23|24: Detroit Symphony Orchestra - Performance Program

presents

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA JADER BIGNAMINI, MUSIC DIRECTOR ALISA WEILERSTEIN, CELLO

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2024 | 7:30 P.M. Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

Sponsored by

RUSSELL AND BRENDA ROBINSON SFI WARREN FAMILY FOUNDATION

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Jader Bignamini, Music Director Alisa Weilerstein, Cello

Program Emerge

Michael Abels

Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in E minor, Op. 85

Sir Edward Elgar

I. Adagio II. Lento III. Adagio IV. Allegro

Alisa Weilerstein, cello INTERMISSION Scheherazade, Op. 35

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

I. Largo e maestoso – Allegro non troppo (The sea and Sinbad's ship) II. Lento – Allegro molto (The tale of Prince Kalendar) III. Andantino quasi allegretto (The young prince and the princess) IV. Allegro molto (The festival at Bagdad, the sea, the ship goes to pieces on a rock)

——————————— The Presenting Sponsor of the DSO’s 2024 Florida Tour is the William Davidson Foundation.

PROGRAM NOTES Emerge Composed 2022 (DSO co-commission) | Premiered 2022

Michael Abels Born 1962 Michael Abels wrote the following about Emerge: Emerge is a piece that imagines a group of highly trained musicians getting back together after a long break, remembering both the exhilaration and the discipline of performing together. The piece begins with a section that evokes a sunrise on a group of musicians all playing independently. They gradually all team up to play a powerful, energetic crescendo, but that dissipates into a softer section built on solo playing of bluesy phrases that keep happening in canon, rather than in unison. The middle of the piece is a placid, lyrical episode with graceful, independent string lines flowing underneath it. That kicks off a volley of rising scales back and forth between the strings and the winds. When the brass gets involved, the strings are finally able to play a melody all together in unison above them. The scale volley becomes faster until it finally comes together, and this sets up an exuberant coda that, despite some shades of difficulty and frustration, is absolutely triumphant.

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra previously performed Emerge by Michael Abels in October 2022, conducted by Jader Bignamini.

Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 85 Composed 1919 | Premiered 1922

Edward Elgar Born June 2, 1857, Broadheath, United Kingdom; died February 23, 1934, Worcester, United Kingdom In March 1918 at the age of 62, Edward Elgar began work on the Cello Concerto while recovering from a tonsillectomy. “He was in a great deal of pain for several days,” the composer’s daughter Carice later wrote. “There was not anything like the sedatives we have now, but nevertheless, he woke up one morning and asked for pencil and paper and wrote down the opening theme of the Cello Concerto.” That same July, he returned to the work in earnest, completing it more than a year later, on August 3, 1919.

Unfortunately, the work was not well-received at its premiere, due in part to a less-than-satisfactory orchestral performance but no doubt also because the audience was bothered hearing a concerto with four short movements and so few memorable themes. At least one prominent critic, however, gave the piece a more positive review. Ernest Newman wrote: “The work itself is lovely stuff, very simple— that pregnant simplicity that has come upon Elgar’s music in the last couple of years, but with a profound wisdom and beauty underlying its simplicity.”

The first movement of the concerto begins not with the customary orchestral introduction but with four chords in the solo cello line. These opening chords lead to a somber recitative, after which the violas intone a plaintive, lamenting

theme. During his final illness in 1933, Elgar hummed the concerto’s first theme to a friend and said, “If after I'm dead you should ever hear someone whistling this tune on the Malvern Hills, don’t be alarmed. It’s only me.” This main theme is passed from orchestra to cello and back again, becoming more anguished with each restatement, until it finally appears in the cello in a more subdued manner.

