Dear MSO Retirees,

Hope you have been keeping cool during these hot, humid days of summer.  Perhaps August will bring a break in the temperatures and breezes.  It certainly ushers in a few retiree birthdays starting on this second day of the new month with Pat Mumm-Lovely.  Leland Midgette celebrates on August 6th, followed by Reese Wininsky on August 20th and David Babcock on the 22nd.  Best wishes to all of you for a most wonderful day.

Our retirees seem to be keeping busy with a variety of activities this summer.

Dennis Najoom spent a few weeks subbing with the MSO at the end of their season.  Here he is with his “old” new section at a performance of Carmina.

After this busy time, Dennis relaxed making spinach pie!

Dennis also posted a wonderful photo of him and dear Bill Cowart.  Dennis wrote that it was taken twenty years ago and perhaps with the Jack Daniels Silver Cornet Band.

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Judy Ormond has been traveling the world again.  This time to see the solar eclipse in Chile, the perfect viewing spot.  Judy writes-

This trip to Chile was to Santiago and north, as opposed to last year in Patagonia. The trip was centered around the eclipse. It was so amazing, that even the astronomers said it was the best they had ever seen. The rare red chromosphere was clearly visible (not on the photo, unfortunately). We stayed in the desert late that night to see what the Milky Way really looks like without light pollution.

In addition, we spent time in the Atacama Desert (driest in the world) to see La Silla Observatory (photo) and ALMA – largest in world at a very high altitude, but visitors aren’t allowed up there. Nevertheless, we had a wonderfully informative visit at the visitors center. We also saw salt flats, fumaroles (photo), flamingoes, vicuñas, fox, llamas, etc. and lovely people who were patient with my Spanish. And we got to one of Pablo Neruda’s homes in Valparaiso – very eccentric. Fun to visit. I bought a T-shirt with one of his poems: Ode to the Bicycle – of course.

I’m including the painting that I had in the Bay View Art Walk.  It’s “The Cheese Seller – Trinadad, Cuba”.   I did it from a photo I took in Cuba.  People are given coupons to go to the bread seller, egg seller, cheese seller, etc.  I asked the cheese seller if I could take a photo of him.  He said no so I stuck my head in the cheese hut and snapped a photo, which, I later realized had a shadow of his profile.  
I was there over Christmas, primarily kayaking on the “people to people” permit, no longer allowed.  One of the most amazing experiences because of the artistic spirit of the people we met.

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Bonnie Peterson and Linda Siegel shared a birthday treat.

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David Taggart rode 916 miles in preparation for the Scenic Shore 150.  They were able to complete 50 miles in the morning, but then the day’s travel was canceled due to severe weather.   I believe they had better weather for the next day’s ride.  Here is David with MSO Librarian Pat McGinn (first on right), Terry (first on left), and some of his other ChemoSabe riders taking a break at a favorite spot in Oostburg.

A friend of David’s posted this “oldie but goodie” of David soloing in Berlioz’s Harold in Italy with the Suburban Symphony of Minneapolis around 1980.

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Pat Mumm-Lovely sent two photos from the past, too.  Here is Ed Mumm tuning the MSO for what must have been a Washington Park “Music Under the Stars” rehearsal with John-David Anello.  A Google search to make sure I spelled Anello correctly showed that John-David Anello Jr., who often sang in the Florentine chorus with us, died last August at the age of 85.

Pat also sent a photo of Jerry Franke.  Jerry died on June 28th and this obituary is from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.  I understand that Jerry had heart surgery and complications developed.

 Jerome (Jerry) Lothair Franke, age 70, of Fox Point and Appleton died on Friday, June 28, 2019 in Horizon’s Lawlis Family Hospice. Jerry was born July 31, 1948 in Chicago, Illinois and studied violin at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. Jerry moved to Milwaukee in the early 1970s and was a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for over thirty years. He held the title of Assistant Concertmaster and performed as a violin soloist with the orchestra on numerous occasions. Jerry was a dedicated and thoughtful teacher. He coached, advised, and adjudicated for the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra and maintained a robust private teaching studio throughout his musical career. Jerry’s passions included racing his Porsche, gardening, cooking, watching baseball (White Sox and Brewers), telling jokes, and collecting art. He was interested in Japanese prints, Pre-Columbian artifacts, Persian rugs, Outsider art, and Indian bronzes. He is survived by his son Jay Franke, step-son Shields Bergstrom, sisters Terrye Cortesi and Karen Franke, and significant other Samantha George. In lieu of flowers, donations to the MYSO Jerome Franke Memorial Scholarship may be sent to: Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) 325 W. Walnut Street Milwaukee, WI 53212

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John Lounsbery has been enjoying the new addition to his family.  Here is a photo of all the Lounsbery men- and one of the granddaughters.  Son John is Technical Director for The Week, a weekly news magazine.  

