PRESIDENT’S LETTER

The holidays are over and January has arrived. We are halfway through my Presidency! Time flies when you are having fun! Please save the date for our Spring Luncheon, Fashion Show and Silent Auction. This popular event will be held on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at The Country Club of Hilton Head starting at 11 a.m. Please see Carol Gyllenhoff’s comments for more information.

The Swing for the Symphony Golf Tournament was held on Monday, November 15th at the beautiful Wexford Golf Club Thanks to everyone who volunteered, golfed, or donated in any way to make the event successful beyond our wildest dreams! Please see Linda Moloney’s comments for more details.

The first Musicale of the year was held on Sunday, December 12th at the fabulous Port Royal Beach House. Between patrons and volunteers, over 80 people attend the event. The SCAD “Honeybees” sang upbeat, holiday music to the crowd, followed by delicious hors d’oeuvres enjoyed by all.

We started the year with around 200 members of the League of the Symphony, which is a low number for us. Our membership decreased, just like so many others, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our membership has steadily grown over the Fall and we are now around 250 dedicated women and men. This is a truly special group, dedicated to the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra. Thank you for all you do! Words cannot express the pride I feel being a member of such a terrific organization.

—Candi Hough

SWING FORE THE SYMPHONY LEAGUE GOLF FUNDRAISER

For the past nine months, the Swing Fore the Symphony committee has poured their hearts and souls into making sure we accomplished our goal of making our first golf fundraiser a success and what a success it was! November 15, 2021 was a beautiful, cool, and sunny day. We had a 144 golfers; the largest Wexford Golf Club has accommodated. Over 180 guests attended the reception and silent auction. Everyone was in high spirits and most said they are looking forward to coming back in 2022!

Our final numbers are in and we are proud to announce that with the golf fees, reception guests, raffle, mulligans, and silent auction, we raised

$55,905.44 for the Symphony.

I am grateful for our dedicated committee and volunteers (over 40) that made this fundraiser so successful. The volunteers worked tirelessly signing up golfers, securing sponsorships and donations, as well as making sure that everything went smoothly the day of the event. It would not have been possible without their attention to detail.

Thank you to the following committee members:

Plans are in the works for our Second Annual Swing Fore the Symphony Golf Tournament in 2022, so stay tuned!

—Linda Moloney

MUSICALES

Our Musicales are finally back and what a wonderful opening it was! Thanks to Stan Cooke, the beautiful Port Royal Beach House provided space that allowed around 85 people to mingle. Mario Incorvaia once again proved his knowledge of all sorts of musical entertainment. The SCAD Honeybees gave a rousing performance of pop and holiday favorites to the delight of everyone in attendance, followed by tasty hors d’oeuvres that League members provided. Please note the next two Musicales are on Wednesdays to avoid conflict with the Sunday football season.

Now, on to four more Musicales in the intimacy of private homes!

—Lois Hoyt-Berry

SPRING FASHION SHOW AND LUNCHEON

We are delighted to announce a return of the League of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra’s Spring Luncheon, Fashion Show and Silent Auction after a two-year hiatus. This year’s event will be held at The Country Club of Hilton Head on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.

Please note the change of day from Wednesday to Tuesday, which happens to coincide with the First Day of Spring!

This year’s luncheon promises to be a special event, as it marks our 10th Anniversary. It will be sponsored by Evelyn & Arthur, one of Hilton Head’s most popular women’s clothing stores. We are receiving a lot of positive feedback!

Space is limited to under 200 people, so please don’t delay in marking your calendars and making plans to attend with your friends. Invitations will be coming your way shortly.

Please join us in making this our best luncheon and fashion show ever!

—Carol Gyllenhoff

HHIPC

The 2022 Hilton Head International Piano Competition is set for the week of March 7-14, 2022. The 25th competition will feature an elite group of 20 competitors, plus six alternates. The competitors were recently selected from 165 international applicants from 25 countries. The pianists will perform in the first two rounds to be held in the afternoons and evenings of March 7-10 at Saint Luke’s Church. The semi-finalists will be selected on Thursday evening, March 10th. A group of six will then compete in the semi-finals during the evening of March 12th, also at Saint Luke’s Church. The three finalists will compete by playing a complete concerto with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra on the evening of Monday, March 14th. Check us out for more details on Facebook or our website, HHIPC.org.

The competition committee would love to see you at the performances. We would also like to invite you to attend a Piano “Master Class” to be held on Friday, March 11th at Saint Luke’s Church. Performance details and tickets are available at HHIPC.org. If you are out-of-town, the entire competition will be streamed live on our website, HHIPC.org.

The competition committee also invites you to help by volunteering as an usher, zip code taker/door greeter, merchandise/ticket sales, production assistant, hospitality coordinator, performer escort, and other positions. All volunteers will receive a free pass to another day during Rounds One and Two. Look for your volunteer invitation via email in the first week of January. If you have any questions, please contact Bill or Kathy at volunteers@HHIPC.org.

—Kathy Zurilla

POST-CONCERT RECEPTIONS

All post-concert receptions on Monday night have been canceled until further notice due to COVID-19 restrictions at the First Presbyterian Church. Of course, we will be pleased to resume these receptions once the situation changes.

—Carol Gyllenhoff