Kwamé Ryan, conductor Janai Brugger, soprano
March 27 – 29
KNIGHT THEATER
A Message from the President & CEO
Throughout this season, we’ve been exploring the idea of home — what it means to belong, seek refuge, and reflect on the places that shape us. This month’s concerts reflect that theme in distinct yet powerful ways. We hear from composers honoring their homelands, blending cultural influences into new and unique soundscapes, and works that explore nostalgia, identity, and the longing that so often accompanies the search for belonging.
One of those voices we are particularly glad to be amplifying is Charlotte's 'own' Malek Jandali, Composer-in-Residence at Queen's University. We're proud to present his Clarinet Concerto, performed by our Principal Clarinet, Taylor Marino, and to highlight our partnership with the University’s Music Department, benefiting both institutions and the larger Charlotte community.
We also turn our focus to our own city, celebrating Charlotte and the people who call it home. Our presentation of Boléro, accompanied by a film highlighting iconic locations across our region, honors both the spirit of this city and the musicians whose artistry helps shape its sound. Encanto in Concert reflects the spirit of home through the Madrigal family, bringing their story to life with the score performed live alongside a full screening of the film.
Looking ahead, our newly announced 2026–27 season is filled with compelling programs for every musical taste — reflecting the bold artistic vision of Music Director Kwamé Ryan. Highlights include a season-long reflection on the resilience of the human spirit; a world premiere by CSO Spotlight Artist Levi Taylor; a Gala performance featuring the extraordinary talents of Joshua Bell; and a mix of beloved classics, such as Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique, alongside tributes to Tina Turner and film favorites like Back to the Future and The Lion King in concert. I invite you to explore the season at charlottesymphony.org and subscribe for the best seats and prices.
Thank you for being part of the Charlotte Symphony family and for helping us create a place of belonging in the city we proudly call home.
David Fisk President & CEO
Your Charlotte Symphony Experience
Whether this is your first concert or you’ve been enjoying the Symphony for years, we’re glad you’re here. Below are a few things to know to help you feel right at home.
Food & Drink
A full bar, beverages, and snacks are available both before the concert and during intermission in the lobby.
Photography
We welcome and encourage you to capture and share photos before and after the concert or during intermission. Feel free to use your cell phone for photography without flash during the performance, but please refrain from video or audio recording.
Applause
You’ll notice that audiences applaud to welcome the concertmaster, conductor, and featured artists on stage. Some works may have several sections, or movements, separated by brief silent pauses. It is tradition to hold applause until after the last movement. If you are unsure, wait for the conductor to face the audience. But if you feel truly inspired, don’t be afraid to show your appreciation.
Need help or have questions?
Our ushers and staff are happy to assist — just ask!
THE NINETY-FOURTH SEASON
Friday, March 27 , 2026, at 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 28, 2026, at 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 29, 2026, at 3:00 pm
Knight Theater at Levine Center for the Arts
GEORGE WALKER (1922-2018)
SAMUEL BARBER (1910-1981)
Kwamé Ryan, conductor
Janai Brugger, soprano
Lyric for Strings
Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Op. 24
“No Word from Tom” from The Rake's Progress
IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) [~9’]
INTERMISSION
“The Trees on the Mountain” from Susannah CARLISLE FLOYD (1926-2021)
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK (1841-1904)
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 “From the New World”
I. Adagio - Allegro molto
II. Largo
III. Molto vivace
IV. Allegro con fuoco
CONCERT DURATION: approx. 2 hours, including one 20-minute intermission.
This concert is made possible in part by the generous support of Maria & John Huson
[~40’]
[~6’]
[~14’]
[~6’]
Kwamé Ryan music director
Kwamé Ryan is a Grammy Award-winning conductor, currently in his second season as Music Director of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. Ryan formerly held the position of General Music Director of Freiburg Opera from 1999–2003 and served as Musical and Artistic Director of the Orchestre National BordeauxAquitaine from 2007–13. As a guest conductor in Germany, he has led the Radio Orchestras of Stuttgart and Bavaria, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Staatsoper Saarbrücken, and Staatsoper Stuttgart. While in France, he worked with Opéra de la Bastille, Opéra de Lyon, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Work in the US and the UK has taken him to the Symphony Orchestras of Baltimore, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Houston, Boston Lyric Opera, English National Opera, and the London Philharmonia.
Ryan has been a regular guest of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Proms, and Dutch National Opera, at which he has worked with the Residence Orchestra, The Hague, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic. In 2024, he returned to La Monnaie, Brussels for the revival of Kris De Foort’s The Time of our Singing, his 2021 premiere of which earned the International Opera Award for World Premiere of the Year.
The 2025–26 season sees returns to the Washington National Opera and the New York Philharmonic as well as his debut at the Metropolitan Opera.
Janai Brugger soprano
2026 Grammy Award winner Janai Brugger’s engagements this season include her debut as Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Metropolitan Opera, followed by her debut as Mimì in Puccini’s La bohème at the Los Angeles Opera. She returns to the Met as Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen, makes her Seattle Symphony debut with Poulenc’s Stabat Mater, and travels to Minneapolis to appear in a specially curated program of Florence Price songs, Heart of a Woman, a program she also takes to Great Britain to sing with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Brugger also sings Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Sacramento Philharmonic and rounds out the season with her return to Grant Park Music Festival. Recent appearances include her spectacular success in the role of Pip the cabin boy in Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick at the Metropolitan Opera, for which she won outstanding reviews. She sang the role of Tovah Odesska in Aaron Zigman’s Émigré, conducted by Long Yu with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. She returned to the Ravinia Festival for Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with Marin Alsop, sang Bruckner’s Psalm 150 and Margaret Bonds’ Credo at Grant Park Music Festival, and participated in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2025 Summer Park Series.
