Volume 65 Fourth Movement April 2014 A Quarterly Publication of the Oklahoma City Orchestra League, Inc.

OpusOpusOpus Opus

A great visionary and activist, Nelson Mandela once said, “The impossible becomes possible when it’s done.” For most of my life, I have lived on a farm in eastern Canadian County. However, after visiting a large metropolitan city like San Francisco or New York, I have often imagined living in a sky rise complex overlooking a beautiful cityscape. That dream became a reality as I watched the 18

th floor penthouse of Founders Tower being transformed into a luxurious and sophisticated

home—in my own nearby metropolitan city.

To Founders Tower Condominiums, LLC who loaned this property for our short “four-month” visit (but year-long project); to the gracious residents and tenants of Founders Tower who share their space and tolerate our nuisance; to the Show House Board who work tirelessly and coopera-tively; to the myriad of committed volunteers who donate generously their time and expertise--I sin-cerely thank you! To Nancy Newton who volunteered to serve as co-chair in late March, I am astonished that you would be so willing to help and so appreciate your doing so!

To each member of the Orchestra League, please be an active part of this wonderful project. Remember that each hour you volunteer and each dollar you spend helps support the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and our exceptional music education programs.

Call the League office today and volunteer your time! Purchase our exclusive Show House bracelet to show eve-ryone your support! Join us Thursday, May 1, at the Gen-eral Membership Meeting and tour the dream penthouse! Invite all your friends and neighbors to view this unique resi-dence! Shop the 360 Degree Boutique for exceptional gifts and accessories! Dine in the Café Royale for lunch and fel-

lowship.

Make our dream of music education for

everyone your own!

Rhonda White, 2014 Symphony Show House Chair

The “High” Living Daylights

OPUS Volume 65 Fourth Movement page 2

Spring is in the air! It is Symphony Show House time!

Volunteers and designers have been working tirelessly to transform the Founders Tower Penthouse into the 2014 Symphony Show House which opens May 3rd – May 18

th.

Co-chairs Rhonda White and Nancy Newton have been coordinating all of the details with the designers, vendors and various committees to ensure a spectacular Show House. We hope to see you there!

As you are aware we have engaged ESCCO, a non-profit organization comprised of business professionals within Central Oklahoma. These local business professionals volunteer their time and talents as consultants to improve the business performance of non-profits. A portion of this engagement expense has been offset by an Allied Arts grant. ESCCO website link: http://www.escco-online.org//

Some of their past clients are Allied Arts, Campfire USA, Catholic Charities, Chesapeake Boathouse, Citizens Caring for Children, Edmond Public Schools, Goodwill Industries, and YWCA to mention only a few. A more detailed list can be viewed at http://www.escco-online.org/pages/List_of_all_clients.

ESCCO will provide the League with an independent review of the organization and help identify the changes needed to ensure long-term success of the league. I appointed Deanna Pendleton, Incoming President 2014-2015 and Julia Hunt, President Elect 2015-2016 to be the project leaders. They will be key in the process and will work closely with the ESCCO team during and after the assessment to implement any recommended changes.

The review will be completed by June 30, 2014 with a final report of suggestions provided to us. This infor-mation is vital in developing our annual budgets and spending portions of our education programs, music competitions, fundraisers and volunteer activities for future years. I am excited to be working with ESCCO and the implementation of the strategic planning guide. These changes will help strengthen the League and the future of our organization.

As I enter the last few months as President of the League, I want to take this time to thank everyone within the League who has encouraged, supported and influenced me during my tenure. This has been one of the most fulfilling and exciting times of both my career and personal life. I am honored to have been able to serve the almost 300 volun-teers and be involved within the community by supporting orchestral music and music education.

Best Regards, Debbie

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ~~ Mother Teresa

Greetings from the President

Dear League members:

This 25th Anniversary Season of the OKC Philharmonic has been absolutely spectacular. Ticket

sales rose dramatically, contributed income was very strong, and the music even seemed better. There has been a palpable ‘buzz’ in the community, and I know that you’ve felt it, too.