The second movement, which begins without pause after the first, features several brilliant, swiftly moving scales. The third movement, an Adagio only 60 bars in length, begins with a pained cry in the cello, to which the orchestra responds with a lilting and comforting melody. The finale combines new material with old. A virtuosic tour de force, this final movement comes to an emphatic end with four weighted chords that call to mind the opening of the piece. Ultimately, it is the colorful orchestration of this work that has helped to ensure its place in the concert repertory, aided by famous interpretations such as that of Jacqueline du Pré with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1961, which itself has earned recognition as one of the legendary performances in classical music of the 20th century. — Yona Stamatis The Detroit Symphony Orchestra most recently performed Elgar’s Cello Concerto in October 2017, conducted by Leonard Slatkin and featuring DSO Principal Cello Yu Wei. The DSO first performed the piece in March 1968, conducted by Sixten Ehrling and featuring cellist Jacqueline du Pré—seven years after her iconic appearance with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Scheherazade, Op. 35 Composed 1888 | Premiered 1888

NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Born 1844, Tikhvin, Russia; died 1908, Lyubensk, Russia

The Sultan Shakriar, convinced of the falsehood and infidelity of all women, had sworn an oath to put to death each of his wives after the first night. But the Sultana Scheherazade saved her life by arousing his interest in the wonderful tales she told for a thousand and one nights. She spun miraculous stories, borrowing verses from the poets and words from folk songs, fairy tales, and accounts of strange adventures. Driven by curiosity, the Sultan postponed her execution from day to day and finally abandoned his wicked plan.

The rich compendium of folk stories known as the Tales of Arabian Nights is one of the great collective artworks of Islamic culture and one of the world’s literary treasures. It has inspired a number of musical treatments, the most famous being the symphonic suite Scheherazade by the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

The idea of basing an orchestral work on various episodes from the Tales of Arabian Nights came to Rimsky-Korsakov early in 1888. Significantly, he had recently been engaged as conductor of the Russian Symphony Concerts, an important series of orchestral programs in Saint Petersburg, and his close contact with the orchestra must have prompted at least some of the colorful instrumentation for which his Scheherazade is justly famous.

The work’s four movements approximate the traditional outline of a symphony,

with a lively opening Allegro prefaced by an introduction in moderate tempo; a slow second movement, followed by a third in the spirit of a scherzo; and an energetic finale. Although Rimsky-Korsakov had certain scenes from the tales in mind as he wrote the four movements that comprise his Scheherazade, the music does not present a linear narrative of any of the stories.

The composer explained in his autobiography: “The program I had been guided by in composing Scheherazade consisted of separate, unconnected episodes from the Tales of Arabian Nights scattered through all four movements of my suite: the sea and Sinbad’s ship, the fantastic narrative of Prince Kalender, the Prince and Princess, the Baghdad festival, the ship dashing itself against the rock...yet presenting, as it were, a kaleidoscope of fairy-tale images. All I had desired was that the hearer...should carry away the impression that it is beyond doubt an Oriental narrative of some numerous and varied fairy-tale wonders.”

In other words, it is the general mood and tenor of the Arabian tales that the composer hoped to convey in this music, along with occasional suggestions of certain narrative details experienced as “a kaleidoscope of fairy-tale images.”

Rimsky-Korsakov did admit one detail: the sinuous melody of the solo violin heard in each of the four movements “delineates Scheherazade herself as telling her wondrous tales to her stern Sultan.” Nevertheless, the composition can be enjoyed as much for its purely musical qualities—its vivid melodic ideas and brilliant orchestration—as for its evocation of mystery and exotic tales.

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra most recently performed Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade in March 2014, conducted by Leonard Slatkin. The DSO first performed the piece in December 1918, conducted by Ossip Gabrilowitsch.

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and a deep connection to its city. Led by Music Director Jader Bignamini since 2020, the DSO makes its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, offering a performance schedule that features the PVS Classical, PNC Pops, Paradise Jazz, and Young People’s Family Concert series. In addition, the DSO presents the William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series in metro area venues, as well as eclectic multigenre performances in its mid-size venue The Cube, constructed and curated with support from Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings. A dedication to broadcast innovation began in 1922 when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a live radio broadcast of a concert and continues today with the groundbreaking Live from Orchestra Hall series of free webcasts.

Since its first school concerts a century ago, and particularly since the founding of the Civic Youth Ensembles in 1970, the DSO has been a national leader in bringing the benefits of music education to students, teachers, and families in Detroit and surrounding communities. The DSO remains committed to expanding its participation in the growth and well-being of Detroit through programs like its Detroit Neighborhood Initiative—cultural events co-created with community partners and residents—and Detroit Harmony, a promise to provide

an instrument and instruction to any student in the city who wants to learn.

With unwavering support from the people of Detroit, the DSO actively pursues a mission to impact lives through the power of unforgettable musical experiences.

