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Volunteer Notes A PUBLICATION OF THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN ORCHESTRAS VOLUNTEER COUNCIL

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and colleagues.

The League of American Orchestras Volunteer Council leads, advocates, and champions volunteer organizations in their efforts to support their orchestras' community outreach and civic partnerships to advance the experience of orchestral music.

Summer 2022 Edition

Darlene Clark, Volunteer Notes Editor | edwincf@swbell.net

In This Issue

President’s Message

“In Person” Conference Scores a Win with Volunteers

Save the Date, 2023 Conference

Call for Gold Awards Submissions!

Meet the Class of 2022

Registration is Now Open: Strategic Conversations for Volunteer Presidents and Presidents-Elect

The Volunteer Council

A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

By Julie Meredith, Volunteer Council President 2021-2022

It has been my honor and privilege to serve as Volunteer Council President for the 2021-2022 season. The men and women who serve on the Volunteer Council have been the most caring and giving people. They have given of their time, their talents and their resources to serve the volunteer groups in its mission of supporting the orchestras across the country. I have made friendships that will last a lifetime. During the dark years of COVID, my heart has been lifted by these remarkable individuals stepping up to serve.

Some highlights of the year include:

  • Returning to a live conference for the first time since 2019.
  • Planning and hosting successful volunteer sessions during the 77th National Conference in California (see article below by our incredible Conference Chair Ginny Lundquist). Ginny put together a remarkable volunteer track with expanded networking opportunities.
  • Hosting Strategic Conversations for 22 volunteer association Presidents and Presidents-Elect. The Zoom meeting format allowed for wonderful discussions and the sharing of challenges and opportunities.
  • Raising nearly $44,000 in funds for the League. VC Past President Cindy Kidwell worked closely with the League's development staff to solicit gifts and share the value of what the League brings to its member orchestras.
  • Building our Facebook presence to 177 members and increasing the distribution of Volunteer Notes, our quarterly e-newsletter that goes to volunteers around the country.
  • Recognizing and toasting all our VC members for their hard work on Conference at our Volunteer Council Celebration held at the Pez Cantina in Los Angeles. Special thanks go to Cindy Kidwell.
  • Welcoming four new Volunteer Council members this past year: Loretta Davenport (Chicago Sinfonietta), Florence McLean (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra), Barbara Lake (Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra), and Maggie Stehman (National Symphony Orchestra)
  • Electing two new members to the class of 2022, Paula Floeck McReynolds (Waco Symphony Orchestra), Marena Gault (Dallas Symphony) and a new member to the class of 2023, Julie Brantley (Richmond Symphony Orchestra)
  • Spending more time on Zoom than we knew was possible.

The Volunteer Council was supported this year by five wonderful liaisons: Samara Ungar, League of American Orchestras Liaison; Liz Shafer (Los Angeles Philharmonic), Conference Liaison; Marena Gault (Dallas Symphony), AMSOV Liaison; Linda Stevens (Kansas City Symphony), Sustainer Liaison; and Marylou Turner (Kansas City Symphony), Sustainer Chair of Mentoring.

We will deeply miss those who are rotating off of the Volunteer Council: Cindy Kidwell (Past President), who has served seven years and Linda Stevens (Sustainer Liaison). Marena Gault, our AMSOV Liaison, will be wrapping up her duties and returning next year as a member of the Volunteer Council. We wish to thank Samara Ungar for her dedicated work as our wonderful League Liaison. She went above and beyond in adding the Volunteer Council to her already overflowing responsibilities at the League. We will miss her hard work on our behalf. We are excited to welcome Melanie Hausmann as our new League Liaison and look forward to working with her. We could not do the work we do without the support of the League.

Janet Cabot from the Madison Symphony Orchestra is your new 2022-2023 Volunteer Council President. I have served with Janet for the past five years, and she is a talented leader with many wonderful ideas. I look forward to serving as Immediate Past President with her this coming year.

I can’t let this year pass without recognizing the deaths of our dear friends Beth Wise (Huntsville Symphony Orchestra) and Carole Snell-Mallett (Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra) who served with so many of us on the Volunteer Council. They touched our lives and will be deeply missed.

“IN PERSON” CONFERENCE SCORES A WIN WITH VOLUNTEERS

By Ginny Lundquist, Volunteer Council 2022 Conference Chair

As we met for the first time in three years, the excitement and energy swept away concerns about the pandemic and meeting in person vs. virtually. Precautions were taken at the official Conference venues to help ensure the safety of all participants. “Forward Together” gathered nearly 950 participants for the 77th League National Conference in Los Angeles, hosted by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

The program for volunteers at Conference began on Tuesday, May 31, with a special invitation Gold Award Reception for the Classic and Gold Award winners.

This was followed by the VC Dine-Arounds which were well attended this year, including orchestra members and exhibitors. We enjoyed sharing our volunteer experiences with everyone!

On Wednesday, League CEO Simon Woods welcomed volunteers at their opening day morning session, followed by Chad Smith, CEO of the LA Philharmonic! We were honored and so pleased to have them!

