What inspires your love of music?
I was raised in a household where recorded music was omnipresent — mostly jazz from the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s, as well as popular classic works. It wasn’t until my teens that I discovered classical music for myself. I was a percussionist in the high school orchestra. Playing timpani in Sibelius’s Second Symphony touched an emotional core that led me to explore classical music further. At the first professional concert I ever attended, the St. Louis Symphony played Saint Saëns’ Third Symphony. Its stirring finale left me in tears. There was no turning back after that.
What drew you to the CSO?
When Marie and I moved to Chicago in 1979, we enjoyed one or two CSO concerts a year. While living in London in the mid-80s, we heard the visiting CSO perform with Sir George Solti on the podium. We had attended concerts by several fine London orchestras, but it was not just pride in our hometown orchestra that made us realize just how brilliant that distinctive CSO sound was.
Returning to Chicago with two small children in tow, our opportunities for concert-going were rare. One evening in the early ‘90s, we got a phone call from the CSO, asking about our interest in a season subscription. I explained that we couldn’t commit to ten concerts because of the kids. The agent suggested the recently created five concert series.
“Tempting,” I said, “but we would need seats near the stage due to Marie’s serious hearing loss.” He put me on hold for a minute and came back offering two Main Floor seats in Row E, Center. We looked at our budget and concluded that it was a deal we could not refuse. We have had those same seats ever since. Even when we have exchanged tickets — and later added a subscription to the Sunday piano series — Patron Services has always managed to provide seating near the stage.
Why do you feel it’s important to support the CSOA as a member of the Theodore Thomas Society?
We want to show our gratitude to the CSOA for accommodating our special need. More than that, the Symphony is a standard-bearer for Chicago on the world’s concert stages. We’re proud to support that, and we’re proud to commit to the excellence we hear at every concert. Because I trace my own love of classical music back to youthful encounters, our legacy is directed to the Negaunee Music Institute.