A native of Chicago, Brugger obtained a master’s degree from the University of Michigan, where she studied with the late Shirley Verrett. She won her bachelor’s degree from DePaul University, where she studied with Elsa Charlston. In 2010, Brugger participated in the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera, and went on to become a young artist at the Los Angeles Opera for two seasons. She is a 2012 winner of both Operalia (Beijing), and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Kwamé Ryan · Music Director
Christopher James Lees, Resident Conductor Christopher Warren-Green, Conductor Laureate
MUSICIAN ROSTER
FIRST VIOLINS
Calin Ovidiu Lupanu Concertmaster
The Catherine & Wilton Connor Chair
Joseph Meyer* Associate Concertmaster
Kari Giles
Acting Associate Concertmaster
Hanna Zhdan
Acting Assistant Concertmaster
Susan Blumberg°°
Jane Hart Brendle
Cynthia Burton
Fengwan Chen†
Ayako Gamo
David Horak†
Oliver Kot°°
Lenora Leggatt
Jenny Topilow
Dustin Wilkes-Kim*
SECOND VIOLINS
Kathleen Jarrell, Acting Principal
The Wolfgang Roth Chair
Carlos Tarazona°
Acting Assistant Principal
The Pepsi-Cola Foundation of Charlotte Chair
Monica Boboc
Martha Geissler
Sakira Harley
Laura Herrera†
Tatiana Karpova
Ellyn Stuart
VIOLAS
Benjamin Geller, Principal
The Zoe Bunten Merrillt Principal Viola Chair
Pin-Hao Liao
Assistant Principal
Ellen Ferdon
Wenlong Huang
Pedro Mendez
Viara Stefanova
Ning Zhao
CELLOS
Jon Lewis, Principal
The Kate Whitner McKay Principal Cello Chair
Allison Drenkow
Assistant Principal
Marlene Ballena
Jeremy Lamb
Sarah Markle
Nicco Mazziotto
David Olson
DOUBLE BASSES
Jason McNeel, Acting Principal
Judson Baines, Assistant Principal
Jeffrey Ferdon
Eric Thompson†
HARP
Andrea Mumm Trammell
Principal
The Dr. Billy Graham Chair
FLUTES
Victor Wang, Principal
The Blumenthal Foundation Chair
Amy Orsinger Whitehead
Erinn Frechette
PICCOLO
Erinn Frechette
This roster lists the full-time members of the Charlotte Symphony. The number and seating of musicians on stage varies depending on the piece being performed.
° Non-revolving position
°° Alternates between first and second violins
† Acting member of the Charlotte Symphony
‡ Funded by The Symphony Guild of Charlotte, Inc.
* On leave
OBOES
Timothy Swanson, Principal
The Leo B. Driehuys Chair‡
Erica Cice
Jamison Hillian†
ENGLISH HORN
Erica Cice
CLARINETS
Taylor Marino, Principal
The Gary H. & Carolyn M. Bechtel Chair
Samuel Sparrow
Allan Rosenfeld
E ♭ CLARINET
Samuel Sparrow
BASS CLARINET
Allan Rosenfeld
BASSOONS
AJ Neubert, Principal
Joshua Hood
Nicholas Ritter
CONTRABASSOON
Nicholas Ritter
The CSO is a proud member of the League of American Orchestras.
HORNS
Byron Johns, Principal
The Mr. & Mrs. William H. Van Every Chair
Andrew Fierova
Christopher Caudill†
The Robert E. Rydel, Jr. Third Horn Chair (acting)
Richard Goldfaden
Paige Quillen
TRUMPETS
Alex Wilborn, Principal
The Betty J. Livingstone Chair
Jesdelson Vasquez†
Gianluca Farina†
Acting Associate Principal
The Marcus T. Hickman Chair
Gabriel Slesinger*
TROMBONES
John Bartlett, Principal
Thomas Burge
BASS TROMBONE
Scott Hartman, Principal
TUBA
Colin Benton, Principal
The Governor James G. Martin Chair
TIMPANI
Denis Petrunin, Acting Principal†
The Robert Haywood Morrison Chair
PERCUSSION
Brice Burton, Principal
The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is one of the premier music organizations in the Southeastern United States and the oldest continuously operating symphony orchestra in the Carolinas. As Charlotte’s most active performing arts group, the CSO presents around 150 concerts each season, reaching more than 150,000 music lovers.
The 2025–26 season marks the next chapter in the Charlotte Symphony’s artistic evolution under Music Director Kwamé Ryan. Framed by a season-long exploration of home — reflecting on belonging, identity, and place through a wide range of musical voices — the season offers bold new works, symphonic masterworks, and creative collaborations across the Classical, Pops, Movie, and Family series. Highlights include the debut of the CSO Spotlight Series, an everexpanding look at the work of this season’s CSO Spotlight Artist, Gabriel Kahane; performances of audience favorites like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Ravel’s Boléro; and more events that showcase the Orchestra’s breadth, from the music of Dolly Parton to Black Panther in Concert. Engaging with more than 15,000 students each year, the Charlotte Symphony nurtures the next generation of musicians and music lovers through its four diverse
youth orchestras, in-school education programs, instrument coaching, and Project Harmony, which offers free afterschool lessons in music and life skills to over 200 students in under-resourced areas. With its new mobile stage, CSO Roadshow, the Symphony extends its reach directly into neighborhoods, bringing live music to communities across the region.
Founded in 1932, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra continues to play a vital cultural role in the region and remains committed to the belief that music, accessible to all, enriches and unites our community.
OUR MISSION
The Charlotte Symphony uplifts, entertains, and educates the diverse communities of CharlotteMecklenburg and beyond through exceptional musical experiences.
OUR VISION
Reaching out through the transformative power of live music, the Charlotte Symphony will be a civic leader, reflecting and uniting our region.
For more information, visit us online at charlottesymphony.org
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT
Brice Burton
PRINCIPAL PERCUSSION
CSO Member since September 2017
HOMETOWN: San Diego, CA
Fun Facts
• Brice switched to percussion from piano at age 7 because it looked really active and like the percussionists were having lots of fun.
• If he could ask one composer a question, it would be for Anton Bruckner: What’s the story behind that lone cymbal crash in Symphony No. 7?
• He once battled with a stuck timpani pedal mid-performance during Elgar’s Enigma Variations — with the entire audience staring.
Go for Baroque
From Brandenburg to Today
Friday, May 1 at 7:30 pm
CAROLINA THEATRE AT BELK PLACE
Bach’s “Brandenburgs,” Handel’s Water Music, and contemporary works bring Baroque brilliance and clarity to the present.
BACH Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 3 & 5
Caroline SHAW entr’acte
Nancy GALBRAITH A Midnight Stirring HANDEL Water Music Suite No. 1
Christopher James Lees, conductor
Kari Giles, violin
Victor Wang, flute
Emily Urbanek, harpsichord
Program Notes
by Ken Meltzer
George Walker
BORN: June 27, 1922 in in Washington, DC
DIED: August 23, 2018 in Montclair, New Jersey
Lyric for Strings
(1941)
PREMIERE: 1947 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC
Approximate performance time is 6 minutes.
BEHIND THE MUSIC
During his long and distinguished career, American musician George Walker was celebrated as a composer, pianist, and educator. In 1945, Walker became the first African American to graduate from Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied piano with Rudolf Serkin and Mieczyslaw Horszowski, chamber music with William Primrose and Gregor Piatigorsky, and composition with Rosario Scalero. The year he graduated, Walker gave his piano recital debut at New York’s Town Hall, and his orchestral debut as soloist in the Third Piano Concerto of Sergei Rachmaninoff, performing with the Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Eugene Ormandy. Walker was the recipient of numerous awards, including the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for his composition, Lilacs.