The LA Philharmonic Affiliates panel led by Liz Shafer powered the opening day session. Liz, who is President of the LA Phil Speaker’s Bureau, was also the VC’s volunteer coordinator, filling nearly 100 volunteer work opportunities at Conference, as well as helping us with venues, speakers and logistics support. Thank you Liz, and her LA Phil Affiliate panel - VC member Barbara Lake, along with Marian Hall and Louise Peebles!

At the official all-delegate Opening Session at Walt Disney Music Center on Wednesday afternoon, we heard from the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), composer/conductor John Williams, LA Phil Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, League CEO Simon Woods and LA Phil CEO Chad Smith.

On Thursday, June 2, our Award of Excellence winners were honored by League Chairman Doug Hagerman at the League Annual Meeting Luncheon. All of the Classic, Gold and Spotlight award winners were asked to stand and be recognized at the event. We all appreciated the recognition of the hard work of our award-winning volunteers representing groups across the country. A Thursday evening LA Phil concert was followed by a Tune-up Party for all delegates at Walt Disney Music Center.

Presentations by our Classic, Gold and Spotlight award winners highlighted our volunteer “track” sessions on Wednesday-Friday. Discussions were lively and engaging as volunteers talked about scalability and how their volunteer group could adapt/adopt these successful proven projects.

Participants were surveyed after each session to let us know how they liked each presentation for content and relevance, and well as giving us helpful comments to improve our volunteer sessions in the future. Our guest speakers and conversations at tables (networking) were among the highest scoring activities.

Friday’s guest speaker wowed the audience. Elsje Kibler-Vermaas, the VP of Learning at the LA Phil, spoke passionately about the free music education programs for underserved children in the Los Angeles area. Her message of “think big, start small” resonated with our volunteers, many of whom work with their orchestras to create education programs for their communities.

Also on Friday we held a drawing for the free 2023 Pittsburgh Conference registration which was won by Mimi Duginger of the League of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association. Congratulations Mimi and we look forward to seeing you in Pittsburgh!

As Conference Chair this year, I am grateful for the talented VC Conference Committee - Bruce Colquhoun, Conference Chair-Elect and Program Chair; Laurie Skjerseth, Gold Award Chair; Charlotte Lewis, Spotlight Chair; Kathy Leibrand, Networking Chair, and Sally Bullard, Dine-Around Chair and Powerpoint presentation maven. And a big thank you to our sustainers who helped us out at Conference - Linda Stevens, Camille Williams and Tresa Radermacher. And special thanks go to our photography team - Janet Cabot, Darlene Clark and Irene Sohm. And last but not least, my thanks to Past President Cindy Kidwell for her support throughout the Conference!

SAVE THE DATE, 2023 CONFERENCE

By Bruce Colquhoun, Volunteer Council 2023 Conference Chair

Next year’s League Conference will be held in Pittsburgh, Pa. at the Wyndham Grand Hotel. The Conference dates are June 14th – 16th, 2023. However, if you are planning on attending our Dine-Arounds, you will also have to reserve the evening of June 13th. As more information becomes available, we will pass it along to you. See you there!

CALL FOR GOLD AWARDS SUBMISSIONS!

By Charlotte Lewis, Volunteer Council 2022 Projects Chairman

The 2022 League Conference was the first in-person conference in three years, and everyone enjoyed getting together again. It was a chance for volunteers to showcase their organizations with presentations of outstanding projects. We want you to take the opportunity to be recognized and provide inspiration to other volunteers by submitting applications for our Gold Awards of Excellence. The Gold Awards of Excellence recognize the best-in-class volunteer initiatives and events that have made a vital impact on orchestras. Judges may decide an entry deserves a Spotlight Award for recognition of a specific tactic or best practice which helped contribute to the success of your overall program. Judges may also grant a Classic Award, comparable to a Lifetime Achievement Award, acknowledging a timeless program that has sustained excellence and effectiveness over decades. One application makes your organization eligible for any of these three awards.

Now is the time to review your volunteer group initiatives over the past year for submission. Entries are due Wednesday, August 31, 2022, for projects that were completed between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. Winners will share their programs with other volunteers at the 2023 National Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 14-16. The project submission form can be accessed here on the League website.

Gold Award of Excellence Form

There is no fee to enter and no limit to the number of entries an organization may submit.

IMPORTANT ENTRY INFORMATION

  • Eligible programs/activities must have been completed between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022.
  • Entry forms are available here on the League website. There is no fee to enter and no limit to the number an organization may submit.
  • Submit your form on or before August 31, 2022. We can’t guarantee acceptance of the submission if the form is turned in after that date.
  • Include between 1 and 5 images that are pertinent to your project. These should be sent with the application, not under separate cover.
  • After you have completed your form, please save a copy to your computer for your records. Then attach the completed form and 1-5 images to an email and send to vcgoldaward@gmail.com. Images must be in JPEG or PDF format.
  • Winners must present at the 2023 League National Conference.
  • Programs may be entered for any of the project categories listed on the League website.
  • Entering does not require lengthy answers; responses are designed to be concise, with maximum counts of 1000 to 3000 characters. The application form will count characters for you.
  • Following instructions will result in a higher score.

