Community, job development cited during annual symphony sponsor dinner

 

The Fort Smith Symphony held its annual dinner for chair sponsors Friday night (May 7) at the Fort Smith Convention Center, with more than 75 guests, musicians and chair sponsors attending.

Guests and sponsors were treated to a dinner and then were able to sit on stage as the more than 100 musicians practiced for the May 8 performance of “A Night in Old Vienna.”

Sandi Sanders spoke about the importance of the Fort Smith Symphony to the community — and vice versa. Sanders stepped down in December 2009 in her leadership role with the U.S. Marshals Museum. She was hired April 2007 to be director of the fledgling museum effort. Prior to working with the Marshals Museum, Sanders was interim chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith after serving many years in leadership roles at UAFS/Westark College.

Before the rehearsal began, Sanders said it was a pleasure for her to supoort "an organization that is so well supported by the community.”

Lavon Morton, Symphony board treasurer and senior vice president for Fort Smith-based Arkansas Best Corp., said during the dinner that community support is vital because ticket sales represent just 25% of symphony revenue. The FSS has 58 chair sponsors and is aggressively pushing to have the entire orchestra underwritten.

FSS Music Director and Conductor John Jeter said the symphony also gives back to the community through numerous programs. As examples he cited “Earquake,” which brings to high schools stylized orchestra performances that appeal to the age group, and smaller strings performances in more than 45 area schools. He also said the FSS has become an “important quality-of-place element” of area economic development efforts.

“We have become more and more part of this drive to bring better jobs to the area,” Jeter said.