WHILE YOU LISTEN
George Walker composed his Lyric for Strings in 1941, as a memorial to his grandmother. The original title, Lament, was modified at the request of the composer’s publisher. This brief and haunting work, scored for string orchestra, has earned a prominent place in orchestral concerts and recordings.
Pioneering composer George Walker in 2010.
Samuel Barber
BORN: March 9, 1910 in West Chester, Pennsylvania
DIED: January 23, 1981 in New York City
Knoxville: Summer of 1915
Opus 24 (1947). Text adapted from the work of James Agee
PREMIERE: April 9, 1948 at Symphony Hall in Boston, Massachusetts Approximate performance time is 14 minutes.
BEHIND THE MUSIC
Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 was commissioned by American soprano Eleanor Steber. Her commission was the first ever by an American singer for a work scored for solo vocalist and orchestra. For the text, Barber chose a portion of a 1938 prose-poem by the American author, James Agee, “Knoxville: Summer of 1915.”
The premiere of Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 took place on April 9, 1948, at Symphony Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. Steber was the soloist, accompanied by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its Music Director Serge Koussevitzky. A year later, Barber revised the score, making some cuts and re-orchestrating the work for a more intimate ensemble. The revised version premiered at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., on April 1, 1950. The marriage of Agee’s text and Barber’s music is pure magic. Steber, who grew up in Wheeling, West Virginia, commented about Knoxville: Summer of 1915: “That was exactly my childhood!”
THE COMPOSER SPEAKS
Samuel Barber, on Agee’s poem: “the summer evening he describes in his native southern town reminded me so much of similar evenings when I was a child at home…it expresses a child’s feeling of loneliness, wonder, and lack of identity in that marginal world between twilight and sleep.”
American soprano Eleanor Steber (1914-1990), who commissioned Barber to compose the work.
Program Notes
It has become that time of evening
When people sit on their porches, Rocking gently and talking gently And watching the street
And the standing up into their sphere Of possession of the trees, Of birds’ hung havens, hangars.
People go by; things go by.
A horse, drawing a buggy, Breaking his hollow iron music on the asphalt; A loud auto: a quiet auto; People in pairs, not in a hurry, Scuffling, switching their weight of aestival body, Talking casually,
The taste hovering over them of vanilla, Strawberry, pasteboard, and starched milk, The image upon them of lovers and horsemen, Squared with clowns in hueless amber.
A streetcar raising its iron moan; Stopping;
Belling and starting, stertorous; Rousing and raising again
Its iron increasing moan
And swimming its gold windows and straw seats
On past and past and past, The bleak spark crackling and cursing above it
Like a small malignant spirit
Set to dog its tracks; The iron whine rises on rising speed; Still risen, faints; halts; The faint stinging bell; Rises again, still fainter; Fainting, lifting lifts, Faints foregone; Forgotten.
Now is the night one blue dew
My father has drained, He has coiled the hose
Low on the length of lawns, A frailing of fire who breathes...
Parents on porches:
Rock and rock.
From damp strings morning glories hang their ancient faces.
The dry and exalted noise of the locusts from all the air
At once enchants my eardrums.
On the rough wet grass
Of the backyard
My father and mother have spread quilts
We all lie there, my mother, my father, my uncle, my aunt,
And I too am lying there.
They are not talking much, and the talk is quiet, Of nothing in particular, Of nothing at all.
The stars are wide and alive, They seem each like a smile Of great sweetness, And they seem very near.
All my people are larger bodies than mine, With voices gentle and meaningless Like the voices of sleeping birds. One is an artist, he is living at home. One is a musician, she is living at home. One is my mother who is good to me. One is my father who is good to me.
By some chance, here they are, All on this earth; And who shall ever tell the sorrow Of being on this earth, lying, on quilts, On the grass,
In a summer evening, Among the sounds of the night. May God bless my people, My uncle, my aunt, my mother, my good father, Oh, remember them kindly in their time of trouble; And in the hour of their taking away.
After a little I am taken in And put to bed.
Sleep, soft smiling, Draws me unto her: And those receive me, Who quietly treat me, As one familiar and well-beloved in that home: But will not, oh, will not, Not now, not ever; But will not ever tell me who I am.
James Agee's prose poem later became the preamble to his posthumously published, Pulitzer Prize-winning book, A Death in the Family (1957)
“No
Igor Stravinsky
BORN: June 17, 1882, in St. Petersburg, Russia
DIED: April 6, 1971, in New York City
Word from
Tom” from The Rake’s Progress (1951)
PREMIERE: September 11, 1951, at Teatro La Fenice, Venice, Italy
Approximate performance time is 9 minutes.
BEHIND THE MUSIC
On May 2, 1947, Russian composer Igor Stravinsky viewed a Chicago exhibit of eight paintings by the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth, collectively titled A Rake’s Progress. Stravinsky quickly realized that the tale of a young man’s submission to temptation and resulting downfall were fertile ground for an opera. W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman coauthored the libretto that Stravinsky set to music. The Rake’s Progress is a late manifestation of Stravinsky’s Neoclassical phase that employed 18th-century musical forms and conventions, filtered through the melodies and harmony of the 20th century.
WHILE YOU LISTEN
In Act I, Tom Rakewell, tempted by Nick Shadow (the Devil), leaves his fiancée Anne Trulove to seek fortune and adventure in London. Time passes, and Anne has not heard from Tom. In the scene “No Word from Tom,” Anne vows to find and rescue her beloved.
Selections from William Hogarth's painting series A Rake's Progress (1732–1734), the inspiration for Stravinsky's opera. Pictured are:
I. The Heir
II. The Levée
III. The Tavern
IV. The Arrest
VII. The Prison
VIII. The Madhouse
II.
I.
Text by W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman
ANNE
recitative
No word from Tom. Has love no voice? Can love not keep a May-time vow in cities? Fades it as the rose cut for a rich display? Forget! But no, to weep is not enough. He needs my help. Love hears, love knows. Love answers him across the silent miles, and goes.
aria
Quietly, night, O find him and caress, And may thou quiet find his heart, Although it be unkind, Nor may its beat confess, Although I weep, it knows of loneliness.
Guide me, O moon, chastely when I depart. And warmly be the same. He watches without grief or shame; It cannot be thou art A colder moon upon a colder heart.
recitative
My father! Can I desert him and his devotion for a love who has deserted me? No, my father has strength of purpose, while Tom is weak and needs the comfort of a helping hand. O God, protect dear Tom, support my father, and strengthen my resolve.
cabaletta
I go to him!
