News & Notes - August 2012

MEMBERSHIP

Almost Done…
Our members have contributed 7,080 hours of service to support the STL Symphony since September 1, 2011! Please report your 2011-2012 volunteer hours to your committee chairs no later than September 7 to be included in a special volunteer recognition program planned for the fall.

Committee Placement Days
Ready to get to work? It’s time to decide how you’d like to commit your volunteer hours to help the STL Symphony during the 2012-2013 season. Please take part in our annual sign-up process at one of the following committee placement days:

• Tuesday, August 14, 10:00am-1:00pm: SVA Office, Centene Center
• Thursday, August 16, 1:00-4:00pm: Schnucks Des Peres on the Mezzanine Level (12332 Manchester Rd.)
• Saturday, August 18, 9:00am-noon: St. Louis County Library Headquarters (1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd. across from Plaza Frontenac)
• Thursday, August 23, 4:00-7:00pm: SVA Office, Centene Center

Even if you plan to work on the same project(s) as in previous years, we kindly ask you take a few minutes to confirm your participation. This annual process ensures that the committee chairs can keep you informed and involved in the plans for each committee. You’ll also be able talk with SVA Executive Committee members to learn more about the functions of all our committees. We hope you’ll continue on your favorite committee(s) and possibly volunteer with a new SVA committee during the next year. We want you to be involved!

If you can’t stop by to sign up in person, please complete the committee sign up form and return to the SVA Office by the end of August.

Be a Friend and a Volunteer
Do you have a friend that enjoys the STL Symphony and is interested in exciting volunteer opportunities? Have them become a Friend of the Symphony with an annual donation of $60 or more and be sure to tell them to check the box about volunteering. Our Membership group will take it from there! Remember, there are no additional “dues” required to be a part of the SVA.

Special Offer from St. Louis Magazine
Click here for a subscription to St. Louis Magazine and AT HOME for only $19.95 and $6 will be donated back to the STL Symphony! 

Time to Update
The Membership Communications Committee is busy getting ready to update the annual membership directory. Is your listing up to date? Chair Hank Greer and Vice Chair Anne Carman request that each member review the listing in this year’s directory and submit any changes (name, address, phone numbers, e-mail address) by August 17 to Amee Colvin.

Amee will ensure that these changes are corrected in the database as this will be the information used in preparing the new directory. The Communications Committee plans to have the 2012-2013 directory ready for distribution at the Fall Membership Meeting.

SVA Membership Directory Updates
Please download an updated addendum for your 2011-2012 SVA Membership Directory.

SVA BOARD NEWS

We’re on a Mission!
The mission of the St. Louis Symphony is to enrich people’s lives through the power of music. The SVA will support this mission by focusing on three key goals through 2013:

• Increase SVA membership to 500 with 50% participation rate (current tally is 356 members with 49% participation)
• Increase SVA fund raising profits to exceed $250,000 (current tally is > $217,000)
• Increase direct contacts of SVA education projects and tours to 25,500 community members (current tally is > 21,000 direct contacts)

SVA Board Member Additions and Meeting Schedule
We are pleased to welcome the newest members to the SVA Board for the 2012-2013 season:

Janice Seele - Chair, Gypsy Caravan
Christine Henry - Vice Chair, Powell Hall Opportunities
Susan Hoffman - Chair, Nominating

The SVA Board schedule has been finalized for the coming year. Meetings will be held at noon at the Centene Center on the following dates:

• Thursday, September 13, 2012
• Thursday, November 8, 2012
• Thursday, March 14, 2013
• Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Please be sure to contact your committee chairs with any topics you would like added to the board meeting agendas.

FUNDRAISING

Now that’s a Party!
Parties of Note Chair Linda Lee and Vice Chair Anne von der Heydt are more than pleased to report that 13 parties for the 2012-2013 season are completely sold out with another four over 85% sold out. You won’t want to miss an evening of musical surprises with national recording artists Christine Brewer and Brian Owens or a magical evening in the Central West End with David and Miran Halen, so purchase your tickets today. Remaining reservations are available for purchase by the general public through the Powell Hall Box Office (click here or call 314-534-1700). 

The Parties of Note Committee will soon begin planning the next cycle of parties for the 2013-2014 season. To join this group, please contact Linda Lee or Anne von der Heydt.

Boutique Prepares for 2012-2013 Debut
The SVA Boutique Committee will hold a meet and greet reception at the Centene Center on Saturday, August 25 at 10:30am. This will be a time for all our current volunteers to get together and we will also discuss information we have about the upcoming 2012-2013 season. 

We are always delighted to welcome new members to our committee. If you are interested in working in the Boutique, please contactMarilyn Gordon or Rebecca Gorski.

