News & Notes - March 2013

MEMBERSHIP

The New President-Elect Is…
Following a delicious brunch and an informative program with featured speakers Jim Connett and Tom Sudholdt from the Radio Arts Foundation, SVA members present for the Winter Membership Meeting at The Highlands on Saturday, March 2 were the first to learn the identity of the new President-Elect. Congratulations and best wishes to Sara Fabick as she starts her term of office on May 3!

Rescheduled Reception
Because of inclement weather on Thursday, February 21, the reception that was planned for new and prospective SVA members has been rescheduled for Monday, April 8 at 6:00pm at the home of Anne and Jack Bader of Frontenac. Do you have a friend who would like to be engaged as a volunteer on behalf of the STL Symphony? This informal wine and cheese event is a great way to introduce them to our organization and projects. Please contact Penny Bari for more information.

Volunteer Hours Recorded
The SVA has recorded 1,587 hours of volunteer service from 61 members to date this season. Be sure you are part of the 2012-2013 M-O-R-E Volunteer program! M-O-R-E Volunteers (contributing 50 or more volunteer hours) receive a bright red tag to add to their volunteer name badge as a special acknowledgement of service. Report your hours when convenient to the appropriate committee chair or vice chair—monthly, quarterly, annually—or whenever it makes sense for you.

The League is Coming! The League is Coming!
Where can you volunteer for the STL Symphony and attend a national conference at the same time? Please start thinking about your volunteer availability when the STL Symphony hosts the League of American Orchestras’ (LAO) 68th Annual Conference June 17-20, 2013. The meeting will offer a variety of seminars and sessions to nearly 1,000 attendees aimed at strengthening orchestras across the country. The STL Symphony and Youth Orchestra will have featured performances you will not want to miss.

The conference has not been held in St. Louis since the 1960s, so this is an incredible opportunity to spotlight the STL Symphony as well as the city of St. Louis. Approximately 100 volunteers will be needed to help with the success of this important conference. Volunteers working at least one shift of four hours will have the possibility to attend one of the conference seminars. Contact Becky Brown for more details and watch for the volunteer call this spring.

Your Directory Needs a Home 
Several SVA members have yet to pick up their 2012-2013 SVA Membership Directory. Please choose from one of these options to pick up your copy soon:

• Make an appointment with Amee to stop by the SVA office at Centene.
• Contact the committee chair of your choice to bring your directory to an upcoming committee meeting.
• Planning to attend a concert at Powell Hall? Contact Amee by Thursday of that week and your directory will be waiting for you at the Boutique on the weekend.

Each member may now access this informative resource online. Contact a member of the SVA Board or Amee Colvin for the password to access this file. The directory will be updated with new members and corrections each month so you will always have the latest contact information for each member. Please be sure to notify Amee of any changes to your listing.

BOARD NEWS

SVA Board Meetings: Thursday, March 14 and Wednesday, June 5 at noon,
Centene Center-Laclede Conference Room

We’re on a Mission!
The mission of the STL 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 (FY13 result through February = 380 members with 20.3% participation)
• Increase fundraising profits to exceed $250,000 (FY13 result through January = $35,963)
• Increase direct contacts of education projects and tours to 25,500 community members (FY13 result through February = 20,413 direct contacts)

FUNDRAISING

Come One, Come All to Pick A Party!
You do not want to miss the fun on Sunday, April 21 at Plaza Frontenac. The Parties of Note committee has planned another spectacular Pick a Party! where SVA members and their guests have first opportunity to purchase some of the unique parties being planned for the 2013-2014 season. Here’s a sampling of a few of the 30+ special parties:

• An amazing evening with David Halen and other STL Symphony principal musicians at The St. Louis Woman’s Club
• An exciting performance by the Cornerstone Chorale
• A dining experience and conversation with Bill McClellan
• A special event hosted by Tricia and Thomas Jӧstlein
• A wonderful day at a beautiful and uniquely-styled home in Hermann, MO
• Back by popular demand…Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Christmas Tea at Joan Fiala’s
• An evening at the Ober Anderson Gallery and the opportunity to go home with a painting

All SVA members and past attendees will receive an invitation. Do we have all your friends on this list? If not, please forward their names, mailing and email addresses to Amee Colvin at the SVA office. Questions? Contact Linda Lee or Anne von der Heydt.

