What inspires your love of music?
When I was young, I loved the soothing quality of music. When my childhood worries would become too great, I would just go to my room, close the door, and listen to Tchaikovsky, Brahms or another classical composer. Before long, I was mesmerized by a realm of beauty and lifted to a new place. I was restored and desirous of facing the outside world again. As I grew up, I never lost the ability to be calmed by beautiful music.
What initially drew you to the CSO?
After obtaining my undergraduate education, I lived and worked in different places. In so doing, I always attended the concerts of a symphony orchestra. As time went on, I moved to Chicago to attend graduate school. I immediately started attending the CSO. I was captivated by the exquisite quality. It seemed to me that, each time, the conductor would weave a tapestry that exhibited just the right intensity of color, nuance and texture. After my husband and I married, we bought season tickets year after year. We enjoyed the CSO immensely; it drew us together. Although Ross is now no longer alive, I continue to attend the CSO to experience its stupendous music — often, to hear those very works of musical art that Ross and I heard together. From the beginning of my Chicago years, the CSO has held a special place within me.
Why do you feel it’s important to support the CSOA as a member of the Theodore Thomas Society?
Every time I attend the CSO, I realize that it is the best that there is. Therefore, I wish to do my part in keeping this wonderful institution alive, so that as many people as possible might share its beauty. By being a member of the [Theodore Thomas Society or Stradivarian Society], I ensure that the CSO enraptures generations to come.
