eNotes :: It's Spring, Oh Joy!

April 2023 eNotes

Dear Friend,

It’s finally springtime in the foothills and things are really hopping for the Auburn Symphony. “April showers bring May flowers” — and they surely will next month when we gather at the Mondavi Center in Davis at 3:00 p.m. on Mother’s Day Sunday, May 14th, for our Season Finale: Ode to Joy! Get your tickets NOW through the Mondavi Box Office, through the website (scroll down to May 14), or by phone at 530-754-2787. After buying your tickets, check online parking information and you can easily get your parking pass online. The stage will be filled that day with musicians, guest artists, and the Music in the Mountains Choir for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Our Mother’s Day performances are known to be “better than chocolates or flowers” and you won’t want to miss this one.

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Speaking of joy -- our final Masterworks Concert last month was a resounding success by all measures and guest artist Gabriel Martins wowed us with his ability to “become one with his cello", as I heard from one expressive patron. (The fact that it was a beautiful four-hundred-year-old cello in the hands of a musical prodigy under 30 years old just added to our pleasure!) Thanks for filling our historic concert hall at Placer High School as we showed the love to our orchestra and guest.

In the gratitude department, huge thanks to all who supported our very successful Gala Fundraiser on March 26th, including the online silent auction that closed to furious last-minute bidding on Monday, March 27th. Our night of “Magical Moments!” was a sell-out success and we could not have done it without you!

Our favorite teen helpers were back, the Leo Club from Placer High — big shout-out to them as they graciously chose us as a service project. We can never thank them enough, so if you want to support them and the Auburn Host Lions Club, you can learn more about their upcoming fundraiser.

The evening boasted a roving magician, tributes to great friends of the Auburn Symphony, a wonderful performance by the 2023 Young Artists Competition Grand Prize winner, cellist Benjamin Jiang, spirited and generous giving that helps fund the orchestra and programs, and Maestro Murray’s reveal of next season’s programming!

Many of our guests were first-time attendees that night, and one newcomer said, “It was clear how much you do to create a vibrant Symphony community with flair and grace. Truly remarkable!” If you were not able to join us, you will hear much more in the months to come about “The Magic of Music!” Let’s just say … the playlist for each concert is awesome and the season culminates with our traditional trek on Mother’s Day to the Mondavi Center for a very magical event; full details coming your way soon! Maestro Murray shared that, as excited as he was for this season’s programming, he’s even more excited for next season!

It takes many hands to make this magic, and we recently added two new Directors to our Symphony Board of Directors that I’d like to introduce. Gretchen Krugler has been an ASO patron and fan for about 10 years and wanted to join our Board following her retirement from the corporate world. She was impressed with the quality of the orchestra and variety of programs, especially the demonstrated commitment to music education in our schools. Gretchen brings expert finance, organizational and human relations experience to the Board and has enthusiastically jumped in to activities that show our love to the orchestra and donors, as well as an active website redesign project that will improve your customer experience.

We also welcomed Jim Leidigh, who wanted to join the Board as a way of giving back to his community. He retired from his 40-year career in Silicon Valley as an electronics engineer when he and wife Pat moved to Auburn around 12 years ago, happy to discover the charms of the Auburn Symphony! Jim brings us extensive management and executive experience, and spent the last 12 years in volunteer leadership of the Auburn Valley Community Services District, responsible for neighborhood water and sewer services. He says, “Music is a great pleasure in my life, and I hope that by serving on the AS Board, I can bring the gift of music to others.” We are indeed fortunate to have these energetic advocates join our ranks — please say hello and thank them when you cross paths in the concert hall.

Our musician spotlight this month shines on Principal Oboe Curtis Kidwell who has been with the orchestra since 2003, when he was invited by Michael Goodwin. I first met Curtis three years ago when the Board was appointing a Music Director Search Committee and Curtis was elected by his peers as one of two representatives from the orchestra to serve on that committee. We had our first meeting in person in March 2020, and then went into a pandemic lockdown where Zoom took over our entire process! Curtis brought a wealth of knowledge and experience since he had been through the hiring process with other organizations. Our 8-person committee often relied on him as a “subject matter expert” who was invaluable in the process of sifting through the 50+ applications from candidates all over the world.

Curtis has been playing the oboe since he was in his teens and makes his living as a private teacher. One of his favorite orchestra memories is from a KinderKonzert (forerunner of the Family Concert), when an overly enthusiastic Sugar Plump Fairy good-naturedly tossed candy into the orchestra and he found himself “ducking and weaving". A few fun facts about Curtis you may not know: this native of Monterey wears shorts any chance he can get (even when it’s cold and rainy!) and he makes fine quality glycerin soap in his spare time! We are so fortunate to have this skillful and dedicated musician with us — thanks, Curtis, for everything!

Our annual Big Day of Giving (Big DoG) is rapidly approaching (Thursday, May 4th) so I want to give it a mention before we sign off. This now-familiar fundraiser is so much bigger than our small nonprofit, that it is truly a time to give where your heart is. If you think we are doing the work in the community that you value and want to see continued, please consider Auburn Symphony on Big DoG. Every donation is appreciated so much, no matter the size!

Our next artists collaboration is with the North Auburn Art Studios Tour at their Preview Reception on April 29th from 6-8 p.m. at Fawnridge Winery, 10024 Linnet Lane, Auburn. You can enjoy a tour preview, meet the artists and enjoy some local wine and appetizers while listening to the strains of an Auburn Symphony String Quartet. It will be a lovely spring evening full of art & music!