May 2022 eNotes
Dear Friend,

At the Auburn Symphony, we have such an appreciation for our next generation of talented and dedicated artists that we offer them a canvas to compete each year and celebrate their wins. The last two years required a lot of revising and (dare we say) pivoting to keep moving the mission forward but we did it. We continued our annual Young Artists Competition each year while adapting to strict protocols to keep everyone safe. The response from our youth was heartening, and the level of talent even produced co-winners for the Grand Prize one year!
We are so very proud of these artists and will showcase 2020 Grand Prize winner Grace Feng and 2021 co-winners Alex Chang and Owen Yang in our season finale Masterworks on Mother’s Day weekend. Yes, it’s also signaling that we are returning to our traditional Masterworks offering of the same concert performed on Saturday, May 7th, at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, May 8th, at 3:00 p.m. (Note, doors will open at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday and 2:15 p.m. on Sunday and we won’t have a pre-concert talk.) This is a true extravaganza of exuberant talent and joyful celebration of mothers and women from our longtime Symphony friend, guest conductor Pete Nowlen. Tickets are still available!
It's a busy month at the Auburn Symphony. Not only do we have our concert, but one of our favorite days each year is participating in the regionwide Big Day of Giving, affectionately known around here as Big DoG! This year, the popular online fundraiser takes place on Thursday, May 5th, and demonstrates a camaraderie of generosity that is truly contagious among our fellow nonprofits in the arts communities and beyond. We know that many of you look forward to it and we appreciate all the donations at any level that come in during this day. Breaking news—this year, you can actually make your online donation anytime between now and the end of the day on May 5th! Take it from our Official Spokesdog, Finn Brown, who really wants to communicate, “Thanks so much for your help-- life with the Auburn Symphony rocks!”
Ever wonder where those wonderful articles in the local Auburn Journal come from? Our May spotlight starts out with longtime Auburnite and dear friend, Sandra Reeves. I met Sandra over 25 years ago when I first arrived in town. Our paths crossed again three years ago when I wrote my first eNotes as Symphony President. To my delight, Sandra read the article about our Board’s plans for the Symphony and immediately contacted us saying, “How exciting—how can I help?!”
 
This was a major bonus for us because I knew of her journalism and public relations experience, and that she already had some history with the Symphony. She served as editor of the local Sierra Heritage Magazine for 10 years, and went on to become editor of Perspectives, the magazine of the Arts Council of Placer County. Sandra has publishing credits around the region and a collection of personal essays. Her experience with the Symphony began when Maestro Michael Goodwin was hired and she was invited to interview him for an Auburn Journal article. 
She then jumped into Symphony life doing a “Symphony Notes” column for the newspaper, which featured orchestra members, and even took a turn as a Board Director. One of her favorite ASO memories is the great buzz created when Maestro Goodwin announced the orchestra would perform Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. At the time, Sandra didn’t know about the music but learned about it so she could plan the public relations for the performance. She says, “the thrill in the air and the momentousness of the orchestra taking this on filled and thrilled me, too!” Thank you, Sandra, for all your talent and devoted assistance over the years telling our story… and telling it so well!
Our second spotlight may not be easily recognizable… until he speaks! You may recall that we begin each concert with an audiotape welcome and brief recital of the “do’s and don’ts” for the concert hall. That deeply relaxing and melodious voice on the audiotape belongs to longtime Auburn Symphony supporter and season subscriber, Wayne Manning. Moving to Auburn first in 1999, Wayne quickly assimilated himself into community service. His wife Janet was a consummate musician and the Auburn Symphony was a magnet for her, which Wayne happily supported because he was enchanted with the quality of the orchestra’s musicianship under Maestro Michael Goodwin.

Later, after some of life’s detours and Janet’s passing, Wayne returned to the region with his new wife, Debby, coming back to the area where they both had friends and family. And sure enough, I met them coming into our Auburn Symphony office to buy season tickets! Wayne was eager to introduce Debby to the ASO because of his steadfast belief in the consistent quality of the music over time. He says, “I think it must be fairly uncommon to find an orchestra playing at that level in a community the size of ours. Such quality deserves support to keep the music alive and flourishing!” (We couldn’t agree more!)

Today, for his “retiring-to-the-background day job” with the Academy for Coaching Excellence, Wayne has evolved from a Senior Course Leader and now gives logistical and technical support to the Academy’s programs and students. He is also modest about his own music background and critical ear, as both a musician and a singer. Years ago, he spent part of his younger working life as a road musician with occasional stints as a radio broadcaster, and has done quite a bit of voice-over work. Early in his Nashville years (late 1960’s) he was in a group called the "Homesteaders" who did several guest turns in the old Ryman Auditorium of Grand Ole Opry fame, and also served as the band for Opry member Bob Luman. Fast forward to a favorite memory of the Auburn Symphony-- Wayne says it was the first time he attended our concert at the Mondavi Center. In his words, “The sound stunned me! There was no doubt at that point which league our Symphony plays in... and it ain't the Minors!” Thanks for giving voice to our praises, Wayne, and for being our voice! (Thank him yourself if you see him, although you may have to talk to lots of patrons to figure out who he is!)
Finally, we wrap our spotlight this month with someone who is always in our midst and yet wears two different “hats” for us. Victor Pietrzak has played the trumpet since he was 12 years old when his love for serious music began. He met his wife, Jeanne, through their mutual love of music in high school as collaborations between the band, choir and musical performances brought them together. Victor continued his pursuit of the trumpet into college and later served in the U.S. Army Band. During that time, he was selected as Principal Trumpet for Sacramento's Camellia Symphony and was introduced to the Auburn Symphony under Maestro Michael Goodwin. Today, Victor and Jeanne live in Davis. He is Principal Trumpet for our Auburn Symphony and shares his talents playing with several other organizations around the region, as well as being a founding member of Golden State Brass, a brass quintet.
The second “hat” Victor wears for us? That of an audiophile digital recording and editing engineer! Interested in recording since his youth, Victor has recorded and produced LPs (yes, vinyl records) and later CDs and mp3 files. We are beneficiaries of his talents, training, and equipment, as he will set up to record instruments and/or voices in order to produce a recording of a live performance, creating as pure a sound as possible. If you haven’t yet gotten your copy of “An Alpine Symphony”—one of our most spectacular accomplishments and the subject of our “Scaling the Heights!” documentary currently streaming on KVIE PBS Viewfinder series—here’s your chance to own a genuine work of art produced by our very own Victor Pietrzak. Under their company Graphic Gold, the Pietrzaks have created six CDs for the Auburn Symphony over the years, all of which are available on our website.
We are grateful to Victor for sharing his talents, and especially love this reminder of his many “hats.” This is a photo of Victor joining his fellow musicians in the trumpet section with 50-gallon hats for our fun-filled “Wild, Wild West” pops concert in 2018!
Finally, a huge shout-out to everyone who helped make our Gala fundraiser last month the most successful one in the nine years we have been holding the event! Your expansive generosity has definitely helped us lay a solid foundation for an engaging and robust 35th season being programed by Maestro Ryan Murray. We can’t wait to share it with you… soon!

Stay tuned.
Stephanie Snyder, President
Auburn Symphony Board of Directors

2021/2022 Season Signature Sponsors

Bobbi Machado
Dr. Dwight & Mary Odom
Bob & Stephanie Snyder

2021/2022 Concertmaster Sponsors

Bud & LaRaine Beadles
Dean Prigmore & Patrice Taylor


Auburn Symphony
Box 74, Auburn 95604
985 Lincoln Way, #102, Auburn 95603
530-823-6683


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