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Verd & Gini Stuckey and DCCA Executive Director Andrea Jordan
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Ami McClurkin
sponsors Toledo Symphony event
Verd and Gini Stuckey have donated funds in the name of their daughter,
Ami McClurkin, sponsoring the Saturday, April 25 “A Night at the
Oscars” performance by the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. Darke
County Center for the Arts presents an orchestral performance annually
as part of its Artists Series. DCCA Executive Director Andrea
Jordan stated, “DCCA counts itself very fortunate to have the support
of individuals who recognize the value of the performing arts and who
choose to give of their personal funds to help make the programs
accessible and more affordable. Their donation provides the
opportunity to experience the beauty of live performances in a jewel of
our community, St. Clair Memorial Hall,” she concluded.
Formed in 1943 as The Friends of Music, the Toledo Symphony has grown
from a group of twenty-two part-time musicians to become a regional
orchestra employing nearly eighty professional full-time musicians who
continue to grow in artistic quality and relevance, having ended their
2011 season with a critically acclaimed performance at Carnegie Hall.
TSO remains committed to taking music to the people, playing in venues
as varied as churches, schools, and universities, and supports
community arts organizations like DCCA by traveling to perform in
concert halls in small towns and rural areas.
DCCA is literally rolling out the red carpet for the show, and promises
other festive touches for our local “Night at the Oscars.” Although
you'll be welcome regardless of your attire, some DCCA officials plan
on dressing for the occasion, and invite you to join in the formal fun
if you are so inclined. But if you don't have a tux or a ball gown, or
have them but don't want to pull them out of the closet, you can still
revel in the merry music produced by skilled musicians who simply love
to play.
The performance by Toledo Symphony Orchestra will also feature a local
debut; the audience at St. Clair Memorial Hall will for the first time
see TSO being led by Grammy-nominated conductor Sara Jobin, whose
impressive credentials include having been the first woman to conduct a
main-stage subscription performance at the San Francisco Opera. While
studying piano at Tanglewood's summer music program, Ms. Jobin had the
opportunity to watch the great Leonard Bernstein conducting the Boston
Symphony Orchestra. “It felt like the musicians were playing their
souls with everything they had,” she remembers. The experience inspired
the teenager to become a conductor herself.
She strongly believes in a guiding principle espoused by her conducting
teacher, who taught that the conductor does not matter. “It's not about
you, it's about the music,” he said. In response, when Sara conducts,
she strives to “let go and lose myself in the music,” a process which
motivates orchestra members and entrances audiences, who also find
themselves lost in the marvelous sounds.
Jim and Enid Goubeaux and Greenville Federal are also sponsors of the
Toledo Symphony Orchestra performance. The performance is also
sponsored by the Ketrow Foundation and Lydia E. Schaurer Memorial Trust
Fund. Additionally, the Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with
state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence
and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. DCCA also receives operating
support from the Harry D. and Esther Stephens Memorial.
Tickets for Toledo Symphony Orchestra cost $30 for adults and $15 for
students. To order, contact DCCA at www.centerforarts.net or call
937-547-0908. Tickets will also be sold at the door. The
concert begins at 8:00 pm at Henry St. Clair Memorial Hall.
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