Love cannot falter, Cannot desert; Though it be shunned Or be forgotten, Though it be hurt, If Love be love It will not alter.
I go to him!
Love cannot falter, Cannot desert A loving heart, An ever-loving heart.
VIII.
VII.
IV.
III.
“The
Carlisle Floyd
BORN: June 11, 1926 in Latta, South Carolina
DIED: September 30, 2021 in Tallahassee, Florida
Trees on the Mountain”
from Susannah (1955)
PREMIERE: February 24, 1955 at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida
Approximate performance time is 6 minutes.
BEHIND THE MUSIC
Susannah, one of the most-performed American operas, is based upon the apocryphal tale "Susannah and the Elders." Floyd, who authored the libretto, set the opera in New Hope Valley, in the Tennessee mountains. Susannah Polk, a beautiful young woman, is falsely charged by the townspeople of sinning. This tale of accusation and ostracism resonated at a time when McCarthyism had been rampant throughout the United States.
WHILE YOU LISTEN
Susannah sings the affecting, mournful aria, “The Trees on the Mountain,” in the opera’s second act. The aria’s melody, suggestive of an old Appalachian folksong, is Floyd’s own creation. The composer in 1955. As the son of an itinerant minister, Floyd drew on his own formative experiences to recreate the atmosphere of rural Evangelical communities in the South. Considered the "Father of American opera" Carlisle Floyd's other operas include adaptations of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Willie Stark (from Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men), and Olive Anne Burns' Cold Sassy Tree.
Text by the composer
SUSANNAH
The trees on the mountains are cold and bare
The summer jes’ vanished an’ left them there
Like a false-hearted lover jes’ like my own Who made me love him, then left me alone
The coals on the hearth have turned gray and sere
The blue flame jes’ vanished an’ left them there
Like a false-hearted lover jes’ like my own Who made me love him, then left me alone
Come back, O summer, come back, blue flame
My heart wants warmin’, my baby a name
Come back, O lover, if jes’ fer a day
Turn bleak December once more into May
The road up ahead lies lonely an’ far
There’s darkness around me an’ not even a star
To show me the way or lighten my heart
Come back, my lover, I fain would start
The pore baby fox lies all cold in his lair
His mama jes’ vanished an’ left him there
Like a false-hearted lover jes’ like my own Who made me love him, then left me alone
Come back, O summer, come back, blue flame
My heart wants warmin’, my baby a name
Come back, O lover, if jes’ fer a day
Turn bleak December once more into May
Come back, O summer, come back, blue flame
My heart wants warmin’, my baby a name
Come back, O lover, if jes’ fer a day
Turn bleak December once more into May
Come back! Come back! Come back!
American soprano Phyllis Curtin created the title role of Susannah in the 1955 premiere in Tallahassee, as well as New York City Opera’s 1956 production, pictured here with bassbaritone Norman Treigle.
Antonín Dvořák
BORN: September 8, 1841 in Nelahozeves, Bohemia
DIED: May 1, 1904 in Prague
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World” Opus 95 (1893)
PREMIERE: December 16, 1893 at at Carnegie Hall in New York
Approximate performance time is 40 minutes.
BEHIND THE MUSIC
From the fall of 1892 through the summer of 1895, Czech composer Antonín Dvořák served as Director of the National Conservatory of Music of America, located in New York City. Dvořák came to New York at the invitation of Jeannette Meyer Thurber, who founded the Conservatory with the hope that it would foster the development of important American concert music.
When Dvořák arrived in America, he began to study the musical heritage of the “New World,” concluding that America’s great folk tradition was based on the music of African Americans.
(It should be noted that in May of 1893, the National Conservatory first opened its doors to African American students.) Dvořák also acknowledged the importance of the folk music of Native Americans.
Dvořák’s Symphony in E minor received its premiere at New York’s Carnegie Hall on December 16, 1893, with Anton Seidl conducting the New York Philharmonic (a rehearsal, open to the public, took
place the previous day). A month earlier, Dvořák gave the piece its nickname, “From the New World.”
The premiere of the “New World” Symphony was an unqualified success. Dvořák proudly informed his publisher, Simrock: “The papers say that no composer ever celebrated such a triumph. Carnegie Hall was crowded with the best people of New York, and the audience applauded so that, like visiting royalty, I had to take my bows repeatedly from the box in which I sat.”
WHILE YOU LISTEN
• The “New World” Symphony is in four movements. In the opening movement, the flute introduces a theme that bears a kinship to “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” a spiritual especially favored by the Czech composer.
• The second movement features one of Dvořák’s most beloved melodies. Played in these concerts by Erica Cice on the English horn, this melody was later adapted by Dvořák’s pupil, William Arms Fisher, for the song “Goin’ Home.”
• The third movement was, according to Dvořák, inspired “by a scene at the feast in [Longfellow’s] Hiawatha, where the Indians [sic] dance; and is also an essay which I made in the direction of imparting the local color of Indian character to music.”
• The dramatic finale (Allegro con fuoco) includes the return of themes from the prior movements.
THE COMPOSER SPEAKS
Dvořák, on the use of folk melodies in concert music: “I myself have gone to the simple, half-forgotten tunes of Bohemian peasants for hints in my most serious works. Only in this way can a musician express the true sentiment of his people. He gets into touch with the common humanity of his country.”
below : Dvořák with his family and friends in New York in 1893
Annual Fund
We gratefully acknowledge these generous donors to the Charlotte Symphony Annual Fund. This list reflects gifts received through February 5, 2026.
BENEFACTOR CIRCLE
$100,000+
Anonymous Jacqueline B. Mars Douglas Young
$50,000 – $99,999
The Fox Family Jane & Hugh McColl*
$25,000 – $49,999
Joan & Mick Ankrom
Ruth & Richard Ault
Dr. Milton & Arlene Berkman Philanthropic Fund
Judith & Mark Brodsky
Catherine & Wilton Connor*
Margarita & Nick Clements
Roberta H. Cochran
Jean & Dick Cornwell
Susan Cybulski
Linda & Bill Farthing
Heidi & Craig Froelich
Ralph S. Grier
Maria & John Huson
Ginger Kelly
Sally Gregory & Richard Krumdieck
Betty P. & Jeffrey J. Lee
Janet Preyer Nelson
Patrick J. O'Leary
Richard J. Osborne*
Ann Rehkopf
Pat Rodgers
Carolyn Shaw
Susan & John Shimp
Tara & Ken Walker
$15,000 – $24,999
Joye D. Blount & Jessie J. Knight Jr.