JADER BIGNAMINI, MUSIC DIRECTOR Jader Bignamini was introduced as the 18th music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in January 2020, commencing with the 2020–2021 season.

His infectious passion and artistic excellence set the tone for the seasons ahead, creating extraordinary music and establishing a close relationship with the orchestra. A jazz aficionado, he has immersed himself in Detroit’s rich jazz culture and the influences of American music.

A native of Crema, Italy, Bignamini studied at the Piacenza Music Conservatory and began his career as a musician (clarinet) with Orchestra Sinfonica La Verdi in Milan, later serving as the group’s resident conductor. Captivated by the operatic arias of legends like Mahler and Tchaikovsky, Bignamini explored their complexity and power, puzzling out the role that each instrument played in creating a larger-than-life sound. When he conducted his first professional concert at the age of 28, it didn’t feel like a departure, but an arrival.

In the years since, Bignamini has conducted some of the world’s most acclaimed orchestras and opera companies in venues across the globe including working with Riccardo Chailly on concerts of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony in 2013 and his concert debut at La Scala in 2015 for the opening season of La Verdi Orchestra.

Recent highlights include debuts with Opera de Paris conducting La Forza del Destino and with Deutsche Opera Berlin conducting Simon Boccanegra; appearances with the Pittsburgh and Toronto symphonies; debuts with the Houston, Dallas, and Minnesota symphonies; Osaka Philharmonic and Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo; with the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, and Dutch National Opera (Madama Butterfly); Bayerische Staatsoper (La Traviata); I Puritani in Montpellier for the Festival of Radio France; Traviata in Tokyo directed by Sofia Coppola; return engagements with Oper Frankfurt (La forza del destino) and Santa Fe Opera (La bohème); Manon Lescaut at the Bolshoi; Traviata, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot at Arena of Verona; Il Trovatore and Aida at Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera; Madama Butterfly, I Puritani, and Manon Lescaut at Teatro Massimo in Palermo; Simon Boccanegra and La Forza del Destino at the Verdi Festival in Parma; Ciro in Babilonia at Rossini Opera Festival and La bohème, Madama Butterfly, and Elisir d’amore at La Fenice in Venice.

When Bignamini leads an orchestra in the symphonic repertoire, he conducts without a score, preferring to make direct eye contact with the musicians. He conducts from the heart, forging a profound connection with his musicians that shines through both onstage and off. He both embodies and exudes the excellence and enthusiasm that has long distinguished the DSO’s artistry.

ALISA WEILERSTEIN, CELLO Alisa Weilerstein is one of the foremost cellists of our time. Known for her consummate artistry, emotional investment, and rare interpretive depth, she was recognized with a MacArthur “genius grant” Fellowship in 2011. Today her career is truly global in scope, taking her to the most prestigious international venues for solo recitals, chamber concerts, and concerto collaborations with all the preeminent conductors and orchestras worldwide. “Weilerstein is a throwback to an earlier age of classical performers: not content merely to serve as a vessel for the composer’s wishes, she inhabits a piece fully and turns it to her own ends,” marvels The New York Times. “Weilerstein’s cello is her id. She doesn’t give the impression that making music involves will at all. She and the cello seem simply to be one and the same,” agrees the Los Angeles Times. As The Telegraph put it, “Weilerstein is truly a phenomenon.”

With her multi-season new project, FRAGMENTS, Weilerstein aims to rethink the concert experience and broaden the tent for classical music. A multisensory production for solo cello, the six-chapter series sees her weave together the 36 movements of Bach’s solo cello suites with 27 new commissions. After premiering the first two chapters in Toronto in early 2023, with subsequent performances at New York’s Carnegie Hall and beyond, she looks forward to touring all six chapters in seasons to come. Weilerstein recently premiered Joan Tower’s new cello concerto, A New Day, at the Colorado Music Festival. The work was cocommissioned with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra; The Cleveland Orchestra, where Weilerstein performed it last fall; and the National Symphony Orchestra, where she reprised it in May. An ardent proponent of contemporary music, she has also premiered and championed important new works by composers including Pascal Dusapin, Osvaldo Golijov, and Matthias Pintscher. Already an authority on Bach’s music for unaccompanied cello, in spring 2020 Weilerstein released a best-selling recording of his solo suites on the Pentatone label, streamed them in her innovative #36DaysOfBach project, and deconstructed his beloved G-major prelude in a Vox video, viewed more than two million times.