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Janet Millard spent some time hiking with her sons, Jeronimo and Camilo Roldan, at the San Francisco Inner Basin.  Camilo’s book of poetry, Drop Out, has just been published by Ornithopter Press. He did a book reading at Milwaukee’s Woodland Pattern in mid-July.

​“In Camilo Roldán’s Dropout, the phrase, the word, the letter—all contributing to a mobile of the mind’s sociolect—attract and hold our attention as a living language. And the sentence goes subterranean, when necessary, tracking a life in the process of unraveling.”   ​—​Marjorie Welish, 2019

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Seems that Tom Wetzel is still thinking about adopting a dog from the Humane Society.

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So that’s it for now.  Best wishes to you and your families.

Andrea

 

Dear MSO Retirees,

Happy July, Happy 4th!  Was just thinking of the various venues the MSO had through the years- Washington Park, Summerfest, the Zoo.  There are probably a few others, but memory is not helping at the moment.  Oh, and I heard the Donna Diana Overture the other day.  It has been ages since I’ve heard that one, but we must have played it oodles of times in our Pops and Wednesday Senior Citizen Concerts back in the ’70s with Ed Mumm conducting.  I always enjoyed seeing the smiling faces in our audience those Wednesday programs, and some of the sleeping ones, too.  But it was always good to hear comments from the seniors about their enjoyment of our performances as I walked to the car.

Enough with the stroll down memory lane.  Birthdays first, then lots of news.

June has two birthdays, Anne DeVroome Kamerling celebrated on June 28th and Anne Sczygiel enjoys June 30th.  July is now our busiest birthday month starting with Linda Siegel on July 6th, Les Kalkhof on the 7th, Judy Ormond on the 8th, and Barb Ballin on the 12th.  Andrea Wagoner and Steve Basson (his 80th!!) both celebrate on July 15th, followed by Joe Conti on the 18th, and Jeani Foster on the 28th.  Best wishes to all!

I received a wonderful update from Ryan Hagen, Judy Koch Hagen’s son.  He writes-

Judy is having a wonderful time in an assisted living community in Rhinebeck, NY, playing pingpong, gardening, and reading. She especially loves visiting with and talking on the phone to her two grandsons, Kieran (5) and Jory (3). I live with my wife, Lily, in New Haven, CT, where she’s the director of student affairs for the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale. I’m finishing my PhD in Sociology at Columbia, and will start a postdoctoral research fellowship at Columbia in the fall.

Judy looks wonderful and I hope to visit her (along with Leland and Janice?- I’ll drive) in the fall.

Judy with Kieran.

Judy and Jory.

Ryan and Lily with the boys.

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Bonnie Peterson became a docent with the Tucson Museum of Art.  Congratulations, Bonnie!

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Steve Colburn has been keeping busy.  Steve writes-

Just had two nice weeks of concerts with the Chicago Master Singers (Brahms: Schiksalslied & Dvorak: Requiem) and DuPage Chorale (Americana: Thompson & Beach).

I suspect Steve and Marlee will be getting ready for the Washington Island Music Festival held from July 29th to August 9th.  Samantha George, a previous MSO Associate Concertmaster is now the Artistic Director after Steve’s retirement and she will be joined by MSO musicians Nathan Hackett (viola), Rudi Heinrich (bassoon), Bill Helmers (clarinet), and the Tisdel Family- Scott (cello), Stefanie Jacob (piano), and daughter Emmy (violin).  Emmy is now doing graduate work at McGill University.  Attend if you can.  The setting is beautiful and the music always interesting and well performed.

Marlee posted this wonderful four-generation photo with daughter Sara, grandkids, and Marlee’s Mom (?).

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Bill Barnewitz’s daughter, Kate, recently received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree and Bill, Juliette, and Molly were there for the big day.  Kate’s twin sister, Molly, is a staff writer for ComicsVerse.  From Wikipedia, Comics Verse is “a comics journalism website covering comics news, reviews, analysis, and interviews with artists and writers. In addition to original written content, the site produces podcasts, videos, original webcomics, and covers news related to politics, gaming, movies, television, and music.”  

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David Taggart and Teri spent time in Sonoma County, CA for a sibling reunion.  Here is a photo of the clan.  David is first on the left and Teri 4th.

