OVERTURE

In This Issue
OV E RT U R E
October 2003
Something Wonderful –
Volume 4 , No. 1
President’s Message
How Can We Pay For It All?
Endowment Funds
Announcements & Upcoming Events
Concert Preview
Maestro Schneider’s 20th Anniversary
Concert Calendar
A Richard Rodgers Celebration in Song
Thursday, October 16, 2003 - 7:30 p.m. – Proctor's Theatre
Richard Rodgers – The Music
of An American Legend Comes
to Proctor's.
Within one year, New York City
and the world lost two of their
most revered musical heroes:
John Lennon, only forty years of
age, died tragically on December
8, 1980 in front of his Upper
West Side apartment building,
while Richard Rodgers died
peacefully inside his home on
December 30, 1979, having
reached nearly twice the age of
Mr. Lennon. Very different in
their musical style, both men
however rank amongst the most
prolific, loved and honored
composers of the twentieth
century.
very much alive ex-partner Paul
McCartney are also on that list).
Master of stage and silver screen,
Richard Rodgers’ influence on
American twentieth century
music is perhaps unparalleled.
The “Sound of Music”,“South
Pacific”, “Oklahoma” and
numerous other Broadway megahits are synonymous with his
name and music. Don’t miss the
chance to be enchanted by Mr.
Rodgers’ unforgettable melodies
when they come alive in
Schenectady on October 16!
“Victory at Sea,” Mr. Rodgers’
By Walter Cicha, Ph.D.
dramatic tribute to the bravery and
Walter is a scientist at General Electric’s Global Research
strength of American naval forces
Center in Niskayuna, NY, with a strong interest in most
forms of western music. He currently plays keyboards
during WWII. In 1952, Mr. Rodgers
with the GE Global Research band “The Blues Doctors.”
won an Emmy Award, a Gold
Record and a commendation from Sponsored in part by Hudson River
On October 16, the Capital District
Bank & Trust Company Foundation.
the U.S. Navy for the score to the
will have the great fortune of
original television documentary
seeing and hearing the timeless
Special Subscriber Benefit:#
possessing the same name.
compositions of one of these
Attend the dress rehearsal
All in all, solo and in collaboration,
heroes come to vibrant life at
on Wednesday, October 15
the magical compositions of
Proctor’s Theater in downtown
at 7:30 p.m. at Proctor’s
Richard Rodgers have earned him
Schenectady, when the
Theatre.
Schenectady Symphony Orchestra 34 Tony Awards, 15 Academy
Hear the orchestra and the
is joined by four top-ranked caba- Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two
Maestro as they work.
ret performers direct from Broad- Grammy Awards and two Emmy
Call the Schenectady
way for “Something Wonderful – Awards. Along with his long-time
Symphony Orchestra office
A Richard Rodgers Celebration in lyricist partner Oscar Hammerstein
for information: 372-2500.
Song.” In addition to a compila- II, he has been commemorated on
a U.S. postage stamp and has been Tickets are available now for the
tion of some of the best of Mr.
Rodgers’ incredible 900+ composi- cited by both Time Magazine and
concert – call Proctor’s Box Office
CBS
News
as
one
of
the
top
20
tions spanning the majority of the
for phone orders – 346-6204 most influential artists of the 20th $22.00 /adults, $12.00/students
twentieth century, the audience
will be treated to a performance of century (John Lennon and his still (high school/college).
President’s Message
Dear Symphony Supporter,
Last year, as in recent years, the Orchestra provided a diverse and excellent program, which
received enthusiastic reviews from critics. Your Board, its Music Committee and the Music
Director worked very hard to select the type of program they thought would appeal to our
audience. Always an important component of such a program is the opportunity to utilize
the wealth of local young talent in the Capital District as soloists. All of these efforts have
been well received. Last year’s President, Howard Carpenter, set the organization on a
course to increase the number of season subscribers. He felt this would not only improve
the financial condition of the Orchestra but would provide proof that this community could
and would support a first-class community orchestra. While we have had some success in
this effort, we hope to see an even larger increase this year.
With the support of Assemblyman Paul Tonko, the Symphony participated in two open-air
concerts this summer at the beautiful new Riverlink Park along the Mohawk River in
Amsterdam. This gave them a wonderful opportunity to play two concerts before total
audiences of 4,000! Hopefully, this will benefit the Symphony by attracting new attendees
from that area to our regular season series as subscribers.
Despite these efforts, our Symphony faces the same problems that symphony orchestras,
large and small, face throughout the country. This problem is the difficulty in balancing
their budgets in a time of economic uncertainty, decline in the numbers of their traditional
audience, loss of federal and local financial support, and the availability of wide choices of
entertainment to compete against. In the past few years many well-known orchestras have
had to change either by disbanding, canceling part or all of their season program, or
cutting back on the salaries of the orchestra members. None of these choices has been
desirable or easy.
