. I have never believed with more conviction that music holds a vital presence in our lives. Music heals, soothes, comforts, and it ignites ideas and broadens our imagination. The arts enable us to communicate in the most remarkable of ways. As we imagine what the future looks like for the Spartanburg Philharmonic, there are some important questions that I’m asking myself: In what ways can music uniquely interpret our experience of the past year and help us heal and memorialize this time? What intersections between art and technology will bring music and joy to our community? While our last in person concert together holds sweet memories for me and my family, I believe that our upcoming season of digital and in person concerts will share important stories of heroism and reflection. Bravo to the team of incredible staff, musicians and Board that developed the concept and details of this season. You all are some of the most creative and talented people in the industry and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to be part of this organization. All the best,
Kathryn Boucher, Executive Director Spartanburg Philharmonic 7
