National Philanthropy Day

We all have a soundtrack of our lives – music that reminds us of happy or sad times in our childhood, or other important life events, friends, and family.  What would a wedding be without music? How comforting is the music that accompanies a funeral?

With the recent celebration of Veteran’s Day, I can’t help but think of how many servicemen and servicewomen have had their spirits buoyed by a USO tour.  Or, how many ceremonies on Wednesday contained music of a wartime period.

That soundtrack takes on new meaning if you or a family member are dealing with autism

or Alzheimer’s.  Music becomes exponential in its power to comfort.

Our many cherished donors recognize that music is essential to our mental, emotional and physical health.  In these days leading up to National Philanthropy Day on November 15, we take a moment to recognize the importance of music in our lives and those who help us keep music alive in our community.

Philanthropy is defined as “a love of humanity”, and those who support the Fox Valley Symphony care deeply about our community. 

Thank you for buying tickets to our concerts, and even inviting friends. You appreciate the value of symphonic music to our well-being.

Thank you for making a cash donation to make sure the FVSO is able to serve its mission far into the future.

Thank you for attending Youth Orchestra concerts.  You tell the young musicians in our community that they are vital to the sustainability of symphonic music.

Thank you for your tribute to our FVSO musicians through the Chair Sponsor program.  Not only does it provide important funds to the Symphony, but it is a very visible way to show our musicians how important they are to the community.

Thank you for including us in your planned giving arrangements.  You are showing that you care about the artistic vitality of our community for future generations.

We are truly grateful to all of our friends.  Thank you for 49 years of support and “love of humanity”.

A View from the Stage: Marcia Henry Liebenow

Liebenow and Harmon with composer Shirish Korde

We are excited about our concert this Saturday, November 14, 2015 at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. Of course, we are always excited about our concerts, but this time, we are having a Concerto for Violin and Tabla. When is the last time you heard that? Exactly. The piece is Svara-Yantra by Shirish Korde with guest artists Marcia Henry Liebenow and Zach Harmon.

As an extra bit of luck, both our guest artists got to meet with the composer last week and work on the piece. Marcia was kind enough to share her experiece with us!

Marcia Henry Liebenow

From Marcia:

This past weekend Zach Harmon and I met with composer Shirish Korde in Massachusetts to rehearse his Svara-Yantra Concerto for Violin, Tabla and Symphony Orchestra. We’ll be performing this fantastic piece with the Fox Valley Symphony.

I’m very excited to perform Svara-Yantra. It’s an intense and absolutely amazing work, and I’m really looking forward to collaborating with Brian Groner.

I’m also thrilled to work with tabla player Zach Harmon, who is a Wisconsin native. Zach studied in the Masters program at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, and studied tabla with Abhiman Kaushal. He performs, records, and teaches around the world.

Zach Harmon, tabla

Zach and I are both faculty artists at the Red Lodge Music Festival in Montana each summer, and I have known his father, composer and jazz pianist John Harmon, for many years. I have premiered a number of John’s works at that festival.

Earlier this fall I made arrangements for Zach and I to rehearse the concerto with Shirish at his studio in Worcester, MA. Finding a few days that all of us were available was a challenge, but we were able to carve out a meeting time. Boston is my old stomping grounds. It’s where I earned a graduate degree from the New England Conservatory.

On November 1 I flew to Boston and stayed with my brother and his family in nearby Westborough. Zach drove down from his home in Shelburne, VT. My brother and his family are avid musicians, although they pursue other fields for their livelihood. They loved hearing us work through the complex piece at their house!

Shirish is an incredible composer, a wonderful musician, and a genuinely nice man. He helped clarify musical questions we had and worked with us on our interpretation and preparation of his piece.

Zach and I can’t wait to rehearse and perform this concerto with the FVSO!

Thanks, Marcia! We can't wait to share the stage with you this weekend!

Also on the program:

Khachaturian: Masquarade Suite

Mozart: Symphony No. 35

Get your tickets now! 

Every now and then, we get a letter in the mail that makes us smile. I just had to share this one! Love it!

Dear Fox Valley Symphony,

We could not carry a note if it possessed the proverbial handle on its back. We have never been exposed to symphonic music, until my suddenly out-of-town boss gave us his tickets to a FVS performance about 15 years ago.    Quite frankly we were surprised we enjoyed it.  I believe we felt the need to play The Grateful Dead extremely loud on the way home, just to be certain we were okay.

We have been season ticket holders for about a decade now and have learned not to be the first ones to applaud.  We enjoy your humor and obvious connection with both the audience and the musicians.  I have found tears rolling down my cheeks, and have seen my other half with tilted head and closed eyes trying to deceipher each instruments' contribution. 