Her discography also includes chart-topping albums and the winner of BBC Music’s Recording of the Year award, while other career milestones include a performance at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama.

Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 9 years old, Weilerstein is a staunch advocate for the T1D community. She lives with her husband, Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare, and their two young children.

DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA JADER BIGNAMINI, Music Director Music Directorship endowed by the Kresge Foundation JEFF TYZIK Principal Pops Conductor TERENCE BLANCHARD Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair NA’ZIR MCFADDEN Assistant Conductor, Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador LEONARD SLATKIN Music Director Laureate NEEME JÄRVI Music Director Emeritus Sujin Lim* FIRST VIOLIN BASS Hong-Yi Mo* Robyn Bollinger Kevin Brown Marian Tanau* CONCERTMASTER PRINCIPAL Alexander Volkov* Katherine Tuck Chair Van Dusen Family Chair Kimberly Kaloyanides Kennedy Jing Zhang* Stephen Molina ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER VIOLA ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Schwartz and Shapero Family Eric Nowlin Christopher Hamlen* Chair Peter Hatch* PRINCIPAL Hai-Xin Wu Vincent Luciano* Julie and Ed Levy, Jr. Chair ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER James VanValkenburg Brandon Mason* Walker L. Cisler/Detroit Edison ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL HARP Foundation Chair Janet and Norm Ankers Chair OPEN Jennifer Wey Fang Caroline Coade PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER Henry and Patricia Nickol Chair Winifred E. Polk Chair Marguerite Deslippe* Glenn Mellow Laurie Goldman* FLUTE Hang Su Rachel Harding Klaus* Hannah Hammel Maser Hart Hollman Eun Park Lee* PRINCIPAL Han Zheng Adrienne Rönmark* Alan J. and Sue Kaufman and Mike Chen William and Story John Chair Family Chair Harper Randolph§ Alexandros Sakarellos* Amanda Blaikie Drs. Doris Tong and Teck Soo Chair CELLO Morton and Brigitte Harris Chair Wei Yu Laura Soto* Sharon Sparrow^ PRINCIPAL Greg Staples* ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Abraham Feder Jiamin Wang* Bernard and Eleanor Robertson ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Mingzhao Zhou* Chair Dorothy and Herbert Graebner Jeffery Zook SECOND VIOLIN Chair Adam Stepniewski PICCOLO Robert Bergman* ACTING PRINCIPAL Jeffery Zook Jeremy Crosmer* The Devereaux Family Chair Shari and Craig Morgan Chair Victor and Gale Girolami Cello Will Haapaniemi* Chair OBOE David and Valerie McCammon David LeDoux* Alexander Kinmonth Chairs Peter McCaffrey* PRINCIPAL Hae Jeong Heidi Han* Joanne Deanto and Arnold Jack A. and Aviva Robinson David and Valerie McCammon Weingarden Chair Chair Chairs Una O’Riordan* Sarah Lewis Elizabeth Furuta* Mary Ann & Robert Gorlin Chair ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Sheryl Hwangbo Yu* Cole Randolph* Monica Fosnaugh Daniel Kim* Mary Lee Gwizdala Chair

ENGLISH HORN Monica Fosnaugh CLARINET Ralph Skiano PRINCIPAL Robert B. Semple Chair Jack Walters PVS Chemicals Inc./Jim and Ann Nicholson Chair Shannon Orme E-FLAT CLARINET OPEN BASS CLARINET Shannon Orme Barbara Frankel and Ronald Michalak Chair BASSOON Conrad Cornelison PRINCIPAL Byron and Dorothy Gerson Chair Cornelia Sommer Marcus Schoon CONTRABASSOON Marcus Schoon HORN OPEN PRINCIPAL David and Christine Provost Chair Johanna Yarbrough Scott Strong Ric and Carola Huttenlocher Chair David Everson ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Mark Abbott

