A HEART FOR MUSIC
The Women of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra By Heather Thomas
W
hen you hear the pure, harmonious strains of many instruments coming together in a communion of sound, there is a sense of wonderment as to how each instrument can produce its own notes to combine with others until a melody is produced. It’s like a musical puzzle, with the pieces being more than just the instruments, but the musicians and the leaders of the symphony themselves. The Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is made up of students, professors, mothers, fathers, and neighbors. They are everyday people with exceptional musical
and leadership talents coming together to make an uncommon connection of musical artistry that is unparalleled in the state and is arguably one of the best community orchestras in the nation. This is no empty boast, as confirmed by one of the exceptional women that works behind the scenes to make the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra such a success. As
Photography by Adam Cohen
Mandy Stringer Sauer, Corinne Stillwell, Melissa Brewer, Melanie Punter, Suzanne Werdesheim, and Laura Figo
executive director of the organization Mandy Stringer Sauer said, “Tallahassee is extremely fortunate to house a professional orchestra of such high quality. Our musicians, many of whom are faculty and graduates of Florida State University’s nationally recognized College of Music, are some of the best in the country.”
“Attending a performance by the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra in Ruby Diamond gives meaning to the instrumental word movement, since you can’t help but be moved by the sights and sounds of an orchestra playing at it’s highest level in such an acoustically and visually perfect concert hall.” – Mandy Stringer Sauer
20 t a l l a h a s s e e
wo m a n
• F e b r u a r y /M a rc h 2011