Want to volunteer to help at Pick a Party? Contact Jean Saunders to sign up for a shift.

Step into the FOG
Be a Friend of Gypsy (FOG) and support the 41st annual Gypsy Caravan. Project Leader Sara Fabick challenges all SVA members to join this team for the SVA’s #1 fundraiser supporting the STL Symphony. You can become a FOG by making a minimum contribution of $10 to help raise money to defray expenses for the fourth annual Gypsy Caravan Shopper’s Guide.

All contributions that SVA members make will be listed on a special acknowledgement page in the Guide. The Shopper’s Guide has been a big hit with our vendors and attendees.

Click here to find out how to make your donation. Sign up today and be proud to be a FOG!

Reaching the Community for Gypsy Caravan
The countdown is on and Gypsy Caravan is just a few months away. Now in its 41st consecutive year, this fun Memorial Day tradition will bring thousands of shoppers to the UMSL campus in search of all kinds of bargains and treasures. Dierbergs Markets is partnering with the SVA to sell discounted tickets (wristbands) for entry to this year’s event. Whether you are an early bird shopper or prefer to come later in the day, consider buying your ticket at Dierbergs. You’ll save money and avoid waiting in long lines to get into the event!   

EDUCATION

Start the Art!
The 23rd Annual Picture the Music Awards Ceremony was held at Powell Hall on Thursday, February 28 for participating students in grades K-6, parents, family, teachers, and other educators. This year 17,430 students from 104 private, public, parochial, and home schools participated in the program.

After listening to Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition: The Great Gate of Kiev, children created works of art on paper in their classrooms. Teachers pre-judged the submissions and sent in over 600 entries. Seven professional judges then conducted the final review to determine the 100 top finalists. Awards in four categories were announced by Ron Klemm, Manager at Classic99.com and presented to all 100 children by Tina Ward, STL Symphony clarinetist and Becky Brown, SVA President.

The Picture the Music committee worked tirelessly to bring this project to fruition. Chair Margaret Lahrmann and Vice Chair Vi Steinmeyer have made arrangements so the public can also enjoy the beautiful artwork. Following an exhibition at Powell Hall through mid-March, the artwork will be on view at the following venues:

• March 11-21: Plaza Frontenac
• March 22-31: St. Louis Public Library-Schlafly Branch
• April 2-16: St. Peters Cultural Arts Centre
• April 17-25: The Magic House

More Play!
Success breeds more requests! The Instrument Playground committee continues a very busy winter. Two more Adopt-a-Schools were visited in February and volunteers staffed a Family Concert at Powell Hall prior to the performance. On February 28, committee members helped eager children play instruments prior to the Picture the Music Awards Ceremony.

Five more IP activities are already scheduled for March and April. Volunteers will also be scheduled to work at the Children’s Corner at Gypsy Caravan on Memorial Day. Another training session with STL Symphony musicians and the Education Department is being planned for late summer. Contact Marilyn Holmes to get involved.

Get in the Express Lane
There is still time to help with Express the Music committee tasks prior to the Awards Ceremony at Powell Hall on Thursday, April 11. Nearly 500 entries were received for this year’s competition with close to 2,000 students participating. SVA volunteers met on February 16 to conduct the initial judging and finalists were sent to a panel of four professional judges to complete this year’s evaluations. Contact Chair Phyllis Traub to learn about volunteer opportunities. 

SVA OFFICE LOCATION & DIRECTIONS

Centene Center for Arts and Education
3547 Olive St., Suite 370
St. Louis, MO 63103
Office Hours: 9:00am–5:00pm

SVA committee meetings can be scheduled at the SVA office with Director of Volunteer Activities, Amee Colvin.

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.