Much of the difficulty arises from the fact that ticket sales, particularly among the small
orchestras like our symphony, rarely account for more than 20 –25% of their budget. Our
support must come from other sources, including sustaining memberships, company
contributions, special fund-raising events, program advertising, sponsorships and
foundation and government support. Your Symphony is quite unique in that the orchestra
is made up both of musicians who play for their livelihood and talented community
members seeking to perform in a symphony setting.
I urge you to give us your message of support - subscribe now to the Schenectady
Symphony Orchestra's 2003-2004 Season. If you need more information, please call the
Schenectady Symphony's Office at 518-372-2500.
I look forward to seeing you at Proctor's Theatre on October 16th!
Yours truly,
Herbert F. Reilly, Jr., MD
President, Schenectady Symphony Orchestra Association
How Can We Pay
For It All?#
Sustaining Membership
and Endowments
Few people realize that ticket income provides
only a fraction of the income needed in our
annual operating budget to produce the
Schenectady Symphony Orchestra’s outstanding
concert season.
Endowment Funds#
Endowment funds contribute to the long-term
financial health of the Symphony, allowing the
interest to be used to offset a portion of
operating expenses while preserving capital for
future needs. There are two types of
Endowment Funds: one in which the income
and increase in value of the investment are used
to support designated activities of SSO, and
funds used to support the operating expenses of
the orchestra. Examples of the former include:
DESIGNATED PURPOSE FUNDS
Stefan Fund - partially offsets the
expense of the Music Director's Salary
Sunshine and Bernard Golub
Endowment –underwrites a portion of
the Concertmaster's salary
Music Fund - partially offsets the expense
of music rental and purchase
Buell Fund - underwrites a portion of the
purchase and repair of instruments and
equipment
Parillo Fund - the income provides prize
money for the Parillo Piano Competition
Encore Award - to support the purchase of
the annual Encore Award
Sustaining members are the backbone of the
SSO. Without you, we would be unable to
continue to provide the high-quality live
classical music you’ve come to expect. Here are
examples of the activities your sustaining gift to
the SSO helps to support:
$50 allows 5 high school music students to
attend one classical concert
$150 underwrites the keyboard rental for a free
summer park concert
$350 underwrites the mailing and printing cost
of one issue of Overture
$700 rents the instrumental parts for one
concert
$900 prints the programs for one concert
$1,100 rents Proctor’s Theatre for one concert
$2,500 partially underwrites a concert, or
sponsors an individual instrument or Chair
MEMORIAL FUNDS
Mikelson Memorial Fund
Pezzano Memorial Fund
Bunnecke Memorial Fund
Pemberton Memorial Fund
UNDESIGNATED FUND
Endowment Fund - the income
underwrites a portion of the general
expenses of the Schenectady Symphony
Orchestra Association
Funds which provide income for operating
expenses, or unrestricted funds which are
available for use at the discretion of the Board of
Directors, serve a particularly valuable function
in allocating resources for critical needs. If you’d
like more information about making a
contribution to the endowment, please call the
Schenectady Symphony at 518-372-2500.
Schenectady Symphony
members (from left) Barbara
Brothers, Elaine Gervais, Tom
Gerbino, Cathie-Jo Brun and
Meme Pittman perform at the
Classical Breakfast on July 20 in
Central Park. This annual event,
presented by Schenectady
VanCurler Music, raises funds to
benefit the Schenectady
Symphony Orchestra.
#Announcements
Concert Preview
Congratulations to Concertmaster Michael
Emery and Violist Stephani Winn who were
married August 16, 2003.
The League of the Schenectady Symphony sponsors
concert previews in members’ homes, featuring a
discussion with Maestro Schneider about the music to
be performed at the upcoming concert. Join League
members on Tuesday, October 16 at 10:00 a.m. (coffee
at 9:30 a.m.) at the home of Joann Paulsen, 2226 Pine
Ridge Ct., Niskayuna NY 12309 for refreshments and
edification!
#In Memoriam
We lost two dear friends of the Symphony
this summer.
Billie Pemberton, a long-time board
member, League member, and chairwoman
of the Schenectady Symphony Gala passed
away on July 10.
Marilyn Bunnecke, who served for many
years as the volunteer librarian for the
Symphony, passed away on August 22.
Upcoming Events######
November 15 – WBKK FM RADIOTHON –
Tune in to 97.7 FM to hear some of your
favorites – pledge your support to the SSO
Gift Subscriptions Available for Holiday Gift
Giving - Order your holiday gift subscriptions
now for your friends and family
SSO Receives Grant
from GE Foundation
The Schenectady Symphony Orchestra has received a
GE Foundation More Gifts - More Givers Grant of
$13,698. The monetary gifts of fifty-six individual SSO
contributors who are either employed by, retired from,
or spouses of General Electric retirees were matched by
the GE Foundation. The GE Foundation is the General
Electric Company's philanthropic organization. As the
foundation marks its 50th year of giving in 2003, it
continues to support initiatives that improve
educational opportunity and strengthen community
organizations in GE communities around the world.
