The Southside Friends of the Chicago Sinfonietta (SSF) has been named a 2018 Roundtable Award winner by the League of American Orchestras Volunteer Council in the category of Outstanding Volunteer Project. The annual Gold Book competition recognizes outstanding projects created and implemented by volunteer associations of symphony orchestras throughout the United States. The Southside Friends was developed and founded in 1987 by Elizabeth Wilkins.
The award will be presented on June 13, 2018 at the League of American Orchestras’ 73rd National Conference at the Palmer House located at 17 East Monroe Street, Chicago, IL. The conference will feature a performance by Chicago Sinfonietta’s Project Inclusion Fellows and Alumni.
The award recognizes the outstanding achievements of the Southside Friends signature event, A Magical Holiday Breakfast created in 2000 by Audrey Tuggle, a charter member of SSF and civic leader. The breakfast raises funds for youth programs and introduces new audiences to the Chicago Sinfonietta. Loretta Hopkins Davenport, Chair Southside Friends of the Chicago Sinfonietta states “In everything we do, we honor the legacy of Maestro Paul Freeman, Founding Music Director (1936-2015). It is both an honor and an inspiration to receive the Goldbook Roundtable Award from The League of American Orchestras as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Chicago Sinfonietta during its 2017-2018 season”
A Magical Holiday Breakfast is sustained by the tireless work of its members and is one of the most anticipated holiday celebrations on Chicago’s social calendar. Each year the Southside Friends welcome over 500 guests to the breakfast held at Navy Pier – Chicago on the 2nd Saturday of December. Mei-Ann Chen has been the Music Director of the MacArthur Foundation award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011.
ABOUT THE CHICAGO SINFONIETTA
Chicago Sinfonietta is a professional orchestra dedicated to modeling and promoting diversity, inclusion, and both racial and cultural equity in the arts through the universal language of symphonic music.
For more information, please contact bhaworth.ssf@gmail.com. To learn more about the Southside Friends and West Suburban Friends of the Chicago Sinfonietta, get involved here!
“Mei-Ann Chen never misses an opportunity to try something new. During one Chicago Sinfonietta performance, for example, a Chicago-based punk marching band, Mucca Pazza, emerged from below stage wearing mismatched uniforms for Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. As a toy cannon shot confetti, younger listeners tried to grab handfuls. According to Chen, imaginative touches like these draw otherwise reluctant people to try classical music.