I hope you know that your efforts are a big part of this success. As you are ‘out and about’, talk-ing with friends and colleagues about the League’s work and about the Philharmonic, you help make a difference. You help us both connect with people far and wide. Even if these people don’t ever come to a concert, or volunteer at Show House, or visit a school to help support music education, at least they are

hearing about our good work. It all helps. The Orchestra League is one of our best (2nd

only to the musicians of the Phil-harmonic) voices in our community. You help spread the word every single day, and we appreciate it.

Congratulations on a terrific year, and we at the Phil look forward to many more years of celebrating this great partnership that we share.

Most sincerely, Eddie

OPUS Volume 65 Fourth Movement page 3

EARLY BIRD TICKET SALES

Early Bird ticket sales will be available to members this year—6 for $40.

Enclose your self addressed stamped envelope and send to the office:

OCOL, Centennial Building, 3815 N. Santa Fe, Suite 105, OKC 73118

Name____________________________________________________________

Address__________________________________________________________

Number of tickets @ 6 for $40_________________________________________

Deadline April 18

On March 9th, the 2014 Show House Preview Party, "For Your Eyes Only,” was held at the Founders Tower. Members and guests had an added surprise in store when they circled the drive to the front entrance. On display was a collection of Shelby Cobras brought by members of the Oklahoma City Cobra Club who were there to kibitz about the car—a feature especially enjoyed by the men in attendance.

Inside the lobby was an afternoon buffet, catered by Josh Valentine, with beer tasting from Gary Shellman of Mustang Brewery and Joullian wine provided by Dick and Jeannette Sias.

The penthouse was a "work in progress" by our Interior Designers and gave visitors a sneak peak of the amaz-ing views and designs that will be presented to the public on May 3. Some rooms were finished and some in their origi-nal condition, showing what a huge job our Designers take on when they agree to participate in the Show House. De-signers were on hand to answer questions about painting techniques or furniture choices. The most asked question of the day was "How did you get all that furniture in those tiny elevators?”

A student quartet, winners of the Buttram String Quartet Music Competition, held in February, serenaded us during the afternoon viewing. Students were Anita Dumar, First Violin, Kevie Yu, Second Violin and Julia Weldon, Cel-lo. Not present but a part of the quartet is Vincent Po, Violist. These students live in the Edmond, Norman and Harrah areas and were participants in one of the Orchestra Leagues seventeen music education programs, supported in part by the Show House.

Co-Chairs for the delightful afternoon were Kenna Singletary and Rhonda White

“FOR YOUR EYES ONLY” PREVIEW PARTY

Shelby Cobra cars from the OKC Cobra Club displayed in front of

Founders Tower.

Designers SaDawna Coburn and son, Chase Coburn

Preview Party

Chairmen Kenna Singletary

and Rhonda White

Student winners at the recent OCOL Music Competition:

Anita Dumar, Kevie Yu and Julia Weldon

OPUS Volume 65 Fourth Movement page 4

Do you enjoy children’s stories? Do you

enjoy music? If you answered “Yes!” to those

two questions, then you would love our Musical

Stories program!

Musical Stories is an education program that

combines narrated children’s stories and music.

Beginning out of a partnership with the Children’s

Center in Bethany to expose medically fragile

patients to music, this program has expanded

over the years to include performances at other

area venues, including libraries and festivals.

Musician John Schimek has composed music for seven favorite children’s books, including Slowly,

Slowly, Slowly Said the Sloth, Tippy-Toe, Chick Go!, Green Eggs and Ham, and The Bear Wants

More.

Four performances take place each year at the Children’s Center with support from Mr. and Mrs.

Patrick Alexander, while additional performances take place over the summer at libraries and festi-

vals all across the metro. Past locations have included Edmond, Mustang, El Reno, Oklahoma

City, Norman, Moore, Yukon, Choctaw, Warr Acres, Midwest City, and Easter Seals in OKC.