TRUMPET Hunter Eberly PRINCIPAL Lee and Floy Barthel Chair Austin Williams William Lucas TROMBONE Kenneth Thompkins PRINCIPAL Shari and Craig Morgan Chair David Binder Adam Rainey BASS TROMBONE Adam Rainey TUBA Dennis Nulty PRINCIPAL TIMPANI Jeremy Epp PRINCIPAL Richard and Mona Alonzo Chair James Ritchie ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL PERCUSSION Joseph Becker PRINCIPAL Ruth Roby and Alfred R. Glancy III Chair Andrés Pichardo-Rosenthal ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL William Cody Knicely Chair James Ritchie Luciano Valdes§

LIBRARIANS Robert Stiles PRINCIPAL Ethan Allen LEGACY CHAIRS Principal Flute Women’s Association for the DSO Principal Cello James C. Gordon PERSONNEL MANAGERS Patrick Peterson DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL Benjamin Tisherman MANAGER OF ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL Nolan Cardenas AUDITIONS AND OPERATIONS COORDINATOR STAGE PERSONNEL Dennis Rottell STAGE MANAGER Zach Deater DEPARTMENT HEAD Issac Eide DEPARTMENT HEAD Kurt Henry DEPARTMENT HEAD Matthew Pons DEPARTMENT HEAD Jason Tschantre DEPARTMENT HEAD

——————————— LEGEND * These members may voluntarily revolve seating within the section on a regular basis ^ On sabbatical § African American Orchestra Fellow

02.15.24 GIVINGDAY.UFL.EDU

TO GIVE TO UF PERFORMING ARTS, SCAN THE CODE

PHOTO BY EVAN ZIMMERMAN FOR MURPHYMADE

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

SPRING 2024 PERFORMANCES ARIEL QUARTET Sunday, February 25 | 2 p.m.

Squitieri Studio Theatre

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO Tuesday, February 27 | 7:30 p.m.

Sponsored by Russell & Brenda Robinson

STEP AFIKA!

PAT METHENY DREAM BOX TOUR

Wednesday, March 20 | 7:30 p.m.

Sponsored by Blue Water Bay

ACADEMY OF ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDS JOSHUA BELL, MUSIC DIRECTOR & VIOLINIST

Sunday, March 24 | 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 5 | 7:30 p.m.

Sponsored by Russell & Brenda Robinson

Sponsored by UF Health

SFI | Warren Family Foundation

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR Wednesday, March 13 | 7:30 p.m.

ON YOUR FEET! THE STORY OF EMILIO & GLORIA ESTEFAN

Sponsored by Dharma Endowment Foundation

Sunday, March 30 | 7:30 p.m.

Ellen & Kenneth James

Sponsored by Dharma Endowment Foundation

Ellen & Kenneth James

YING LI, PIANO Sunday, March 17 | 2 p.m.

360 ALLSTARS

Squitieri Studio Theatre

Sunday, April 14 | 4 p.m.

NATALIE MACMASTER & DONNELL LEAHY

LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO

Tuesday, March 19 | 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 23 | 7:30 p.m.

Sponsored by UF Health

All performances are at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts unless otherwise noted.

Events, dates, and times are subject to change.

Purchase tickets online—performingarts.ufl.edu or call 352.392.ARTS (2787).

JOIN US for

at the Phillips Center

Gainesville’s BEST

DATE NIGHT! JANE MONHEIT Thursday, February 15 | 7 & 9 p.m.

Sponsored by EAD Corporation Chris & Donna Maxfield | Russell & Brenda Robinson

SIX ONE FIVE COLLECTIVE Friday, February 16 | 7 & 9 p.m.

Sponsored by EAD Corporation | Seacoast Bank Rick & Aase Thompson

HAROLD LÓPEZ-NUSSA TIMBA A LA AMERICANA Thursday, April 11 | 7 & 9 p.m.

Sponsored by EAD Corporation | Harrison Estate Law

THE CRANE WIVES Friday, April 12 | 7 & 9 p.m.

Sponsored by EAD Corporation

Events, dates, and times are subject to change.

JANE MONHEIT

Purchase tickets online—

performingarts.ufl.edu or call 352.392.ARTS (2787).

T

he Horizon Society was created to acknowledge donors who have established planned gifts or endowments in support of UF Performing Arts. Horizon Society members receive special recognition, unique benefits, and curated experiences.