Denise & Peter DeMaio
Robin & Christoph Feddersen
Laurie & Barry Guy
Fran & Greg Hyde
Tanya & Steve Makris
DeDe & Alex McKinnon
Ulrike & Alex Miles
Mica Post Oberkfell & Keith Oberkfell
Debbie & Pat Phillips*
Juliette & Walter Pryor
Cameron & Stuart Sherrill
Melinda & David Snyder
* The CSO recognizes donors of exceptional generosity whose cumulative giving exceeds $1 million with the designation of Music Director Society.
For more information, please contact Mary Nell Johnson at 704.714.5137
Annual Fund Supporters
$10,000 – $14,999
Kristen & Paul Anderson
Katharine & Frank Bragg
Betsy & Alfred Brand
Lynne & Colby Cathey
Jeanie & Tom Cottingham
Peter De Arcangelis
Donna & Alvaro de Molina
Peggy & Richard Dreher
Lisa & Carlos Evans
Drs. Amy & Sidney Fletcher
Eileen Friars & Scott Pyle
Dr. Robert A. Gaines & Toni S. Burke
Caren & Charles Gale
Andrea & Todd Griffith
Susan & Chris Kearney
Robert H. Lee
Leslie & Michael Marsicano
Susan & Loy McKeithen*
Elizabeth & Jay Monge
Robert Norville
Kathy & Paul Reichs
Kelli & Michael Richardson
Rosalind S. Richardson
Sara Garcés Roselli & Dan Roselli
Lindsay & Frank Schall
Glenn Sherrill, Jr. in Honor of Robin Branstrom
Sherry & Thomas Skains
Leigh-Ann & Martin Sprock
Drs. Jennifer Sullivan & Matthew Sullivan
Ann & Michael Tarwater
Kelly & Neal Taub
Jill & Kevin Walker
Michael Waterford
John Drew Witherington
Lisa & Richard Worf
VIRTUOSO CIRCLE
$5,000 – $9,999
Debbie & Wedge Abels
Carol B. McPhee & Howard P. Adams
The Charlotte Assembly
Dawn Beatty-Batten & Philipp J. Bischoff
Si & Michael Blake
Krisha & Andy Blanchard
Mary & Charles Bowman
Barbara & Twig Branch
Robin & Bill Branstrom
Shirley & Mike Butterworth
Paige & Steve Burgess
Dr. William J. Charles & Dr. Cynthia Nortey
Morgan & Brian Cromwell
Elizabeth & Christopher Daly
Mary & Phil Delk
Mary Anne Dickson
Dorne & Steve Eastwood
Anne O'Byrne & David J.L. Fisk
Joan & Parker Foley
Carol & Ron Follmer
Carrie & Jay Galloway
Sarah & Frank Gentry
Billy L. Gerhart, in memory of Judith Gerhart
Lucia Zapata Griffith & Michael Griffith
Janet M. Haack
Reginald B. Henderson, Esq.
Vivian & Robert Lamb
Anna & Laszlo Littmann
Lina & Enrique Lopez-Ibanez
Stacie McGinn
Susanne & Bill McGuire
Paula & Paul McIntosh
Courtney Reichs Mixon
Emily & Nima Pirzadeh
Judy & Derek Raghavan
Anne Robinson
Nancy & Charlie Robson
Susie & Rick Schnall
Laura A. & Michael J. Schulte
Ylida & Bert Scott
Mr. & Mrs. Harley F. Shuford, Jr.
Parker & Stephen Shuford
Erin & William Sparks
Elizabeth Connor Stewart
Chris & Jim Teat
Nancy & Dick Thigpen
Brienne Tinder
Judith & Gary Toman
Annual Fund Supporters
$5,000 – $9,999 (continued)
Rocky & Curtis Trenkelbach
Daniel Troy in Loving Memory of Kathleen Troy
Molly & Chris Tull
Susan & Paul Vadnais
In Memory of Tess Verbesey
Elizabeth & Stephan Willen
Glenda Colman & Floyd Wisner
Joan H. Zimmerman
Abby & Albert Zue
$3,500 – $4,999
Jan & Bob Busch
Karen Gunther
Christy & Ben Hume
Posey & Mark Mealy
Dick Metzler
Holly & Jason Norvell
Linda & Tony Pace
Suan & Bob Salvin
Teresa & Stuart Singer
Emily & Zach Smith
Dr. Mark R. Swanson
Deborah J. Cox & Bob Szymkiewicz
Karen & Edgar Whitener
$2,500 – $3,499
Harriet B. Barnhardt
Georgia & Bill Belk
Tiffany & Jason Bernd
James Biddlecome in Loving Memory of Bernadette Zirkuli Biddlecome
Lee & Alan Blumenthal
Dr. & Mrs. O. Robert Boehm
Frances & Herbert Browne
Maggie Callen
The Jack H. & Ruth C. Campbell Foundation
Dr. William H. Carson
Drs. Iris Cheng & Daniel Uri
Pauline & Bill Chinnis
Brent Clevenger
Amy & Alfred Dawson
Cheryl DeMaio
Peggy & Charles Dickerson
Elizabeth Betty Eaton
Lucy Quintilliano & Leonard Fumi
Melisa & Frank Galasso
Kara & Timothy Gallagher
Katherine G. Hall
Jennifer & Logan Henderson
Megan & Brendan Hoffman
Leigh & Watts Humphrey
Peggy Hynes
Shirley & Bob Ivey
David S. Jacobson
Christopher James Lees
Meghan & Luis Lluberas
Jim & Kathleen Lynch
Dottie & Jim Martin
Cynthia L. Caldwell & Richard I. McHenry
Dee Dee McKay
Carolyn & Sam McMahon
Debbie Miller & Tim Black
Susan D. Montgomery
Janet & Peter Nixon
Laura & Tom Parrott
Laura Paschall & Brad Glaza
Pamela Pearson & Charles Peach
Dr. Reta R. Phifer
Vincent Philips & Paul Pope
Kathleen D. Prokay
Michelle Richards
Lisa & Robert R. Rollins, Jr.
Dr. & Mrs. Mahesh Sardesai
Jane Perry Shoemaker
Peggy & Pope Shuford
Nancy E. Simpson
Patricia & Morris Spearman
Ken Spielfogel & Richard Withem
Maxine & Robert Stein
Dottie Stowe in Loving Memory of Dickson Stowe
Jean M. Summerville
Jenny & Ken Tolson
Sandy & Greg Vlahos
Deborra Wood & Russell Propst
Barbara Yarbrough
PATRON CIRCLE
$1,500 – $2,499
Anonymous
Sharon Baker & Peter Moore
Merilyn & Craig Baldwin
Katie & Morgan Beggs
Barrie & Mark Benson
Donald H. & Barbara K. Bernstein
Sallie & Derick Close
Dr. & Mrs. Mark Couture
Jean E. Davis & Robert Metzger
Dr. Kandi & Gary Deitemeyer
Martin Ericson, Jr.