The Celebrate Spring concert was truly one of our favorites.  While Nazer Dzhuryn was amazing, Copland's Appalachian Spring Suite gave sound and substance to unspoken sorrow of loved ones gone, yet later providing hope of their legacy within those remaining.  Ravel's Bolero was quite fascinating to hear unfold, growing in strength and depth along the way. 

While the music sheets you command will always be written in a foreign language to us, we appreciate you building a place which is warm and welcoming for all to experience this music.

Thank you!

No, thank YOU, M, for truly making our day (week, month)! :)

Austin Larson Returns to the Fox Valley!

We don't always go over the top bragging about our fabulous guest artists, but this time, we really need to make an exception! This weekend, our guest artist is Austin Larson. He is a fine player and he's won many awards (see below), but, even better, he is one of our own! Austin is from right here in Neenah! And still better, Austin was a member of our own Youth Orchestra! We are all so delighted to have him come back home for our Opening Night concert this Saturday!

I talked with some of Austin's teachers, so you could get a little more background on this extraordinary young man:

Don Krause: Don is our favorite horn teacher in the area. Not sure how we got lucky enough to have him teaching our students, but we are certainly glad we can count him as a friend. We currently have six horns in the Youth Orchestra, and Don is coaching all of them!

"Of all the students I ever had, Austin had the most focus and drive of any. A lot of  students practice, but they either don't have focus or don't have the drive. Austin was always trying to improve his performances, even in his lesson assignments. He managed to memorize every solo that he played for solo ensemble year after year. Practice makes perfect was his constant motto! I have had him work with a lot of my students as he has become more successful and is always willing to take the time to help young students improve."

Bruce Atwell: Bruce is our Principal Horn for the Fox Valley Symphony and also teaches at the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh. He works with our board, staff and youth orchestra students to help make improvements across the board. 

"When Don first referred Austin to me as a freshman in high school, my first impression was that he was going to become a once in a generation horn player. His sense of musicianship was already well developed from years of playing the violin and his horn technique was solid and seemed effortless. This raw talent combined with an amazing work ethic pointed to a long and successful career as a musician. His attitude still amazes me. He is still so humble and grateful for all of the success he has achieved. He still calls or texts his former teachers to let us know how he is doing. I can't wait to see where he ends up."

Lynn Lichte: Lynn was our program director for Youth Orchestra while Austin was a student. She was an amazing asset to the symphony and our Youth and Education program. She has since retired, but we miss her every day!

"It was my great pleasure to know Austin Larson while I was the manager of the fox Valley Symphony Youth Orchestra program.  He was not only a gifted young musician, but a true leader in the orchestra.  This fine young man received the coveted Youth Symphony "Leadership Award" during his senior year and went on to win numerous honors and accolades both nationally and internationally as an amateur and now professional musician.  I believe that I can speak for the entire Fox Valley Symphony Youth Orchestra program in saying that they are proud to claim Austin as one of the brightest and best of their alumni and are thrilled to see him return as the guest artist to open the new concert season!"

We can't wait to have Austin on our stage again this Saturday! It is always a treat to work with talented guest artists, but when it is one of our own students who we've watched grow and succeed, it is a rare gift that we will all cherish!

Be sure to get your tickets here!

You can also read the full program notes on our website.

Here is a copy of Austin's bio, so you can be as impressed as we are!

Neenah native Austin Larson has gone on to become one of the most successful young hornists of his generation. A graduate of Neenah High School, Austin was a member of the Fox Valley Youth Symphony for five years and studied with current and former FVSO hornists Bruce Atwell and Donald Krause. Austin has since developed one of the most impressive competitive track records of any hornist. Austin is one of only two people to ever win First Prize in both the University and Professional Divisions of the International Horn Competition of America and has also won First Place in the International Horn Society Premier Soloist Competition, the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition, and the Wisconsin Public Radio Young Artists Competition. On the international stage, Austin was also most recently a finalist in the Jeju International Brass Competition in South Korea. Austin has also appeared as a soloist at many prestigious venues, including the Music For All Symposium, International Horn Symposium, Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival, Wisconsin Public Radio, and with orchestras in both the United States and South Korea.

Currently living in Denver, Austin holds the Assistant Principal Horn position with the Colorado Symphony and has previously held the Second Horn position with Symphony in C in addition to summer positions with the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland and Spoleto Festival Orchestra USA. Austin holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and the Curtis Institute of Music and his primary collegiate teachers include Jennifer Montone, Jeffrey Lang, Randy Gardner. A strong believer in music advocacy, Austin has also been involved with numerous charitable organizations, including Appleton-based Horns a Plenty Christmas and has raised funds for music scholarships both at the University of Cincinnati and in the Northeast Wisconsin area. For more information, visit www.austin-larson.com.

A Letter of Welcome from Our President

Jeff Amstutz, FVSO Board President

Welcome to our 49^th Season! We are thrilled you are joining us for an exciting year of beautiful symphonic music.