ENTRY TIPS

Print out the entry form so you can review the information requested and gather it before filling out the entry form.

  • Print out the entry form so you can review the information requested and gather it before filling out the entry form.
  • If you aren’t sure your project merits a Gold Award, please consider entering. Judges may determine it worthy of a Spotlight or Classic Award.
  • If you need inspiration, go online to the Gold Award of Excellence Online Database/Volunteer Project Database for a searchable database of past winning entries or Volunteers at Conference for 2020 Conference information.
  • If you have questions or need a fillable entry form sent to you, please contact vcgoldaward@gmail.com.

MEET THE CLASS OF 2022

By Loretta Davenport, Volunteer Council

Each year the Volunteer Council welcomes a new class of leaders. This year we are fortunate to be joined by two new members who bring a wealth of experience and deep commitment to the work of supporting and sustaining local orchestras.

Marena Gault joins us from Dallas,Texas where she is a member of the Board of Governors of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Marena is Past President of the Association of Major Symphony Volunteers (AMSOV) and served as our liaison with AMSOV prior to joining us as a member. In addition, Marena has served on the Board of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra.

True civic leaders, Marena and her husband, Roger, have chaired the Dallas Symphony Gala as well as other fundraising events in support of the symphony. They are major supporters of The Dallas Zoo, The Dallas Arboretum, and Marena also serves on the Advisory Board for The Center for Brain Health. They have two children: Marielle and William.

Paula McReynolds, from Waco Texas, is affiliated with the Waco Symphony Orchestra. She is a past President of the Waco Symphony Council, and over the twelve years of her membership, has created new fundraising initiatives and represented the group at TASO (Texas Association of Symphony Orchestras). Paula is a business executive who currently works as a grant writer for non-profit agencies. This work enables her to “have a view of how to best serve these agencies as well as bring back new and fresh approaches to facilitate funding from foundations and large donors.”

Before moving to Waco, Paula served for six years as Administrator/Executive Director of the Bach Society of Houston. The breadth of her experience from both the volunteer and administrative perspectives makes Paula a tremendous asset to the Council.

Welcome, Marena and Paula! We look forward to working with you.

If you are interested in learning more about the Volunteer Council and would like to be considered for membership, please contact our Membership Chair, Kathy Leibrand: leibraka@gmail.com

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN: STRATEGIC CONVERSATIONS FOR VOLUNTEER PRESIDENTS AND PRESIDENTS-ELECT

By Janet Cabot, Volunteer Council President 2022-2023

Each fall, the President along with members of the Volunteer Council facilitate Strategic Conversations, a multiple-week series on Zoom for volunteer association Presidents and Presidents-Elect.

Strategic Conversations will consist of four one-hour sessions held at 3:00pm Central Time/1:00pm Pacific Time each week. Sessions begin Wednesday, September 21 and continue Wednesday, September 28, Thursday, October 6, and Wednesday, October 12. Each session will focus on a different topic. Participants will be surveyed in advance to finalize topics.

There is no charge to participate. Register by September 2.

To facilitate conversation, participation is limited to 15 people.

2022-2023 LEAGUE VOLUNTEER COUNCIL

Our Mission

The purpose of the Volunteer Council is to support the mission of the League of American Orchestras by providing leadership, communication, and a resource link between the League and orchestra volunteers.

Leadership Committee

  • Janet Cabot, President (Madison, WI)
  • Laurie Skjerseth, President-Elect (Davenport, IA)
  • Bruce Colquhoun, Conference Chair (Spokane, WA)
  • Darlene Clark, Conference Chair-Elect (Houston, TX)
  • Julie Meredith, Immediate Past President (Arnold, MD)

Members

  • Sally Bullard (Philadelphia, PA)
  • Loretta Davenport (Chicago, IL)
  • Marena Gault (Dallas, TX)
  • Barbara Lake (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Kathy Leibrand (Kansas City, MO)
  • Charlotte Lewis (New Orleans, LA)
  • Ginny Lundquist (Detroit, MI)
  • Florence McLean (Baltimore, MD)
  • Paula McReynolds (Waco, TX)
  • Irene Sohm (Santa Rosa, CA)
  • Maggie Stehman (Washington, D.C.)

Ex-Officio Members

  • Carmen Stull, Washington, D.C. | Association of Major Symphony Orchestra Volunteers (AMSOV) Liaison
  • Douglas Hagerman, League of American Orchestras | President of the Board of Directors
  • Tresa Radermacher, Dyer, IN | Sustainer Liaison
  • Camille Williams, Little Rock, AR | Sustainer Liaison-Elect
  • Marylou Turner, Kansas City, MO | Sustainer Mentoring Program
  • Melanie Hausmann, League of American Orchestras | Staff Liaison
  • Simon Woods, League of American Orchestras | President & CEO