Angela M. & Michael D. Helms
Anne J. Henderson
Joan Irwin
Martha D. Jones
Helen & Gene Katz
Ginger Kemp
Mary & Michael Lamach
Lucinda Nisbet Lucas
Dr. & Mrs. Randolph Mahnesmith
Anna Marriott
Annual Fund Supporters
Tammy & Steve Matula
Louise & Gary McCrorie
Cricket Weston & David Molinaro
Joan Morgan
Greater Golf Express
Dr. John & Susan Rae
Brendan Reen
Anne & Mark Riechmann
Donald Schmidt
Dr. Stephen P. Schultz & Donna Dutton
Katy & Raleigh Shoemaker
Rebecca & Eric Smith
Linda Spil
Marsha & Robert L. Stickler
Gretchen & Jean-Claude Thill
Tillie S. Tice
Henry Ward
Grant Webb
Pam West
Bryan Wilhelm
Deems Wilson
Kelly Zellars & James H. Trexler
$1,000 – $1,499
Anonymous (4)
Mariam Abdul Hamid & Ferd Davis
Michele & Ross Annable
Larry Anderson
JWD Atchison
Dianne & Brian Bailey
Elsie & William Barnhardt
Ms. Helen Fowler & Mr. Lincoln A. Baxter
Emerson Bell
Shirley W. Benfield
Samuel Blackmon
Sara & Ethan Blumenthal
Marilyn & Herb Bonkovsky
Jodie & Erik Bowen
In Memory of Kyden Justice Brown
Joyce Cadesca
Jane & Larry Cain
Jennifer & Daniel Callahan
Amanda & Kevin Chheda
Rebecca & D. Mark Cody
Ann Thomas Colley
Dorothy & Mike Connor
Dr. & Mrs. Charles E. Cook
Dr. Kilian Cooley
Kathleen Goldammer-Copeland & Mark Copeland
Ann F. Copeland
Larry J. Dagenhart
Heather & Gray Dyer
Caroline & Jed Dyson
Judy & Bob Erb
Heather & Thomas Finke
Kate & Trae Fletcher
Karen Geiger
Jenn & Taylor Gherardi
Carol & Joseph Gigler
Audean & Berkley Godehn
William & Patricia Gorelick Family Foundation
Judith Greene
Joyce & Ed Hamilton
Juliet & Brian Hirsch
Linda & Paul Ibsen
Jennie & Don Johnson
Lea & Stuart Johnson
Priscilla & Michael Johnson
Vickie & Eugene Johnson
Dr. Valerie Kinloch & Mr. Thomas A'Hearn
Joan Kirschner
Marilyn Kroll
Leigh & Bruce Marsh
Holly & Christopher Maurer
Anna & John McCoy
Arrington Mixon
Sue Lin Tan & Rama Narayanan
Eleanor W. Neal
Mr. & Mrs. E. O. Oakley
Caroline Olzinski
Patricia & James Petillo
Catherine Philpott
Dr. William G. Porter
Susanne & Mark Rascio Family
Joan Rasmussen & Morry Alter
Cynthia & Joseph Riedl
Jennifer & Manley Roberts
Rita & Thomas Robinson
Sally Robinson
Linda Rosenfeld & Fred Krosner
Elizabeth & Robert Rostan
Anjan Shah
Sandra Shuster
Birte & Roman Streitberger
Scott Smith
Tamara & Cassiel Smith
Jennifer & Philip Stafford
Alice & Al Sudduth
Ann & Wellford Tabor
Annette & Eric Telljohann
Catherine Thompson
Libby & Vint Tilson
Tim Timson
Sarah S. Tull
Maureen Turner
Emily & Jeff Vaughan
Victoria & Mark Walker
Dr. & Mrs. Bill Chu & Jin Wang
Rebecca Waters
Linda & Craig Weisbruch
Jennie & Ry Winston
Lauren Wooden
Velva W. Woollen
Alanna & Richard Worrell
Sandy & John Yakob
Annual Fund Supporters
$500 – $999
Anonymous (2)
Lynda & Doug Abel
Daphne A. Banks
Cathy & Bob Becker
Natasha A. Bechtler
Dr. John L. Bennett & Mr. Eric T. Johnson
Mrs. Christine Bieri
Black Notes Project & The Sol Kitchen
Jeffrey Boghosian
James Broadstone
Nelle & Ken Brown
Aram Kim Bryan
Mary Lou & Greg Cagle
Nan & Brooks Carey
Janelle & Todd Collins
Thomas E. Collins, Jr.
Jack Cook
Dedee & Irv Cygler
In Loving Memory of Ruth Jernigan
Gaither & Robert Deaton
Dr. Roy E. DeMeo, Jr. & Ms. Linda A. Evanko
Margaret & George Dewey
Diane & Doug Doak
Dr. Kathleen A. Doman
C. Thomas Fennimore & Gail H. Fennimore
Lucinda & Harvey Gantt
Dr. John & Eileen Gardella
Dr. & Mrs. Richard Gellar
Stacy & Pete Gherardi
Cyndy & Larry Goodgame
Linda & Dan Gordon
Cynthia Greenlee
Gloria Gunst
Johanne & Patrick Hawk
Dr. & Mrs. Michael D. Heafner
Maria Felisa San Andres & Stefan Heinzelmann
Ms. Yvonne DeBeauville & Mr. Roger Hill
Susan Keeble
John J. Kelly, Jr.