Entertainment Books are now available at
First Teachers Federal Credit Union – all
proceeds benefit the Schenectady Symphony
Receive an Overture
by e-mail!#
March 19, 2004 - PASTA & PUCCINI PLUS –
Glen Sanders Mansion – mark your calendars
now for this evening of fine food and fine
music! More information to follow…
If you’d like to receive your copy of the Overture
newsletter by e-mail, please reply to sso@proctor's.org
– please put “newsletter” in the subject line.
Your next copy will be sent in Adobe PDF format.
Maestro Charles Schneider’s
20 th Anniversary Year
with the Schenectady Symphony – Platinum Year!
With the start of the 2003-2004
concert season, Charles Schneider
concludes his 20th year with the
Schenectady Symphony
Orchestra.
An award-winning and versatile musician,
Maestro Schneider's experience spans the
musical spectrum. Broadway musical
theater, opera, pops and symphonic music
– Maestro Schneider has done it all.
A number of other upstate NY
performance organizations have benefited
from Charles Schneider's guidance and
expertise.
He was the founding music director of the
Glimmerglass Opera, a position he held for
12 years. He was co-founder of the Catskill Conservatory of Music (Oneonta, NY). He has
conducted the Catskill Symphony Orchestra since 1973 and the Utica Symphony since 1979.
Maestro Schneider is a four-time recipient of the ASCAP Award for Creative Programming
and Performance Excellence.
A native of Albert Lea, Minnesota, his extensive credits include conducting the American
premiere of Weill’s “Mahogany” with the San Francisco Opera, Bernstein’s “West Side Story” at
Lincoln Center and the Glastnost Ballet on Tour.
European credits include the National Orchestra of Monaco, the Radio Orchestra of Holland
and the National Orchestra of Bulgaria.
A graduate of Cornell College of Iowa, Schneider studied piano at the Juilliard School of
Music. His career began on Broadway in the 1960s. In the 1970s he moved into symphonic
music as Associate Music Director of the Kansas City Philharmonic. He also served with Igor
Markevitch of the National Orchestra of Monte Carlo and Rome Orchestra, with Herbert
Blomstedt of the San Francisco Symphony and with Franco Ferrara of the St. Cecilia
Academy in Rome.
The music faculties of Hamilton College, Colgate University, Hartwick College, SUNYOneonta and Mohawk Valley Community College have also had the pleasure of Mr.
Schneider's musical acumen. Schneider and his wife, Rayna, reside in Frankfort, NY. He has
two children who are in college.
O
V E R T U R E
The Schenectady Symphony Orchestra
Proctor’s Arcade • 432 State Street
Schenectady, NY 12305
www.schenectadysymphony.org
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 103
Schenectady, NY
Overture is the newsletter of the
Schenectady Symphony Orchestra.
We are a community-based
symphony orchestra, founded in 1934,
whose objectives are cultural
enrichment, music education and
appreciation, and provision of an
outlet for the talents of accomplished
musicians in the community.
2003-04 Concert Season for information about any event, call the Symphony office – 372-2500
Get Thee To The Symphony!
“Something Wonderful”
A Richard Rodgers Celebration in Song
Thursday, October 16, 2003 - 7:30 pm – Proctor's Theatre
Victory at Sea
Richard Rodgers
Something Wonderful
– Tribute to Richard Rodgers
KT Sullivan, Heather MacRae, Mark Nadler
& Craig Rubano, Soloists
Two Pianos – The Yuan Brothers
Sunday, January 11, 2004 – 3:00 pm – Proctor's Theatre
Peer Gynt: Suite No. 1
Edvard Grieg
Piano Concerto No. 21,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
C Major, K.467
Wei-Hsun Yuan, Soloist
Four Norwegian Moods
Igor Stravinsky
Piano Concerto, a minor, op. 16
Edvard Grieg
Wei-Jen Yuan, Soloist
A Rare Spotlight on Baroque
Sunday, February 22, 2004 - 3:00 pm – Union College
The Four Seasons
Antonio Vivaldi
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Michael Emery, Soloist
Brandenburg Concerti, No. 3 & 5
J.S. Bach
Charles Schneider, Soloist
More Young Artists – Levy & Chu
Sunday, April 18, 2004 - 3:00 p.m. – Proctor's Theatre
Symphony No. 1, C major
Georges Bizet
The Lark Ascending
Ralph Vaughn Williams
Aaron Levy, Soloist
Pavane, op. 50
Gabriel Fauré
Carmen Fantasy, op.25,
Pablo de Sarasate
on themes by Bizet
Jonathan Chu, Soloist