These sustaining gifts enable UFPA to continue to bring artists from around the globe to our community.

• • • • • Dr. Ronald and Barbara Abel The George F. and Hazel Z. Baughman Endowment • Drs. George and Elizabeth Bedell The Dr. and Mrs. Leighton E. Cluff Center for Performing Arts Educational Endowment Fund The Allen and Lou DeLaney Fund • Drs. Martin and Sandra Fackler Dr. Marc A. Gale • The Ira and Gerri Gessner UFPA Endowment Dr. Cherylle Hayes and Mr. Gary Schneider • Bobbie Lee and Chic I. Holden, Jr. The Suzanne Leahy Global Performing Arts Endowment Dr. and Mrs. Robert A. Levitt • Drs. Jane and Michael Levy The Londono Fund for Arts • Elizabeth B. Mann, Ph.D. Dr. Curtis M. and Mrs. Barbara J. Phillips • The SFI UFPA Center Endowment Robert and Beverly Singer • Alan and Carol Squitieri UF 150th Anniversary Cultural Plaza Endowment • Carl and Jan Wagner Warren Family Foundation • Vam C. York • Carole and Bill Zegel Ronald and Patti Zollars

• • • • • For more information on the Horizon Society, please contact: the UFPA Development Office: 352.273.2480 or members@performingarts.ufl.edu

2023|2024 SEASON PERFORMANCE SPONSORS Blue Water Bay Dharma Endowment Foundation Dr. Sheila Dickison EAD Corporation Embers Wood Grill Harrison Estate Law Ellen and Kenneth James Keith Watson Events KET Enterprises Chris and Donna Maxfield

Ken and Linda McGurn Oak Hammock at the University of Florida Russell and Brenda Robinson Seacoast Bank SFI Swamp Head Brewery Rick and Aase Thompson UF Health Warren Family Foundation

2023|2024 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA PERFORMING ARTS AFFILIATES Bold listings indicate sustaining multi-year commitments.

INVESTOR | $25,000 and above EAD Corporation Ellen and Kenneth James Ira and Gerri Gessner Endowment Drs. Jane and Michael Levy

Russell and Brenda Robinson Carl and Jan Wagner

BENEFACTOR | $10,000 and above Mr. and Mrs. Nathan S. Collier Dr. Sandra Fackler Shelley Melvin

Carlos Rainwater SFI Carol Squitieri

Rick and Aase Thompson

SUPERCELEBRITY | $7,500 and above Jill K. Bohlin

Dr. M.F. “Midge” Smith

CELEBRITY | $5,000 and above Mitzi Austin and Wayne Smith William Bryson and Bryson Foundation Ltd. Dr. Kelly and Mrs. Angela Foote Marc A. Gale Dr. Brian and Melissa Hoh

The Anthony Holland Hitchcock Family Roy Hunt Robert and Lou Hyatt Janet Kennedy Dr. Pauline Lawrence

Chris and Donna Maxfield Ken and Linda McGurn Gayle Olson Dr. and Mrs. Henry L. Tosi

SUPERSTAR | $2,500 and above Anonymous (2) Heather Harrell Bill and Betty Petty Ron and Barb Abel Cherylle Hayes and Gary Shelly and Greg Rhodes Clark and Briana Beaty Schneider Builder’s Air of North Azra Bihorac and Charles Hobson Joan and Richard Jones Florida, Inc. Linda and Roger Blackburn Linda and Clayton Kallman R.E. Robinson Remodeling David and Linda Bloom Drs. William and Carol Kem and Custom Builder, LLC Nancy and Dave Denslow Robert and Phyllis Levitt Susan and Robert Rout The Gaston Companies Drs. Nelson and Henrietta Logan Stephen and Carol Shey Jim and Ellen Gershow Eileen McCarthy Smith C. Soldevila-Pico Dr. Allison Grow Vanda and Al O’Neill Drs. Dean and Peggy White Pat and Fred Harden Pamphalon Foundation Carole and Bill Zegel

HEADLINER | $1,750 and above Anonymous (1) Rod and Beverly Bartlett Jeffrey and Cynthia Catlin Donald and Cecilia Caton Janet L. Christie Dr. and Mrs. A. Page Jacobson Teri and Ray Kneppar Suzanne Leahy