David and Teri have also been spending time getting ready for the next Scenic Shore 150 Mile Bike Ride to raise money for the Leukemia & Symphony Society.  The ride is on July 20-21 and if you would like to donate to this important work, please go to https://events.lls.org/pages/wi/2019scenicshore150/DTaggart

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Found a lovely photo of Glenda Greenhoe with her friend Sarah King.

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Sara and Dale Harmelink celebrated their 49th anniversary on May 30th.  I think the snowbirds are back at their River Hills home.

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Liz Tuma and John spent some time in beautiful Banff and Jasper.  Here they are with Liz’s sister and brother-in-law.

Liz also posted this fun photo taken in 1983 at Isla Muheres.

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The Bay View Art Gallery’s show of May 31 displayed a work by our artist, Judy Ormond.

Judy also had a visit from fellow piccolo player Mary Kay Fink.  Judy was born in Cleveland and played with the MSO and Mary Kay was born in Milwaukee and plays with the Cleveland Orchestra.

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Anne Sczygiel spent some time in Santa Fe and visited with Danis Kelly.  Danis later spent a fabulous month touring Europe with her sister and friends.  Places visited included Portugal, Venice, Florence, Civitavecchia, Palermo, St. Tropez, Monaco, and
Marseille.  There may be more.  I couldn’t keep up!  Looks like she had a pretty good time.

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Norma Zehner is still busy with birding.  Here she is (fourth from left) at a Birdathon in Lake Park.  They saw 44 species that day.

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Janet Millard enjoyed backpacking on the southern slope of the Colorado Plateau.

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Father’s Day postings included many MSO dads/granddads.

Roger Ruggeri

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Joe DiBello and his daughters, Gina and Giovanna.  Gina is a first violin with Joe (bass) in the Chicago Symphony.

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Former MSO bassoonist Larry Datillio, Pam Foard, and his four “boys.”

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Russ Dagon and daughter Kelly.

Grandpa Russ with Kelly’s children, I think.

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Julia Goodwin posted this lovely photo of her dad, dear John Goodwin.  John died in January of 2015.

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John Lounsbery is granddad to a new little one.  Teddy Manuel Berger Lounsbery was born on May 25th to proud parents Kathryn Lounsbery and Helen Berger.  The black ball of fluff is Twiggy.

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Steve Basson wrote-

Peetie and I continue to enjoy our “boys” and their families when we go East.  As far as the twins are concerned, after a perilous pregnancy during which the many doctors were worried about the relative size, no pun intended, of the 2 girls in embryo, I can now report that at 20 months they are 24 and 23 pounds respectively and doing great. They eat like Bassons but are as sweet and friendly as Peetie ….here at home I am looking forward to Jim Norden’s concert May 13 which includes Liz Tuma and Bill Helmers; and if anyone can lend me a scythe I will try to get my lawn cut ……..love to all.

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Found this wonderful Conti family photo from the early 50’s.

Joe is the little fellow in the middle being hugged by his Grandmother (with glasses).  Joe’s Dad is right behind him and his Mom is to the right of his Dad.

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Dottie Diggs is back from another amazing Giverny visit and is most happy to be home with her new kitty, Pixie.  You can tell from the chair that Dot has had a number of cats.

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Received a nice note from Linda Unkefer.

Today I am catching up with Sara and Dale at the Thiensville Village Farmers Market. It is held in the park on the river and is quite lovely! On Sunday, Susan Steele and I are going to see Francesco conduct the MSO in another Carmina! I guess I am getting used to my circumstances!

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Roger sent word that John Burgess, MSO Principal Flute from 1964 to 1969, died on May 10th.  John had an amazing career and his obituary can be found at https://buffalonews.com/2019/05/27/john-burgess-94-principal-flutist-with-buffalo-philharmonic-for-25-years/

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WUWM recently had a spot on the Grand Theater makeover.  You can read/hear it at https://www.wuwm.com/post/one-milwaukees-last-movie-palaces-getting-new-life#stream/0

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Sascha Mandl, MSO Associate Concertmaster Jeanyi Kim’s husband and a fine violinist himself, posted a video of Erick Friedman playing an excerpt from the Bartok Violin Concerto with a very young Zdenek Macal conducting.  If interested, see it at https://www.facebook.com/saschamandl/videos/10109423192643287/

Curiosity got the better of me and I looked at Macal’s Wikipedia site.  It writes that

In 2006, Mácal made a brief appearance in the Japanese drama series Nodame Cantabile, based on the manga by Tomoko Ninomiya, during scenes shot in Prague. He played the main character’s childhood mentor, conductor Sebastiano Vieira, a role he recently returned to for the two special episodes filmed in 2007 and broadcast on 4 and 5 January 2008.

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That is it for now.  Enjoy the fireworks and have a wonderful July!

