A message from the executive director

For the past three seasons, the March concert by the Bryan Symphony Orchestra has been given the title "Founders' Concert" -- our way of acknowledging the contributions of the visionaries whose determination brought this orchestra into being and saw to it that it had the support it needed to survive.

Try to imagine how truly innovative these founders were. It was their goal to establish a professional orchestra in a region where no such amenity existed, yet where the seeds for such a group, the music faculty of Tennessee Tech University, had long since been planted. The first way we honor the legacy of founding Music Director James Wattenbarger and the Tech Community Symphony Guild (forerunner of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra Association) is by insuring the orchestra's survival through direct contributions to the BSO.

Providing Financial Support to the Bryan Symphony Orchestra

There are many other ways you can contribute to our success; our supporters have created a number of named endowments that honor Maestro Wattenbarger (see below) and other important figures in the orchestra's history. We rely on the generosity of our corporate and private benefactors, and unless directed otherwise, we acknowledge your contributions in our concert programs. To support the orchestra in its 45th season and beyond, we invite you to consider participating in one or more of the following options:

• Concert Sponsorship. Private and corporate sponsorships of individual concerts are welcome. Our annual education concerts for area schoolchildren and our annual free pops concert in September are made possible every year by both private and corporate sponsorships. Giving levels begin at $4,000.
• Soloist Underwriter. The BSO strives to bring exceptional soloists and composers to Cookeville during each season. During 2007-08, our audience will enjoy the formidable talents of Joe Alessi, principal trombone of the New York Philharmonic, and pianist Di Wu. Giving levels are $2,000-$3,000.
• Concert Co-sponsor. Many of our performances are funded by a coalition of individuals and corporate groups who each contribute a portion of a concert's funding level. Concert co-sponsorships are available at $2,000.
• Conductor's Circle. Members of this giving society support the symphony in the name of its music director and conductor. Giving starts at $1,000.
• Founders' Circle. This society commemorates the men and women whose vision not only created the symphony orchestra, but helped it mature into the ensemble we know today. Giving starts at $600.
• Chair Sponsor. Each family of instruments in the orchestral repertoire is led by a chair or principal performer; funding from this society honors the extra effort required of those individuals. Chair sponsorships, which are named for the donor, are available at $500.
• Benefactors, Patrons, Donors, Contributors. Friends of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra may also contribute at four other giving levels: Benefactor ($200+), Patron ($100+), Donor ($50+), and Contributor ($25+).

In addition to the contributor groups listed above, there are several other ways you can financially support the BSO:

• The Bryan Symphony Orchestra Association. BSOA members receive our newsletter, Notes and Notices, reduced prices for Symphony Socials, and invitations to special events. You can print a BSOA Membership Form < http://www.bryansymphony.org/volunteerform/pdf > here to fill out and mail in with your annual association dues. The BSOA is the core of our volunteer base, and volunteers contribute directly to our ability to fulfill our mission.
• Commemorative Gifts. The Bryan Symphony Orchestra has instituted a policy whereby our patrons may underwrite in part or in full the cost of our concert soloists. These gifts may take the form of a simple donation, or the gift may be given in honor or memory of a loved one. Acknowledgments of such gifts underwriting a soloist are made in the concert program.
• Planned Giving. Please consider the Bryan Symphony Orchestra for memorial gifts, remembrances and estate planning. A planned gift is any charitable contribution, immediate or deferred, that considers the donor's personal tax, financial and estate planning circumstances, and that requires the participation of the donor's professional advisors. Examples of planned gifts include but are not limited to an outright gift of cash, a charitable remainder unitrust, bequests in wills, gifts of life insurance, and gifts of securities or real estate.

The BSO also administers a number of endowments:

• The Charles P. and Marvel B. McKenzie Endowed Concertmaster Chair. Established by and contributed to annually by Charles MacKenzie in memory of his father and stepmother.
• Dahl-O’Connor Memorial Chair. Established as the Perpetually Endowed Percussion Chair in 1997 by Brian and Susan O’Connor in memory of Brian’s mother, Clare O’Connor, and her sister Mary Dahl.
• Dr. Jerry Bart Ayers Endowed Scholarship. Established in 1999 by Dr. Mary Ayers and friends of the orchestra to recognize and support the development of outstanding music students at Tennessee Tech, while honoring the spirit and contributions of Dr. Jerry Bart Ayers, an active member of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra Board and a long-time TTU faculty member.
• The Nancy Nichols Williams Concert Endowment. Funded by Robert Arnold Nichols and Jeanne McGill Nichols, parents of Nancy Nichols Williams, for the on-going support of BSO concerts.

Our academic partner, Tennessee Tech University, administers two endowments related to the BSO:

• James A. Wattenbarger Endowment (Conductor’s Discretionary). This fund was established by friends of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra on the orchestra’s 25th anniversary to honor Dr. James Wattenbarger, founding music director. Interest generated by the Wattenbarger Endowment is used for the general support of the symphony. Contributions to Tennessee Tech to the Wattenbarger Endowment continue to be made by friends of the BSO.
• The Joan Derryberry Memorial Scholarship Endowment. Established to honor former TTU first lady Joan Derryberry, with additional contributions made on occasion by family and friends, this fund supports a scholarship tied to the annual Joan Derryberry Memorial Concerto Competition.

  Finally, we encourage the contribution of your special talents, energy and time; our volunteers are critical to our success. See our volunteer web site to learn more about how to join this select group. Most of our volunteers are members of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra Association (see above).

  To discuss giving options, contact us at 931-372-6088 or bryansymph@tntech.edu. To make a donation, write or call us, or give to the BSO online through the Community Foundation's "Giving Matters" web site. Your gift to the BSO will go a long way toward supporting not only classical music in the Upper Cumberland but our quality of life, too, and for that, we thank you.

  Gail Luna
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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  Last Updated: October 3, 2007