Mary & Steven Kesselman
Constance C. & George W. Knight
Linda & Norman Kramer
Maria Kurtz
Jonathan Lamb
Barbara & Jerome Levin
Dr. Elissa & Joshua Levine
John J. Locke
Katherine & Mark Love
Dr. & Mrs. William W. MacDonald
Allison Malter
Rosemarie Marshall & Lee Wilkins
Paula Goolkasian & Francis Martin
Wendy & Ed Matthews
Jill Maxwell
Rob Roy McGregor
Constance & Kiran Mehta
Amanda & Matthew Molbert
Sally Staub Moore
Kimbrel & Tripp Morris
Fran & Gary Morrison
Jennifer & Michael Neurohr
Mary Newsom
Dr. & Mrs. Paul Nitsch
Nancy Olah & Bill Pace
Ynez Olshausen
Gwen Peterson & Tom Hodge
Lisa & Tom Phillips
Janet & Rick Pfeiffer
Barbara M. Pooley
Moira Quinn
Sabine & Haywood Rankin
Emily & Brian Reinicker
Joan & Albert Rodgers
Margaret Rogers & John R. Willis
Betty & Bill Seifert
Michael Silverman
Dr. & Mrs. Henry L. Smith II
Scott Smith
Julia J. Souther
Mary & Bill Staton
Kathryn Stewart, MD, MPH
Susan & Jet Taylor
Melanie & James Twyne
Aishwarya & Krishna Varanasi
Kathleen & Henry Ward
Debi Wayne
Signature Web Design
Lyman Welton
Peter White
Karen & Charles Wolff
Judith Wood
The Charlotte Symphony wishes to thank the following companies for matching their employee gifts in support of our Annual Fund Campaign:
Advocate Aurora Health
Albemarle Foundation
Ameriprise
Atrio Health Plans
Bank of America
Corning
Deloitte
Duke Energy
Elasticsearch
EY
Harris Foundation
Honeywell
Johnson Controls
JPMorgan Chase
Lincoln Financial Foundation
Microsoft
Premier Health
TIAA
Truist
Wells Fargo
Planned Giving
The Encore Society
The Encore Society includes individuals who have made provisions for the CSO in their estate plans. We are honored to recognize their support:
Anonymous (3)
Geraldine I. Anderson†
Michele & Ross Annable
Richard & Ruth Ault
Baldwin Family Trust
Barnhardt Thomas Trust
Lincoln A. Baxter & Helen M. Fowler
Annette Bedford†
Larry & Joyce Bennett†
Dr. Milton & Arlene Berkman
Donald H.† & Barbara K. Bernstein
Mark & Louise Bernstein†
Sybil Bernstein†
Rosemary Blanchard†
Twig & Barbara Branch
Saul Brenner
Mike & Joan Brown†
Mrs. Joan & George Bruns†
Jan & Bob Busch
Dr. Helen G. Cappleman, Ph.D.†
Jim Cochran† & Robin Cochran
Catherine & Wilton Connor
Charles & Peggy Dickerson
Martin Ericson, Jr.
Linda & Bill Farthing
David J.L. Fisk & Anne P. O’Byrne
Sylvia T. Forsythe†
Nadine W. Fox†
Dorris H. Goodyear†
Peter & Ann† Guild
William G. & Marguerite K. Huey Fund
Dr. Nish Jamgotch, Jr.†
Lucille F. & Edwin L. Jones
Endowment for the Arts
Betty & Stanley Livingstone†
Polly and Don Kellam†
Jim Martin
Daphine Doster Mastroianni†
Nellie Rose McCrory†
Paula & Paul McIntosh
Jane Green McNeary†
M. Marie Mitchell†
Cricket Weston & David Molinaro
Joan & Richard† Morgan
Francis A. Mueller†
Don C. Niehus
Eva Nove
Dean O’Hare†
Richard J. Osborne
Gwen Peterson & Tom Hodge
Gilbert Pirovano†
James Y. Preston†
Mrs. Clayton (Dusty) Pritchet
Sally A. Raines†
Ann & Fritz† Rehkopf
Elizabeth Waring Reinhard
Albert Rogat
James M. and Ellen L. Ross†
Nancy W. Rutledge
Mike Rutledge
Harriet Seabrook
Mr. & Mrs. William Seifert
Morris & Patricia Spearman
Bob & Maxine Stein
Robert Steppe†
Dr. Ben C. Taylor III
Mr. & Mrs. Hans Teich
Cordelia G. & Dr. Chandler† Thompson
Tim Timson
Jenny & Ken Tolson
Ms. Deborra Wood & Mr. Russell Propst
For more information, please contact Shayne Doty at 704.714.5104.
Comprehensive Campaign
We gratefully acknowledge these generous donors to the Charlotte Symphony Comprehensive Campaign. This list reflects gifts received through August 1, 2025.
$10,000,000+
Bank of America · The C.D. Spangler Foundation
$5,000,000 - $9,999,999
John S. & James L. Knight Foundation
$2,000,000 - $4,999,999
The Leon Levine Foundation · Jane & Hugh McColl
$1,000,000 - $1,999,999
Michele & Ross Annable · Atrium Health · Howard C. & Margaret G. Bissell Foundation Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. · EY · Contributions Associated with Falfurrias Capital Partners
Lynn & Brian Good · Julie & Howard Levine · Susan & Loy McKeithen · Novant Health
$500,000 - $999,999
Anonymous · Arlene & Milton Berkman · Robin & Bill Branstrom · Deloitte
Mary & Mike Lamach · Rich Osborne · Debbie & Pat Phillips · Pat Rodgers · M.A. Rogers
Robert Haywood Morrison Foundation · Trane Technologies · Truist Financial Corporation
$250,000 - $499,999
Cathy Bessant · The Dickson Foundation · The Gambrell Foundation
The Gorelick Family Foundation · Moore & Van Allen PLLC · Janet Preyer Nelson The Trexler Foundation · Ed Weisiger, Jr. & Betsy Fleming
$100,000 - $249,000
Anonymous · Jeannette & Francisco Alvarado · Joan & Mick Ankrom
Ruth & Richard Ault · NCFI/Barnhardt Foundation · Catherine & Wilton Connor
Robin Cochran · Denise & Peter DeMaio · The Dowd Foundation · Linda & Bill Farthing
Fran & Greg Hyde · Dr. Richard Krumdieck & Mrs. Sally Gregory · Elizabeth & Jay Monge
Patricia & Thruston Morton · Steelfab, Inc. · Linda & Craig Weisbruch
Andromeda & John Williams
Comprehensive Campaign
$50,000 - $99,999
Amy & Robert Brinkley · Crescent Communities · The Fox Family · Eileen Friars & Scott Pyle
Mariam & Robert Hayes Charitable Trust · Ulrike & Alex Miles · Dr. Ruth G. Shaw
Chris & Jim Teat · Rita & Bill Vandiver · Lisa & Richard Worf
$10,000 - $49,999
Anonymous Wedge & Debbie Abels · Mary Lou & Jim Babb · Tiffany & Jason Bernd
Frank Bragg · Shirley & Mike Butterworth · Joye Blount & Jesse Knight, Jr.