Mike and Becky McKee Robert and Lynne Moberly Leslie and Michael Okun Dr. and Mrs. Edward K. Prokop Dr. Amber and Mr. Daniel Rea Ralf Remshardt Jim and Terry Rocca Mary McRitchie Sanford

William and Theresa Vernetson Kate Wilkinson Oel Wingo Charles and Maureen Wood Dr. Steve and Nicole Yucht, Emergency Physicians Medical Center

STAR | $1,000 and above Bill and Deborah Rossi Cliff Haynes Anonymous (2) Howard and Glory Ann Drs. David and Stacia Hays Bill and Trina Anderson Rothman Jill Hoenmans Bonnie Baker and Tom Ridgik Jane and Mike Ryals Charles and Carolyn Holden Susan F. Bankston Elizabeth Sanders, DO and Lynne and Robert Holt Rogers and Cherise Bartley Patrick Gruninger Randy Batista and Linda Lanier Nora Lee Hoover and Amor Eran Schoellhorn Villar Dr. Lauren Berkow Kris Shaak Angela and Bill Hoppe Laura and Kenneth Berns Diana and Jeff Shamis Richard and Rebecca Howard Jim and Betsy Berry Anne and Joseph Shands Craig and Dianne Hunter Michael and Judy Blachly John and Anne Shermyen Michael and Michelle Jaffee Reggie and Lanita Brown Bud Shorstein John James Bennett and Arlene Brummer Charles and Margaret Sidman Jack and Linda Jenkins Ms. Daniele Buchler Beverly T. Singer Ken and Arlene Johnson Elayne and Nick Cassisi Brian Jose and Patty Candella Marvin and Sonya Slott Richard and Nancye Childers Eleanor and Alan Smith Mary Christman and Bob Palmer Hal and Karen Kapell Stan and Rita Smith John and Peggy Kirkpatrick Stuart and Charna Cohn Charles Sninsky and Kathy John and Kathy Kish Marion Colburn Connery Keith and Sue Legg Ruth Conti Solar Impact Jean Cook and Jay Whitehead Roslyn and Norman Levy Splitz of Gainesville, LLC Judith Lightsey-Alford and Linda L. Costner Venita Sposetti and Larry Lloyd Alford Nate and Mindy Cross Rooks Sal and Carol Locascio Cherith and Paul Davenport Wendell and Sandra Stainsby Joseph and Gladys Lowry Robert and Deborah Dean Dr. Mark and Nancy Staples Nancy and Patrick deCavaignac Dr. Raluca Mateescu Maura McDonnell and Ted Burns Ruth L. Steiner Dr. Beverly Vidaurreta Dede Bob Stripling Shane Alan and Cynthia Hill Dr. and Mrs. Steven DeKosky Shannon Sumerlin and Tracy McIntosh, Sergeant Andrew Sheila K. Dickison Giordano McIntosh, UFPD Mike and Ann Dillon Pat Thomas Jeffrey and Lauren Miller Connie Doerffel Patricia Toskes Kay and Robert Mitchell II Anna Maria and Bill Eades Fran Towk and Susan Badylak Richard and Sue Moyer Consuelo and Bruce Edwards Marilyn and George Tubb Adam and Sarah Munson Chuck and Lynn Frazier John Munson and Mary Munson Barbara Ullman Claire Germain and Stuart Donna Wagner William and Sandra Olinger Basefsky Marjorie and Roy Weiner Thomas A. and Joyce E. Reid Joe Glover Wes and Brenda Wheeler Pearson Sandra N. Gonzalez and Jorge James H. White and Lisa Ken and Colleen Rand H. Sanchez McElwee-White Paul Robell Thomas H. and Helen K. George and Ashleigh Wright Ms. Ann Marie Rogers Gyllstrom Thomas and Tammy Wright Howard M. Rosenblatt and Eve Dr. Diane E. Haines Patti Zollars D. Ackerman Bob and Carolyn Harrell

PRODUCER | $500 and above Anonymous (1) Douglas M. Adel, DDS Ellyn and Tim Ahlstrom The Beeby Thomas Family Tomás Berger and James Gaunt Susan and Wesley Bolch David and Nancy Boyd Fred Brenneman Beverly Butts and Mary McCollum April and Pate Cantrell Coldwell Banker M.M. Parrish Realtors Alison W. Conner Catherine Edwards, MD Duke and Charlotte Emerson