Musical Stories was the recipient of a 2012 Cox Connects Foundation Grant, allowing us to take

the program to an additional four venues during the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 fiscal years. One of

these performances included the OU Children’s Hospital in downtown OKC. What a wonderful time

we had with the patients and families!

We are continuing to look for other funding opportunities to help us expand this program even

more. If you know of an individual or a foundation who might be interested, please contact Kirsten

Hawley, Education Vice-President, at route45628@earthlink.net.

Keep your eye on the OKC Orchestra League cal-

endar for upcoming performances! We list all per-

formances on the website’s calendar and in the

monthly memos. Hope to see you at a perfor-

mance soon!!

Kirsten Hawley, VP Education

Music Education Matters : Musical Stories

OPUS Volume 65 Fourth Movement page 5

A new OCOL committee, the Philharmonic Liaison Committee, was formed in 2001. Chaired by Cheryl Vaughan, its goal was to promote personal interaction between OCOL and the orchestra. One step toward this goal was that of including an article about one of the musicians telling about their backgrounds, professional achievements, personal interests and activities in each issue of the OPUS. This feature, with the heading Philharmonic Profile, was intended to make it possible for League members to get to know the individual musicians as persons. Cheryl Vaughan authored them for the first 3 years; in the 10 years since, 36 musicians have been “profiled.” During long, conversational interviews with each of them a general picture of “our mu-sicians” has emerged. Without exception, they love music and playing in the Philharmonic - it is far more than just a job. They are highly trained professionals, most having begun the study of music in their early grade school years. While devoted to their art, each of them has a wide diversity of interests and skills both within and beyond the realm of music.

All of this is true of cellist Jim Shelley, a veteran of the OKC Philharmonic. He joined the orchestra in 1989, shortly after it was formed and Joel Levine became its conductor. Not unlike many of his fellow players, Jim began pri-vate music lessons at age 10, having chosen cello as his instrument. His interest never flagged, by high school he was active in both concert and marching bands as well as orchestra. Following graduation from OKC Northeast High School he enrolled at the University of Central Oklahoma, earning a Bachelor of Music (performance) in 1985 and a Master of Music Education in 1987. By 1992 his career as a music educator was well under way – he was teaching classes in Oklahoma City and Norman elementary and middle schools and soon became the Orchestra Director at Alcott Middle School in Norman.

Along the way, Jim Shelley learned to play violin and guitar which broadened his music related interests to in-clude performance in a variety of settings. Described as a “very busy performing musician,” he is a long-time member of the touring ensemble Go for Baroque, he has performed with ensembles including the Edmond Quartet, Oklahoma Strings, Mid-America String Quartet, the summer festival Music from Greer and with the newly formed Edmond Cham-ber Orchestra. While he may favor chamber music, his performances also include playing cello at Crossings Church and enjoying weekly sessions on guitar with two stage bands aptly named “Endangered Species” and “Star Cruisers.”

Truly an “eclectic artist,” in the last few years Jim has added another dimension of artistic endeavor in the form of fused glass creations. This interest has developed into a thriving business called ”Jasworx by Jim Shelley” which has taken the place of classroom teaching in his life. Working from sheets of colored glass, he creates a variety of hand-made objects including jewelry, ornaments and dishes which he displays on his website and offers for sale at art shows.

An active partner in this business is Jim’s wife Melanie, who also has another career in her own right. She is Associate Dean and Professor in the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Arts Management at Oklahoma City Uni-versity and also designs costumes for the American Spirit Dance Company. She has earned acclaim for her teaching for many years as well as numerous credits for her choreography apart from her work at OCU.

Despite his demanding and enviably fulfilling work life, Jim allows himself time for his favorite pastimes. High on his list is traveling to the mountains for hiking and camping. At home he enjoys gardening, cycling and especially disc golf. Jim Shelley is representative of all of the musicians we see on stage at Philharmonic concerts. Formally dressed and completely engrossed in their performance, we view them only as musicians but each one has an impres-sive history and an interesting personal life which we come to know as they share their story in Philharmonic Pro-files.