I joined the Board of Directors for the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra [FVSO] several years ago. Music and the arts have always been an important part of my life. I took piano lessons for a decade as a child but the lessons gradually slipped from a priority in my life as I entered college and launched my career. Thanks to my engagement with the Symphony (including trying to play the violin in our first Sinfonia fundraiser), I’ve started playing the piano again. I’m not very good but it brings me great joy and serenity.

As President of the Board, I’m excited to be working with our talented musicians, staff, sponsors and donors to further strengthen this community gem. The FVSO is experiencing tremendous momentum as we head into our 50^th Anniversary in 2016. I’m very passionate about helping make the Symphony as accessible to the community as possible. We took a big step toward that goal this year by launching our Beer, Brats and Beethoven event in collaboration with the Timber Rattlers at Fox Cities Stadium. Thousands of people from our community heard the Symphony for free thanks to the tremendous support of area businesses and donors including the Neuroscience Group and Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

This season marks the 10^th Anniversary of our partnership with Thrivent Financial as our Symphony Series underwriter. Thrivent’s commitment to the FVSO is a testament to their ongoing passion for the arts in our community. Not only has Thrivent committed significant funding to the Symphony, but they’ve also shared their time and talent with us as well. Please join me in thanking Thrivent Financial for their leadership. We couldn’t do this without them!

We are fortunate to have growing support from area businesses. We deeply appreciate the long-standing and continued support of The Boldt Company as our Lead Season Sponsor along with Community First Credit Union as our Community Partner Sponsor. This year’s sponsors include JewelersMutual Insurance Company, NeuroscienceGroup, Secura Insurance, Plexus, Menasha Corporation Foundation, Associated Bank, Godfrey& Kahn, S.C., East Wisconsin Savings Bank, Alta Resources and Schenck SC. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We are close to having all of our musicians supported through our Chair Sponsorship program. Please help us ensure that ALL chairs are sponsored now and for future seasons! There are many other ways you can support us, including making the FVSO a part of your planned giving.

Last but definitely not least, a heartfelt thank you to our musicians. Without their awe-inspiring talent, we wouldn't be here today. As I’ve started to get to know our family of musicians, I quickly learned that many of them have been with us for over 20 years! The level of commitment and passion is palpable with every rehearsal and performance. It is because of you future generations are inspired to carry on this great tradition.

Thank you for joining us for an experience that only an orchestra like ours can provide. It’s truly a phenomenon everyone in our community should be able to experience. I look forward to working with you to help make the music live on for all to hear.

Jeff Amstutz

President, Board of Directors

Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra

Fox Valley Symphony Elects New Officers

Jeff Amstutz, Board President

As the Fox Valley Symphony prepares to entire its 49^th season as a community orchestra, we've elected new board leaders.  Our new President of the 17-member Board of Directors is Jeff Amstutz, Creative Director/Principal of A2Z Design.  Addie Teeters, Marketing Communication & Media Relations Manager for Expera SpecialtySolutions, was named President Elect. 

Addie Teeters, President Elect

Other Board Officers include Jane Chaganos, treasurer; Priscilla Daniels, secretary; and Peter Gianopolous, Immediate Past President.  Jamie LaFreniere serves as Executive Director and Brian Groner is the Conductor and Music Director.

"This is an exciting time for the Symphony.” says Beth Flaherty, former board President for the Fox Valley Symphony and current President of the board for the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. “The organization is focused on a sustainable future and our new leaders are energized and looking forward to preparing for a fantastic 50th anniversary season.  They will continue the work the Symphony has done to ensure a strong future for live symphonic music in the Fox Valley with innovative programming and community involvement being a top priority."

The Symphony's mission is to enrich and nurture the human spirit through symphonic music and educational opportunities that enhance the cultural development of our community.   Founded in 1966, we are a non-profit providing the community with quality music, as well as performance and educational opportunities for area musicians.

Our new season starts on October 3, 2015, at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center.

There is still time to get your Season Ticket Package, so you can lock in your seat and not miss a single night with us.

Please visit our website for more information about our concerts, or call (920)730-3760 to order your tickets today!

Thanks for All You Did in 2014

Now that we've wrapped up our year-end giving campaign, we just wanted to say THANK YOU!

From the bottom of our basses to the top of our piccolos, we thank you!  You attended concerts, sent donations, sponsored musician chairs, funded outreach activities, and supported youth orchestra programs –we are grateful for your investment in our mission through your generosity.

The Fox Valley Symphony will honor your support by staying true to our mission to nurture the human spirit through symphonic music and educational opportunities that enhance the cultural development of our community.  We will continue to be an integral part of the beautiful tapestry of arts groups that make the Fox Cities a wonderful place to live. 

Thank you for playing with us!