Women's Committee of The Cleveland Orchestra Receives League of American Orchestras Award

At this year's League of American Orchestras National Conference, the Volunteer Council of the League will present the Women's Committee of The Cleveland Orchestra (WCCO) with a Roundtable Award in the annuAl Gold Book competition.

This award is given in recognition of the Cleveland Orchestra Music Study Groups and their work in the Cleveland community. The annual award competition recognizes outstanding projects created and implemented by volunteer associations of symphony orchestras throughout the United States. The award will be presented at the League's conference in Detroit, Michigan, which takes place June 6 to 8, 2017.

From its inception in 1921, WCCO has sponsored the Cleveland Orchestra Music Study Groups, which are among the Orchestra's numerous education and community engagement programs. With ongoing support from WCCO, Music Study Groups have operated continuously from 1921 to the present. The Cleveland Orchestra, recognizing the potential of Music Study Groups to build a better informed and more loyal audience, began to direct and fund the series in 1994 with continued WCCO support. Joan Katz Napoli, Senior Director of Education and Community Programs, oversees the series, and lecturer Rose Breckenridge currently leads the classes.

Each year, about 500 people participate in The Cleveland Orchestra's weekly Music Study Groups, resulting in an estimated 5,000 total annual interactions with members of the community. Music Study Groups currently meet at convenient public library locations throughout Northeast Ohio. The classes are designed for both new and experienced music lovers and follow the Orchestra's subscription concert schedule at Severance Hall, exploring current concert offerings through informal lectures, listening, and discussion with other music fans.

As it approaches its 100th Season in 2017-18 and the launch of its Second Century, The Cleveland Orchestra is undergoing a renaissance. Acknowledged as among the world's best, its musicians, staff, board of directors, volunteers, and hometown are working together on a set of enhanced goals for the Orchestra's Second Century - to develop the youngest audiences of any orchestra; to renew its focus on fully serving the communities where it performs through concerts, engagement, and music education; to continue its legendary musical excellence; to build on its tradition of community support and financial strength; and to move forward into the Orchestra's next century with a commitment to diversified programming. Under the direction of Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, the New York Times has declared Cleveland to be the "best American orchestra" for its virtuosity, elegance of sound, variety of color, and chamber-like cohesion. The Cleveland Orchestra divides its time each year across concert seasons at home in Cleveland's Severance Hall and each summer at Blossom Music Center. Additional portions of the year are devoted to touring and to a series of innovative and intensive performance residencies. These include performances in Miami, a biennial residency at Vienna's Musikverein, and appearances at Switzerland's Lucerne Festival, New York's Lincoln Center Festival, and Indiana University. For more information, visit clevelandorchestra.com.

The Cleveland Orchestra has a long and proud history of sharing the value and joy of music with people throughout Northeast Ohio. Education and community programs date to the Orchestra's founding in 1918 and have remained a central focus of the ensemble's activities in serving its hometown. The Cleveland Orchestra has introduced more than 4 million young people to symphonic music - through live concert experiences and performances over the past nine decades. Today, with the support of many generous individual, foundation, corporate, and governmental funding partners, the Orchestra's education and community programs reach more than 60,000 young people and adults annually, helping to foster a love of music and a lifetime of involvement with the musical arts. For additional information about these and other programs, visit www.clevelandorchestra.com/education-and-community/overview or contact the Education & Community Programs Office by calling 216-231-7355.

The Women's Committee of The Cleveland Orchestra is dedicated to providing support for our world-class Orchestra through music education activities, volunteer service, and fund-raising opportunities. The committee offers its Meet the Artist luncheon and program throughout the season along with a benefit each year. The Women's Committee was founded in 1921 by Adella Prentiss Hughes, The Cleveland Orchestra's first general manager. Membership is open to both men and women. For more information, visit www.clevelandorchestra.com/support-and-volunteers/volunteering/volunteer-organizations.

Women's Committee Executive Committee

• Patricia Moore Smith, President
• Patricia Sommer, President Elect
• Barbara Ann Davis, First Vice President
• Barbara Wolfort, Second Vice President
• Debbie Neale, Recording Secretary
• Pearl Hachen, Corresponding Secretary
• Vicki Ann Resnik, Treasurer

The League of American Orchestras leads, supports, and champions America's orchestras and the vitality of the music they perform. Its diverse membership of more than 2,000 organizations and individuals across North America runs the gamut from world-renowned symphonies to community groups, from summer festivals to student and youth ensembles, from conservatories to libraries, from businesses serving orchestras to individuals who love symphonic music. To learn more, visit www.americanorchestras.org.

The annuAl Gold Book competition recognizes outstanding projects created and implemented by volunteer associations of symphony orchestras throughout the United States. Projects are judged by the League's Volunteer Council each fall; those projects receiving top rankings are presented to fellow volunteers at the League's annual Conference. All of the submitted projects will be featured online at www.goldbookonline.org.

Pictured: Music Study Groups at Beachwood Library | Photo by Sarah Lamb, Courtesy of The Cleveland Orchestra

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