I am grateful to OCOL for having had the opportunity to write these “musician articles” for the OPUS since 2004. It was great fun talking with the musicians who were so generous with their time and I thoroughly enjoyed telling their stories. I

think the Philharmonic Liaison Committee was a great idea!

Jay Bass

PHILHARMONIC PROFILE JIM SHELLY, CELLIST

BY JAY BASS

OPUS Volume 64 Fourth Movement page 6

This year’s OL Gala incorporated a James Bond theme called SkyBall. Approximately 200

people attended this year’s event, which included a buffet of delicious food prepared by Top Chef Finalist

Josh Valentine, chef for The George Prime Steakhouse, and a chance to win a wonderful item from the live

and silent auctions. As patrons arrived in the lobby, they enjoyed music courtesy of the Youth Orchestra

League, directed by Christy Fine, and an opportunity to select a bottle of wine

from over 100 bottles from the wine pull. The VIP attendees had the opportunity

to watch Chef Valentine create a delec- table mousse appetizer which was

served with a glass of champagne. As patrons stepped off of the elevators

into the penthouse, they were greeted with a glass of wine served by OSU

Tau Beta Chapter, Chi Omega sorority members and a custom made 6 ft.

lighted acrylic piece of art displaying the SkyBall logo. (pictured)

Each room was filled with lighted bistro tables creating a modern up-

scale feel, and two lighted bars which prominently featured the OL logo.

Everyone had the opportunity to dance to the soft jazz sounds provided by the

Heather Nelson band. After the buffet was served, the live auction began

which included items such as a David Yurman pearl and sterling silver ring, a

framed Kevin Durant jersey, and a fur vest. Attendees also had the oppor-

tunity to bid on numerous items from the silent auction, including autographed

OSU and OU footballs and basketballs, artwork from local artists, and fine jew-

elry. One of the Philharmonic’s music programs, offered at various schools, was selected as a “fund a pro-

gram” auction item. Patrons were asked to bid on the program “We’ve Got Rhythm” and $3,700 was raised

from this unique opportunity to support this incredible program.

Special thanks to Drs. Julie and James Lowe for supporting the Gala by agreeing to be the first time

ambassadors, the OSU Chi Omega sorority girls for their hard work, and Orchestra League members who

volunteered their time to help this year’s Gala be a success .

Laurie Barbour and Sherry Crosthwait, Skyball Chairs

You are cordially invited to attend the

OCOL Annual Meeting at the Show House

May 1, 2014 6:00 pm

SH Café Tent at Founders Tower

5900 Mostellar Drive OKC

Cost is $25 Per person.

Mail checks to the office or call Julie for reservations.

Reservations are required.

OPUS Volume 64 Third Movement page 7

Fine Dining Classic II was held on March 13, 2014, at the Tasting Room at 4322 N. Western in Oklahoma City. Chef Kurt Fleischfresser prepared a fantastic meal with a Mediterranean theme, consisting of Salmon Tournedos, Sweet Potato Bisque, Lamb with polenta and Lem-on Cake. Wines were presented by Scott Witherby and paired with each course. All the guests enjoyed an evening of fabulous food, good wine and lively conversation. A rare Note-

Able Occasion where all the work was on Chef Kurt and his staff!

Co-chairs for the evening were Carol Bowman, Casey Hasenbeck and Cheri Weintraub.

Fine Dining Classics II : Note-Able Occasions

YUMMY !

Oklahoma City Orchestra League, Inc.

Centennial Building, 3815 N. Santa Fe, Suite 105, Oklahoma City, OK 73118.

Email—orchleag@coxinet.net

Phone—405-601-4245 Fax—405-601-4275

Cherii Weintraub and Carol Bowman

Chef Kurt Fleischfresser

Friends enjoying the evening.

