Record-Breaking Funds Raised to Support Music Education at “Friends of Note”

5/10/17

The North Carolina Symphony’s 2017 Friends of Note luncheon raised record-setting funds, bringing in nearly $100,000 to support its music education program, which is unrivaled by any symphony orchestra. On Tuesday, May 2, more than 350 community members who value the arts and education in North Carolina gathered at the Angus Barn in Raleigh to celebrate the importance of learning through music at this annual event.

Amid the Angus Barn’s atmosphere of rustic elegance, guests enjoyed a three-course lunch, music by a trio of NCS musicians, and a surprise performance by Rode Hard the Band, whose members all have careers outside of music. The performers included Jim Jenkins, Bruce Fawcett, John Fawcett, Tommy Goldsmith, Richard Nordan, Ron McFarlane, Duncan McMillian, Mike Payne, Dwane Powell, and Steve Petersen. Several of the band members grew up in North Carolina and were exposed to the North Carolina Symphony from a young age, proving that childhood music education leads to a lifelong love of music, regardless of whether it is professional or recreational.

NCS’s extensive music education program serves more than 55,000 students of all ages across the entire state of North Carolina annually. In alignment with the curriculum set by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the Symphony provides training and resources for teachers, sends small ensembles into classrooms, and presents full-orchestra Education Concerts for 4th and 5th graders. Music Discoveryfor preschoolers combines music with storytelling, and at the middle and high school levels, students have opportunities to work directly with NCS artists and perform for NCS audiences through programs such as the Kathleen Price and Joseph M. Bryan Youth Concerto Competition, Ovations pre-concert performances, and master classes with NCS musicians and guest artists.

Nearly everyone who grew up in North Carolina over the past seven decades shares the common thread of having experienced the Symphony as a child. The Friends of Note luncheon—together with ongoing support from individuals, foundations and corporations, and the State of North Carolina—allows the Symphony to fulfill its music education mission and build the next generation of music lovers.

Christiaan Heijmen and Donna Rhode, both of the executive search firm Vaco Raleigh and longtime Symphony friends, served as Co-Chairs of the 2017 Friends of Note Committee. The committee’s members included Debbie Aiken, Patty Briguglio, Wendy Burden, Melanie Dubis, Ravila Gupta, Alan Hughes, Geoff Lang, Rebecca Quinn-Wolf, and Doug Warf.

NCS gratefully acknowledges the Friends of Note Title Sponsor MetLife; Event Underwriters Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC and PNC Bank; Specialty Sponsors Carolina Hurricanes, Canvas on Demand, Fifth Third Private Bank, and Parker Poe; and the many corporations, foundations and individuals whose support helped to make this event possible.

Photos from the event are available for download here.

About the North Carolina Symphony
Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony (NCS) is a vital and honored component of North Carolina's cultural life. Its 175 concerts and events annually are greeted with enthusiasm by adults and schoolchildren in more than 90 North Carolina counties—in communities large and small, and in concert halls, auditoriums, gymnasiums, restaurants, clubs, and outdoor settings. The Symphony’s 66 full-time professional musicians perform under the artistic leadership of Music Director Grant Llewellyn.

NCS’s state headquarters venue is the spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh. The Symphony’s service across the state includes series in Chapel Hill, Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines, and Wilmington, as well as the Summerfest series at its summer home, the outdoor Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. Collaborating with performers that range from classical artists, to banjo players, to jazz bands, NCS brings some of the world’s greatest talents to North Carolina.Committed to engaging students of all ages across North Carolina, NCS leads the most extensive education program of any U.S. orchestra. In alignment with the curriculum set by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the Symphony provides training and resources for teachers, sends small ensembles into classrooms, and presents full-orchestra Education Concerts experienced by more than 55,000 4th and 5th graders each year. Music Discoveryfor preschoolers combines music with storytelling, and at the middle and high school levels, students have opportunities to work directly with NCS artists and perform for NCS audiences.

NCS is dedicated to giving voice to new art, and has presented 47 U.S. or world premieres in its history. In March 2017, NCS appeared at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., as one of four orchestras chosen for the inaugural year ofSHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras—an honor that recognized the Symphony’s innovative community partnerships and creative programming that inspires increased interest in new music.

The first state-supported symphony in the country, NCS performs under the auspices ofthe North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

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