Ron and Dianne Farb Melanie and Stephen Hagen Dr. Stephanie Hanson Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Holland Linda Y. Jackson Margaret James Mary Kilgour Sally Kimberly Barbara O. Korner Kami Landy and Nelson Boon Peter and Denise Makowsky Sarah Maxwell Gary and Suzy Miller Ericka Olgaard Dr. Cynthia Preston Bonnye and Larry Roose

Arlan L. Rosenbloom Gerald and Nancy Salamon Pat Smart Hal and Ruth Smith John B. Swanson George and Lucy Teel Scott and Kim Thompson Julio and Julie Viteri Ted Wasserman, MD Kathleen M. Weber Rita Weiss Israel and Nancy Winikor Allen and Beth Wolinsky Harvey and Missy Ziegler

Jim Ebling Eller Family William Elliott Gordon Finlayson Nik and Galey Gravenstein Drs. Chris and Ann Marie Gunter Paul and Doris Hargrave Daniel and Kathleen Hayman Vernon and Marité Haynes Erika Henderson Nancy A. Herring James T. Hogan Albert and Donna Holt Denise and Ben Hutson Jo Irving and Dr. Jo Snider Sharon Judge L. Dianne Junior Catherine Keuthan Paul and Leslie Klein Dr. and Mrs. Michael Lukowski

Allan and Janet March Judge Karen Miller The Misener Family Lee and Ann Mullally Marjorie W. Opdyke Larry Page and Weerapongse Tangjitjaroen Leslie Pope-Hall Bob and Lorie Primosch Carol Purpura Jaquie and Michael Resnick Kristin Roberts Mike and Amy Rollo Klaus Schmid Christoph and Charlotte Seubert Lyn H. Silberman Doug Smith and Beth Davis Pat and Rick Tarrant Ken Wald and Robin West Patricia Witchel

DIRECTOR | $250 and above Anonymous (2) Janet and Charles Allen Annie and Bobby Altman Altschuler Periodontic and Implant Center Walt Barry Ginger Bigbie Gabriel and Nancy Bitton Tara Boonstra Ralph Bowden and Carol Willis Lynda Bucciarelli Michael and Liz Chang Congregation Beth Jacob Norm and Linda Cooney Cathy Dawson and Donald Hessenflow Tim and Karin Dean Dr. Mark DiCicco Drs. Mark and Lisa Dobbertien Dr. Daniel M. and Mrs. Lisa Duncanson

DRIVEWAY THEATRE PROJECT $100 and above

Anonymous (2) Matthew Adjemian Nita Beckman Dr. Lauren Berkow Jim and Betsy Berry Thomas H. and Helen K. Gyllstrom

Jennifer Hutton Ken and Arlene Johnson Kate Lee Judith Lightsey-Alford and Lloyd Alford Ken and Linda McGurn Ralf Remshardt

R.E. Robinson Remodeling and Custom Builder, LLC Ms. Ann Marie Rogers Turkey Creek Forest Carl and Jan Wagner

ARTS EDUCATION $100 and above

Marc A. Gale Margaret James Hal and Karen Kapell

Bill and Betty Petty Jaquie and Michael Resnick Russell and Brenda Robinson

Mary McRitchie Sanford

PARTNERS $100 and above

Ralf Remshardt

Amy Steppie

Derek Wohlust

2023|2024 LEADERSHIP COUNCIL Kevin Ahmadi Briana Beaty Joanne Block David Bloom Jill Bohlin Janet Christie Michael Cooper Sandra Fackler Angela Foote Ellen Gershow Ira Gessner Eric Godet *Chair **Immediate Past Chair

Helen Gyllstrom Heather Harrell Chuck Hobson Carolyn Holland Rebecca Howard Barbara Hummel Kenneth James* James Lawrence Pauline Lawrence Phyllis Levitt Michael Levy** Roslyn Levy

Judith Lightsey-Alford Henrietta Logan Donna Maxfield Michael McKee Kristina Ramer Eileen McCarthy Smith Consuelo Soldevila-Pico Byron Terwillegar Patricia Toskes Michael Warren Carole Zegel