BUTTRAM COMPETITIONS

String Quartet Winner

Anita Dumar, 1st violin, Harrah

Kevie Yu, 2nd violin, Edmond

Vincent Po, Violist, Edmond

Julia Weldon, cello, Norman

Buttram Overall and Cello Winner

Julia Weldon, Norman

Buttram Violin Winner

Vincent Po, Edmond

Buttram Viola Winner

Vincent Po, Edmond

Buttram String Bass Winner

Katie Hart, Norman

CARVER COMPETITION

Carver Overall and Woodwind Winner

Olivia Fletcher, Stillwater

Carver Brass Winner

Matthew Syring, Edmond

Carver Percussion Winner

Joshua Bartrug, Edmond

GILLIAM COMPETITON

Gilliam First Place Winner

Nathaniel Parker, Oklahoma City

Gilliam Second Place Winner

Xinyue Wang, Norman

Gilliam Third Place Winner

Alina Ryzhkov, Broken Arrow

HAIRE COMPETITION

Haire Guitar First Place Winner

Audrey Oden, Oklahoma City

Haire Guitar Second Place Winner

Chris Gower, Oklahoma City

Haire Guitar Third Place Winner

Collin Holloway, Oklahoma City

KEITH COMPETITIONS

Keith Cello and Overall Winner

Jonathan Dumar, Harrah

Keith Violin Winner

Tanner Thomas, Oklahoma City

Seymour Levine Memorial Award

Stephen Zhang, Stillwater

Bunchie Payne Memorial Award

Henry Ingles, Norman

MEINDERS COMPETITION

Meinders First Place Winner

Gabrielle Thng, Tulsa

Meinders Second Place Winner

Michael Lee, Edmond

Meinders Honorable Mention

Daniel Yao, Edmond

Mesissa Landes, Tuttle

Samuel Pangestu, Tulsa

TAX REFORM ACT OF 2014

Draft Proposal

The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee discussion draft for compre-hensive tax reform offers sweeping changes to the tax code, many of which apply directly to the tax-exempt sector. The draft proposes an increase in the standard deduction which is designed to encourage up to 95 percent of taxpayers to use the standard deduction instead of filing itemized tax returns. Consistent with current law, only taxpayers that file itemized returns would be able to claim a deduction for charitable giving.

Among other proposals, the draft establishes a two percent floor for charitable donations to qualify for a deduction. Thus, taxpayers could only deduct the amount of their charitable giving that exceeds two percent of their Adjusted Gross Income. The Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation found that imposing the two percent floor would reduce giving. On the positive side, the proposed legislation includes a provision specifically intended to increase charita-ble giving by extending the deadline from December 31

st to April 15

th for making a charitable gift and

claiming it on the prior year’s tax return. The Urban Institute estimates that charities lose $3 of char-itable gifts for every $1 gained in federal tax revenue due to the December 31

st deadline.

Unrelated to the Tax Reform Act of 2014 draft, there will likely be a Senate-specific advocacy campaign for permanent reinstatement of the IRA rollover in the support of Sen. Schumer’s 2013 bill.

Cinda Lafferty, Governmental Affairs Chair

COMPETITIONS REPORTS EXCITING EVENT

(see complete winners list on insert page)

OCU’s Bass Hall was a busy place on February 16th as 98 students from kindergarten

through 12th grade competed in six competitions for strings, piano, brass, percussion and

classical guitar. Winners were awarded generous cash prizes as well as a medal recognizing

their musical accomplishments.

Winners in each division then performed in concert the following Sunday afternoon.

The Carver Percussion winner, Joshua Bartrug from Yukon, played a Marimba Concerto and

was invited by Maestro Joel Levine to perform in the Side by Side Concert with the symphony this spring.

