President Randy called the meeting to order at 12:15. David Dix led today’s patriotic song, “God Bless America,” followed by the invocation by Shawn Gordon and Pledge of Allegiance.
Visitors: There were no visiting Rotarians. Guests were Stephanie Shulda, guest of Bill Childers, Mark Pennell and Michelle Hartman, guests of Kathy Myers, Andrew Popp, guest of Shawn Gordon, and Kent McWilliams, Director of the Glauser School of Music, guest of Tom Hatch.
Announcements:
- Dave Myers announced upcoming programs. We will meet three times in December. December 3 will be Rebecca Silber from Rotary International celebrating Rotary Foundation Month. On December 10 we will host Dr. Rita Colwell, an environmental scientist who is former Director of the National Science Foundation, and on December 17 we will hear a concert by Kent Roosevelt Choral groups.
- Kathy Myers encouraged everyone to register for this year’s Holiday Gala, which will be held virtually on Thursday, December 10 from 7:00 to 8:30. The cost is $35 for an individual, and $45 for two. Rebecca Wright-Kulis is working on snack and beverage boxes to be delivered to attendees. The Gala will feature music, Happy Bucks, and ugly sweater and mask showoff opportunities. To sign up, go to rotarykentohio.org and click on the Donate to Kent Rotary Foundation button. Alternatively, write a check payable to Kent Rotary Foundation and send it to Kent Rotary, PO Box 6, Kent, OH 44240 and write "Holiday" on the subject line.
- President Randy reminded everyone that we are sponsoring a Toy Drive in association with Habitat for Humanity. Drop off donations at the Restore or at the Habitat offices in Ravenna. You may also make a cash donation; mail your check to Kent Rotary, PO Box 6, Kent, OH 44240. Those participating will be part of a raffle drawing at the Holiday Gala.
Special Presentation:
Kathy Myers announced that Michelle Hartman has been tapped to receive a special Paul Harris Fellow. Michelle Hartman was chosen because of her many years of dedication and service to the Kent community. Michelle has given countless hours to Main Street Kent, a nonprofit advocate organization working to enhance and improve our community. Since 2006, she organized and managed Brunch Bunch, a Thanksgiving morning community fundraiser supporting several area nonprofits. Over $750,000 has been raised at Brunch Bunch since she took over. Michelle has also given her time and talents to support Kent Roosevelt High School athletics and Kent Social Services.
She has received numerous awards recognizing her leadership and accomplishments, including in 2019 the Kent Chamber of Commerce’s highest honor, the W.W. Reed Public Service Award.
When she is not serving the community in her many volunteer capacities, Michelle is the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of the Burbick Companies. She also serves as a Board Trustee of the Burbick Foundation.
Kent Rotary is proud to present this Paul Harris Fellow to a someone who truly lives by the “Service Above Self” motto of Rotary International, Michelle Hartman.
Michelle took a few moments to thank Rotary for this honor, She commented on the incredible sense of community she has found during her 27 years living and working in Kent and is thankful for the chance to inspire others to believe and achieve.
Kent Rotary’s 100th Anniversary:
Jim Myers presented the story of how our club responded to club member’s needs in 1933 during the Great Depression. See this week’s newsletter for his remarks.
Today’s Program:
Tom Hatch introduced today’s guest speaker, Ricardo Sepulveda, Director of the Kent Blossom Music Festival. Kent Blossom is in its 53rd year. It was started as a collaboration between the Cleveland Orchestra and Kent State University at the time Blossom Music Center was created. Early supporters of the project and founding members of the advisory committee included world-renowned classical musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copeland, James Gingold, Pierre Boulez, George Szell. The original idea, to provide a truly professional experience for young musicians, still guides the program today. Students receive instruction from KSU Faculty and Cleveland Orchestra members. They also perform at Blossom Music Center, rehearse at Severance Hall, and play a side-by-side concert with the Cleveland Orchestra.
Graduates of the program include many of the leading classical musicians of our day. These include Jerry Grossman, who founded the Emerson String Quartet, winner of nine Emmy awards. Amy Lee, Associate Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra and KSU faculty and her husband, Frank Rosenwein, first oboe of the Cleveland Orchestra and head of the oboe department at Cleveland Institute of Music are both graduates, as is our speaker, Ricardo Sepulveda. Ricardo is from Columbia and first came to the US as a foreign exchange student in Boise, Idaho. After graduating from college in Columbia, he returned to the US and has received two degrees from Kent State in violin performance.
During the five-week summer program, which focusses on chamber music, the students and faculty present a series of concerts and perform more than 50 different works. Kevin Hines, a pianist who was a student in 2017 and 2018 recalled his intense and overwhelming experience at KBM when he was assigned the Quarter for the End of Time by the French composer Olivier Messiaen. Kevin also thanked his host family, Nelson and Suzanne Burns, for enriching his Kent experience. Many Kent Rotarians are supporters of the program and several serve as host families for selected students.
In this year of Covid-19, KBM collaborated with the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY on a “capstone internship” for Eva Zhang. She helped produce some concerts of recorded performances from past years presented virtually, which replaced the live concerts. Ricardo noted that he is preparing various scenarios for next year’s program. Plans are flexible and will depend on the situation we face with the pandemic at the time.
Nelson Burns provided the response for the club.
Respectfully submitted,
Thomas Hatch
