[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 128 (Wednesday, September 17, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11639-S11640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE ANN ARBOR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Stabenow and 
myself, I congratulate the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra as it 
celebrates its 75th anniversary. The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra was 
founded by Phillip Potts on a chilly autumn evening in 1928. Potts and 
four musicians gathered in a basement room of a local church, set up 
their music stands, unpacked and tuned their instruments, and launched 
into what would become a musical legacy that has touched many in the 
Michigan community.
  Today, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra includes over 150 
professional musicians who perform under its auspices. The organization 
has an active and committed 45-member Board of Directors and a staff of 
five full-time employees. Each season, the symphony performs nine main 
stage concerts for 8,000 subscription patrons as well as five matinee 
concerts for over 1,000 senior citizens and five family-oriented 
concerts designed to engage family members of all ages. The group's 
extensive educational series includes four youth concerts, ``Ensembles 
in the Classroom'' during which orchestra members visit individual 
classrooms,

[[Page S11640]]

and a variety of other educational events which enrich the lives of 
almost 20,000 area students each year.
  The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra counts Joseph Maddy, who was also 
the founder of Michigan's prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts, 
as one of its earliest conductors. It has been the orchestra in 
residence for the Martha Graham Dance Company, the University Musical 
Society, the Music Paradigm, and Peter Schickele, aka PDQ Bach. Guest 
artists have included world renowned violinists Jaime Laredo, Catherine 
Cho, Ilya Kaler, Augustin Hadelich, and Benny Kim; clarinetists Richard 
Stoltzman and David Shiffrin; and pianists Anton Nel and Vladimir 
Feltsman.
  During its 75-year history, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra has 
received many honors. It has received awards from the National 
Endowment for the Arts, including a Millennium Project award for the 
premiere of a new work for an orchestra. It has also consistently 
earned top marks from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural 
Affairs. Furthermore, in 2002 it was recognized by Crain's Detroit 
Business magazine as one of the area's best-managed nonprofit 
organizations. In addition, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra won the 
Nonprofit Enterprise at Work's Excellence Award for Management in 1997 
and 2003.
  The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra's repertoire ranges from Baroque to 
the 21st century and spans musical genres from Bach to Broadway. Each 
year, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra has premiered a new work by a 
young composer through its annual ``Mozart Birthday Bash'' concert 
series. This year the orchestra is also commissioning a work by 
internationally known Michigan composer Michael Daughtery. ``Silent 
Movies'' is a work for the Barton Theater Organ, which is located in 
the historic Michigan Theater, in celebration of the orchestra's 75th 
anniversary.
  The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra is an integral part of the cultural 
and economic landscape of Ann Arbor and southeastern Michigan. Senator 
Stabenow and I would like to congratulate and honor the Ann Arbor 
Symphony Orchestra, its Music Director Arie Lipsky, and the hundreds of 
musicians, board members, and staff who have brought musical gifts to 
so many over the past 75 years. We know our Senate colleagues will join 
us in offering our thanks to the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra for 
enriching our lives and in wishing the organization continued success 
in the future.

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