The Cato Corporation · Margarita & Nick Clements · Mary Delk
Caroline & Ben Dellinger III · Lisa & Carlos Evans · David Fisk & Anne O’Byrne
Averill, Johanna, & Lauren Harkey · Carol & Bill Lorenz · Leslie & Michael Marsicano
Virginia & Chan Martin · DeDe & Alex McKinnon · Posey & Mark Mealy ·
Wanda & Steve Phifer · Ridgely & John Phillips · Dale & Larry Polsky
Judy & Derek Raghavan · Shannon & Eric Reichard · Sara & Daniel Roselli · Lori & Eric Sklut
Emily & Zach Smith · Melinda & David Snyder · Dr. John A. Thompson, Jr. & Dr. Lee Rocamora
Jill & Kevin Walker · Jim Worrell
$5,000 - $9,999
Brian S. Cromwell · Toni Burke & Bob Gaines · Sarah & Frank Gentry · Carol & Joseph Gigler
Lucinda Nisbet Lucas · Dee Dee & William Maxwell · Melissa & Dennis McCrory
Cyndee Patterson · Betty & William Seifert · Peggy & Pope Shuford · Nancy E. Simpson
Drs. Jennifer & Matthew Sullivan · Mary Claire & Dan Wall · Martha Ann & Craig Wardlaw
Corporate Partners
We are grateful for the following outstanding corporate funders: For more information, please contact Tara Spil at 704.714.5138.
We are grateful for the following outstanding foundation and government funders:
Robert Haywood Morrison Foundation
Dowd Foundation, Inc.
The Trexler Foundation
The Dickson Foundation Cole Foundation
Maurer Family Foundation
Triad Foundation
Barnhardt/Thomas Trust
The George W. & Ruth R. Baxter Foundation
The Blumenthal Foundation
The Charlotte Assembly
Minor Foundation, Inc
Music Performance Trust Fund
The Mary Norris Preyer Fund
For more information, please contact Tara Spil at 704.714.5138.
2025-26 OFFICERS
Richard Krumdieck, Chair
Ulrike Miles, Vice Chair
Melinda Snyder, Vice Chair & Secretary
Denise DeMaio, Treasurer
David Fisk, President & CEO
Kwamé Ryan, Music Director
2025-26
DIRECTORS
Krisha Blanchard
Joye D. Blount
Mike Butterworth
Nick Clements
Sidney Fletcher
Craig Froelich
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Linda McFarland Farthing, Chair
Francisco & Jeannette Alvarado
Paul Anderson
Ruth & Richard Ault
Rachel Gogal Badillo
Arlene & Milton Berkman
Mary & Charles Bowman
Frank Bragg
Robin & Bill Branstrom
Paige & Steve Burgess
Dr. William Charles & Dr. Cynthia Nortey
Derick & Sallie Close
Robin Cochran
Catherine & Wilton Connor
Jeanie & T. Thomas Cottingham III
Brian Cromwell
Susan Cybulski
Marcia & Jason Daily
Alessandra & Pasquale De Martino
Alvaro & Donna de Molina
Peggy & Richard Dreher
Carrie Galloway
Lucia Zapata Griffith
Fran Hyde
Byron Johns*
Valerie Kinloch
Stephen Makris
Juliette Pryor
Manley Roberts*
Sara Garces Roselli
Lindsay Schall
Ylida Scott
Cameron Sherrill
Matthew Spanjers
Jennifer Sullivan
Brienne Tinder*
Andrea Mumm Trammell*
Ken Walker *ex-officio
Lisa Hudson Evans
Bill Farthing
Karen Fox
Eileen Friars & Scott Pyle
Ralph S. Grier
Laurie Guy
Janet Haack
Reginald B. Henderson, Esq.
Mark & Whitney Jerrell
Jeff Lee
Dee & Joe Marley
Gov. James G. Martin
Jane & Hugh McColl
Stacie McGinn
Susan & Loy McKeithen
Alex & DeDe McKinnon
Elizabeth & Jay Monge
Janet Preyer Nelson
Mica Oberkfell
Patrick J. O’Leary
Richard Osborne
Sarah Frances Peck
Daniel Peterson
Debbie & G. Patrick Phillips
Derek & Judy Raghavan
Paul Reichs
Nancy & Charles Robson
Patricia A. Rodgers
M.A. Rogers
Frank Schall
Laura & Mike Schulte
Carolyn Shaw
Emily Smith
Will Sparks
Elizabeth Connor Stewart
Bob & Marsha Stickler
Kelly & Neal Taub
Adam Taylor
Chris & Jim Teat
Kevin & Jill Walker
Elizabeth & Steve Willen
Braxton Winston
Richard Worf
Joan Zimmerman
Albert Zue
EXECUTIVE
David J. L. Fisk
President & CEO
Samantha Hackett
Manager of Executive Administration & Board Relations
ARTISTIC OPERATIONS
Scott Freck
Vice President for Artistic Operations & General Manager
Erin Eady
Director of Orchestra Personnel
Laura Lindsay
Director of Orchestra Operations
Claudia Schmitz
Director of Artistic Planning
Bart Dunn
Principal Music Librarian
Ana Faithe Allen
Operations Coordinator
John Jarrell
Stage Manager
Byron Johns
Senior Stage Technician
Ross Jarrell
Stage Technician
DEVELOPMENT
Shayne Doty
Vice President of Development
Richard Riedl
Associate Vice President of Development
Mary Nell Johnson
Senior Director of Individual Giving
Tara Spil
Director of Corporate & Institutional Giving
Tammy Matula
Director of Development Services
Josh Bottoms
Manager of Corporate & Institutional Giving
Jennifer Gherardi
Manager of Development Services & Events
James Popper
Manager of Individual Giving
HUMAN RESOURCES
Maribeth Baker
Human Resources Counselor
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
Christian Drake
Vice President of Finance & Administration
Amy Hine
HR Coordinator & Office Administrator
Kensloe Norrington
Staff Accountant
Chazin & Company, Financial Services
LEARNING & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Aram Kim Bryan
Vice President of Community Relations & Learning
Dylan Lloyd
Senior Manager of Youth Orchestras
Mark Rockwood
Senior Manager of Youth Education
Michaela Sciacca
Senior Manager of Youth Programs
Gavin Fulker
Education Programs Assistant
Bria Alexander Community Engagement Assistant
MA RKETING & AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
Frank Impelluso
Vice President of Marketing & Audience Development
Deirdre Roddin
Director of Institutional Marketing & Communications
Nicole Glaza
Senior Manager of Digital Marketing
Laura Thomas
Senior Manager of Marketing & Audience Development
Chad Calvert
Visual Communications Manager
Meghan Cole
Patron Experience Manager
Garrett Whiffen
Ticketing Manager
April 10 & 11 BELK THEATER
Full of grandeur and power, Beethoven’s heroic piano masterpiece stands as an “Emperor” among concertos.
April 24 & 25 BELK THEATER
Conflict, romance, and drama unfold through musical storytelling in these classical tales of love against all odds.
Bach & Beyond
May 1 CAROLINA THEATRE
Bach’s “Brandenburgs,” Handel’s Water Music, and contemporary works bring Baroque brilliance and clarity to the present.