Page 18 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2017

COASTNOTES
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS
Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra Guild
Symphony Guild celebrates 50 years with special fund raiser
story by Lynn Lofton photo by Michael Sunderman
LEFT TO RIGHT: Dave Marshall, chairman
of Gulf Coast Symphony board; Dhiana Skrmetti, executive director of Gulf Coast Symphony; and Ginny Hermetz, representing the Gulf Coast Symphony Guild.
29th Annual Barbecue Under the Oaks
Saturday, March 25, 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Centennial Plaza, Gulfport
Grillin’ Gone Wild
Thirty cooking teams (Ribmeisters) will try to out-do each other to create succulent, smoky, fall-off-the-bone barbecue delicacies, along with a wide array of traditional down-home fixins’ and even gourmet accoutrements.
The Gulf Coast Symphony Guild is celebrating 50 years
of service to the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra. The Guild was founded in the summer of 1967 with a mission to promote awareness and raise funds for the symphony. A 50 For 50 campaign raised $50,000 to honor the anniversary year.
“A lot of people embraced the campaign, and it was successful,” Co-President Melanie Clark said, “basically through personal contacts. We have a perpetual plaque honoring those who contributed that will hang in the symphony office.”
Co-President Linda Sherman added, “It’s been a really good year. People have come forward to help with this special campaign. We let them know it was just for the anniversary year.”
Clark and Sherman point out the importance of fund
Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra
228.896.4276 www.gulfcoastsymphony.net
raising for the symphony. Each concert performance costs from $14,000 to $18,000; the rights to perform copyrighted music costs $20,000 a year; the stage for Sounds by the Sea in Harrison County costs $10,000; plus there are costs to bring in guest conductors and to operate the office.
“Meeting expenses depends on funds raised by the barbecue, annual giving and ticket sales,” Sherman said. “We’re very glad that ticket sales have been good this year.”
Clark added, “We are always trying to raise funds and through the years have done any number of things. There was the cookbook Encore Encore, table scapes, a designer show house, second-hand book sale, and decks of playing cards featuring photos of historical Coast buildings. The Guild has been real inventive.”
The Guild has 70 active members — usually with about 42 attending meetings — and meets 10 months of the year.
18 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • March 2017
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