Andrea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear MSO Retirees,

I hope by now you are enjoying some of the May flowers those April showers promised.  Here in Kauai we’ve been enjoying many orchid, bougainvillea, and anthurium displays, and the plumeria are just beginning to blossom.  As beautiful as all these are, it would still be wonderful to have the smell of lilacs or hyacinth wafting through the air.  The grass is always greener…..

May has also ushered in quite a few birthdays.  Steve Colburn will be celebrating a Diamond Jubilee on May 8th!!  Judy Koch Hagen enjoys cake and ice cream on May 15th, followed by Danis Kelly on May 17th, John Lounsbery on May 21st, and Liz Tuma on  May 27th.  Best wishes to all of you on this special day!

Belated birthday wishes must go to Paul Mehlenbeck who celebrated on April 29th.  Paul posted-

I had a great day. While there was no ride, I did have lunch with my lovely wife.  We also Face Timed with my granddaughter and my son and daughter-in-law.

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You may remember that Angela Fuller was married in February.  Anne sent a few photos and the following note-

Angela and Joe are both big Disney fans so they went to Disney World in Orlando.  Angela and Joe were both so happy at the wedding.  They were laughing with joy throughout the ceremony!….and the whole day!   No serious pictures cause Angela said they just couldn’t stop smiling and laughing.  It was a magical day for me too. And so wonderful having our MSO friends there, thinking about wonderful Fred.   They commented how they really felt Fred’s presence during the ceremony!!  Particularly in the joy and laughter of it all.  Fred’s sister and brother came from NH.  (One brother couldn’t make it)  One other interesting note about the wedding….the flowers are all made of wood!!

Yes, those flowers are WOOD!  Anne explained that the flowers and colors Angela wanted were very hard to find in February, so she found someone on Etsy who made these beautiful blossoms.

Dennis Najoom, Judy Ormond, and Dennis’s wife, Jenny.

Andrea Wagoner, Liz Tuma, Anne Sczygiel, and Linda Siegel.

The MSO Table:  Andrea, Dennis and Jenny, Roger Ruggeri, Judy, Liz, and Linda with her friend Gary.

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Sara and Dale Harmelink attended the First Communion of their granddaughter Amelia.

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Dottie Diggs is off to France again to spend some time in her beloved Giverny.  Before returning to Milwaukee, she’ll enjoy Door County.

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Looks like the cello section, both old and new players, had a get-together at a Brewers game.

First Row- Lewis Rosove and Adrien Zitoun.   Second Row- Liz Tuma and hubby John with Peter Thomas and Madeleine Kabat (I think).  Third Row – Greg Mathews.

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When not attending weddings and ballgames, Judy Ormond and Liz Tuma have been busy trying to save the century old oak trees along the Milwaukee River due to be destroyed in the rebuilding of the Kletzsch Park dam.  On Arbor Day they helped with a special environmental event at the Park.  Their efforts seem to be having serious impact on final decisions.

Liz has her own oak tree?

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Found Janet Millard doing Tai Chi with friends at Roadrunner Park.

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A friend of our MSO Percussionists Linda Siegel and Joe Conti, posted the following on Facebook.

I am very proud of the careers my dear friends have had: from left Linda, Milwaukee Symphony…Bill, Honolulu Symphony followed by his love the Royal Hawaiian Band…Joe, Milwaukee Symphony and monster drumset player….me (Paul Berns), Indianapolis Symphony.

 

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Bonnie Peterson was busy these last weeks playing with the Tucson Symphony in their final concert of the season and completing her training to become a docent for the Tucson Museum of Art.  Congratulations, Bonnie!

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Rick and Margaret Metzger enjoyed a meal with the family.

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Karen Smith wrote to tell me of a TEDTalk that Neal Gittleman had done a bit ago that included a mention of Don Haack.  It took a while to find, not being a regular “talk” but a TEDx independently organized event.  If you care to listen to Neal’s presentation, The Power of Silence, you will find it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec9GyxEUGec.  I did listen, but must admit I skipped Neal’s performance of John Cage’s 4’33”.  I’ve heard the work before.

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What do you call a gathering of violists?  MSO Retirees Larry Sorenson, Norma Zehner, David Taggart, and Wei-Ting Kuo, Robert Levine, Helen Reich, Nathan Hackett, and Beth Breslin backstage after a performance of Brahm’s German Requiem.

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Dennis Najoom and his group, Little Lake Stompers,  performed with the MSO in ACE programs.

That is it for this installment.  Please send your news along.  All of us would love to hear from you.

Wishing you and your families all the best.

Andrea

Taken from a Facebook posting-  At the Estonian State Opera parking lot.