From TOLEDO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
TOLEDO — At its annual meeting on Thursday, June 21, 2018, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra’s Board of Trustees elected long-time board member Pam S. Hershberger to be the organization’s 27th Board Chair. In this role, she will oversee the direction and governance of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra (TSO), working with the Board’s officers, committees, and Trustees, alongside the orchestra’s President & CEO, Zak Vassar. Pam Hershberger was first elected to the orchestra’s Board of Trustees in 2008 and is the first female Board Chair to be elected since Emma Endres-Kountz, Founding President of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra (1951).
“I am proud and excited to assume the Board leadership of our outstanding Toledo Symphony Orchestra. We have much momentum thanks in large part to the leadership of Randy Oostra over the past four years,” said Pam Hershberger, Board Chair of the Toledo Symphony. “I look forward to working with Zak Vassar and the rest of our team to continue to move the orchestra forward to even greater heights.”
“I’ve worked with Pam for two years now,” said TSO President & CEO Zak Vassar “and I appreciate her wisdom, prudence, and guidance very much. We have already tackled several large projects together, and I am excited to see where her bold leadership and strategy will take the orchestra in the coming seasons.”
Pam Hershberger succeeds Randy Oostra, President & CEO of ProMedica, who has led the organization as Board Chairman since 2014. “It has been my pleasure serving as Chairman of the Toledo Symphony Board. The musicians and staff of the TSO are truly an impressive group of dedicated professionals who bring a wonderful variety of musical experiences to our community,” said Randy Oostra, Past Chair. “As I pass the baton to Pam, I know the organization is in extremely talented hands, and I look forward to continuing to support TSO as it continues to bring a myriad of fantastic opportunities for engagement to our entire region. Thank you to all of the TSO’s volunteers and supporters who make the Symphony a success.”
The Toledo Symphony Board of Trustees elected nine new Board members to join the organization at its annual meeting: James Adams, Jameel Burkett, Susan L. Conda, Debbie Sauder David, Charlene D. Gilbert, Saga Shoffner, Rebecca E. Shope, Olivia Summons, and Stephen D. Taylor.
For more information, please contact Felecia Kanney, Director of Marketing for the Toledo Symphony at fkanney@toledosymphony.com.
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TOLEDO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Toledo Symphony Orchestra is a community-supported organization of professional musicians and teachers who deliver quality performance and music education for all.
Formed in 1943 as The Friends of Music and incorporated in 1951 as the Toledo Orchestra Association, Inc., the Toledo Symphony Orchestra (TSO) has grown from a core group of twenty-two part-time musicians to a regional orchestra that employs sixty-five professional musicians who consider the Toledo Symphony their primary employer, as well as numerous extra players annually as repertoire demands. This year, the Toledo Symphony celebrates its 75th Anniversary season.
The Toledo Symphony reaches more than 260,000 individuals annually through performances and education programs. The series concerts (Masterworks, Pops, Chamber, Mozart in the Afternoon, and Family Series) are the critical underpinning of the orchestra’s artistic mission and regularly draw people from 135 postal zip codes. Additionally, Music Under the Stars, a free summer band concert series, is held annually at the Toledo Zoo. Education programs, student performances, and community concerts are held in schools, neighborhood churches, performing arts centers, and community facilities throughout the region; many are offered at no charge or provided at a reduced fee to help expand participation.