Schnucks Shopping Supports the Symphony
Do you shop at Schnucks? If so, you can support the STL Symphony every time you pay your grocery bill.  Get a free eScrip Community Card at the store and designate the St. Louis Symphony as your preferred organization by registering your card online or by calling 1-800-931-6258. (Group ID 500006368) When you check out, just give the card to the cashier and a portion of your grocery bill will be donated to the STL Symphony.

EDUCATION

Youth Orchestra Expands Its Repertoire
Anyone who has attended a St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra (YO) concert can confirm that these young members are musically accomplished beyond their years. Did you know the STL Symphony now has seven YO alumni on its roster?

Now the YO will be able to widen its appeal to the entire St. Louis community—general admission tickets to upcoming YO concerts will now be free ($1 processing fee/ticket) and contributors to the YO will receive additional benefits. If you make a contribution of $150-249, you will receive 6 Dress Circle Box vouchers and the ticket handling fee will be waived. Contributors of $250 or more will receive 12 Dress Circle Box vouchers. Please note that your gift to the YO will be considered to be separate from your support as a Friend of the Symphony.

The 2012-2013 YO season includes the following concerts at Powell Hall:

• Friday, November 16, 2012 at 7:00pm
• Sunday, March 10, 2013 at 3:00pm
• Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 7:00pm

PTM Push for Participation
“Open the gates!” That’s the rallying cry from Picture the Music Committee Chair Margaret Lahrmann and Vice Chair Vi Steinmeyer this summer as they make plans to further increase participation in this exciting education project. The committee is working to increase participation and has developed a plan to target 15 different school districts. To date, phone calls and emails have been extremely encouraging. The Picture the Music team has already been invited by the Hazelwood and Saint Louis Public School districts to give presentations to teachers about this year’s competition.

Do you have any contacts at any of the targeted school districts? (Archdiocese of St. Louis, Clayton, Fox C-6, Hazelwood, Kirkwood, Lutheran Elementary School Association, Mehlville, New City School, Parkway, Pattonville, Riverview Gardens, Rockwood, Valley Park, University City, Webster Groves) Or, would you like to volunteer for Picture the Music? Please forward this information toMargaret or Vi and learn how you can volunteer to get more involved.

Come Out and Play with Us
Instrument Playground Chair Marilyn Holmes and Vice Chair Kitty Pearl, working with Dacy Gillespie, Education Programs Manager at the STL Symphony, will host an IP Workshop this summer. IP committee members will meet in the Whitaker Room at Powell Hall on August 10 from 10am until 2pm. The day’s agenda includes a workshop with Dacy and STL Symphony musicians as well as a committee meeting to discuss the upcoming year of IP activities. Please contact Marilyn Holmes at 314-961-7378 to RSVP for the workshop.

SVA OFFICE

New Route to Centene Center
You can now travel to the SVA Office much more easily. Two lanes of traffic are open on the new $19.5 million bridge carrying South Grand Boulevard over the railroad lines between Highway 40 and Chouteau Avenue. The remaining lanes are anticipated to be open by September.

Recycling Revisited
Thank you to all SVA members who make the extra effort to recycle paper, boxes, plastic bottles and cans when they come to the SVA Office for meetings or project work. Our green recycle bins are frequently filled. If you or your work group has “topped off” a bin, please take a few moments to take the contents to the lower level of the Centene Center.

As a reminder, please be sure to break down all boxes before placing them in the bins. Earth Circle Recycling has placed additional bins on the lower level to handle the increased volume of recycling being done by all groups in the Centene Center. All materials for recycling must be placed inside the designated lower level bins or they will not be picked up.

SVA Office Location and Directions
Centene Center for Arts and Education
3547 Olive St., Suite 370
St. Louis, MO 63103
NEW! Summer Office Hours: Mon, Wed 8:00am-5:00pm; Tues, Thurs 9:00am-6:00pm; Fri 9:00am-Noon 

SVA committee meetings can be scheduled at the SVA office with Director of Volunteer Activities, Amee Colvin. For these pre-arranged committee meetings, parking is available in the SLU lot just east of the Centene Center. Please obtain a parking sign from your committee chair prior to the meeting and place it on your car’s dashboard. This will indicate that you are with the SVA and you will not be charged. All of the parking spots have numbers, but none of the spaces are reserved.

A member of your SVA committee should be available in the Centene Center lobby to let you into the building. If you arrive late and no one is there, use the call box at the street entrance. Scroll down to “Symphony Volunteer Association,” hit the call button, and Amee will respond. You may also call the office directly at 314-289-4168 for building entrance.