These competitions are made possible by the generous support of our sponsors: Mr. Randy Buttram,

the Buttram Competition in honor of his grandparents, Merle and Frank Buttram; Mrs. William Abney, the

Carver Competition in memory of her daughter, Lauren Carver; Mr. and Mrs. R. Drake Keith, the Keith Com-

petition; Mr. Herman Meinders; the Meinders Competition in honor of his wife, LaDonna; Mr. and Mrs. Mike

Gilliam, the Gilliam Competition; and Mr. William H. Haire and family, the Haire Competition in honor of Don-

na Marie Haire.

A successful event requires a lot of help and a big thanks goes to our 21 judges, members of Sigma

Alpha Iota sorority and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity at OCU, Dean Mark Parker and the staff of Bass Hall

and especially our 65 hardworking OCOL volunteers and the many, many league members who provided

food for our hungry kids, their families and workers throughout the day. THANK YOU!!

(See Winner’s listed on reverse) Judy Denwalt, VP Competitions

OCOL GENERAL MEETING Monday, February 10, 2014 St. Luke’s United Methodist Church

Debbie Minter, President, called the meeting to order. Peggy Lunde made a motion to accept the minutes as printed in the OPUS, Pam Shoulders seconded the motion, motion passed. Patsy Lucas introduced new members Shana Sims, Linda Swanson and Dr. Helen Chu. Membership Vice Presidents said they are over half way to their goal of 40 new members. Wanda Reynolds reported on the success of Racing at Remington in November. Sue Francis and Jill Mizel

were commended for their leadership. Michelle Ganson, Education Coordinator, said there are 2 new volunteers for We’ve Got Rhythm and more are needed. Debbie told the group that Judy Denwalt and the Competitions group have been working tirelessly to prepare for the February 16 Competitions. There has been a big push to enhance the website and social media for OCOL. The Facebook page created by Rebecca Rutledge was helpful in boosting ticket sales for the Gala. Lucy Cheatwood thanked the 4 helpers who have as-sisted with the luncheons for the past several years – Marilyn Long, Betty Burns, Sarah Ann Scott and Joan Bryant. She reminded us that May 1 is the special evening event at the Show House. Debbie introduced the 2014-2015 slate of officers whose bios were in the OPUS: President - Deanna Pendleton, President-Elect - Julia Hunt, Secretary - Martha Pendleton, Treasurer – Judy Moore, Assistant Treasurer – Carol Bowman, Administrative VP – Lucy Cheatwood, Competitions VP – Celia Solomon, Education VP – Kirsten Hawley, Membership VP – Renee O’Donnell and Wanda Reynolds, Public Relations VP – Joan Bryant, Social Events VP – Cindy Raby and Sharon Shelton, Ways and Means VP – Yvette Fleckinger. Ann Mogridge moved that we accept the slate of officers as presented, Polly Worthington seconded the motion, motion passed. Eddie Walker reported that the Philharmonic is having a marvelous 25 th anniversary season. There are only 115 tickets left for the Yo-Yo Ma concert on April 5 and tickets have not gone on sale to the general public yet. He congratulated Debbie on a great party on Saturday night. Kathlyn Reynolds led the Major Leaguers in several songs appropriate for the Valentine season. Rhonda White reported on the SkyBall. She thanked Gala chairs Sherry Crosthwait and Laurie Barbour. Over $2200 was raised for the wine pull, over $8500 for the auction and $3700 for special auction items for We’ve Got Rhythm. She asked for volunteers for Construction Staffing and for Tea Room Staffing. March 9 is “For Your Eyes Only” from 3 to 5, the Show House Pre-view Party. The Show House will be open to the public May 3-18. Shirley Ridley passed out invitations to the Show House Shower at Linda Barnett’s home. Debbie gave an update on the ESCCO project. She also said we support the League of American Orchestras. We have received an award from them for the 2013 Show House. Teresa Pope will go with Debbie to Seattle to present an overview of the Trio at the Abbey and accept the award. They netted $213,000. Pat Matthews told us about her personal experience with the heal-ing power of music. Meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Martha Pendleton, Secretary

Oklahoma City Orchestra League, Inc.

3815 N. Santa Fe Avenue, Suite 105

Oklahoma City, OK 73118