West Valley Symphony is resurrected with donor's help

The West Valley Symphony is rising from the ashes after a two-year hiatus, thanks to a hefty donation from a private donor.

On Dec. 7, the symphony's Christmas concert will be held at Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church in Sun City West, performing the stylings of Georges Bizet and Leroy Anderson, as well as Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.

The symphony's second show of its first full season since it disbanded coincides with its first performance 40 years ago.

The symphony's return doesn't simply spell relief for local classical music lovers. Its rebirth adds to the cultural offerings for residents of the Sun Cities and Surprise, while also helping attract new residents and making the Northwest Valley a destination point for people living elsewhere in the Valley.

The revitalization was sparked by the efforts of a dedicated board of trustees and $240,000 bequeathed by J.E. Donald Hastie, said Fred Berkenkamp, former president of the symphony's board of trustees.

"You never do these things by yourself," said Berkenkamp. "The board of trustees and that generous donation were instrumental in bringing the symphony back."

The West Valley Symphony has been a staple of the west side since 1968, when it was known as the Sun City Symphony Orchestra, opening to a capacity crowd of nearly 1,000 people. Sun City was barely 8 years old at the time, and the symphony has since endured numerous name and venue changes, but the waves of woodwinds and the roll of the tympani never fully disappeared from the West Valley landscape - until 2006.

The symphony cut spending, obtained legal counsel, and launched a quick fundraising campaign in hopes of stopping the financial hemorrhage, but customers were all tapped out, Berkenkamp said.

Declining season-ticket sales, smaller audiences and less support from donors contributed to the closure, Berkenkamp said.

The symphony was $100,000 in debt and went dormant halfway through its 2005-06 season, nearly going bankrupt. Ticket holders were allowed to redeem their last two tickets of the season for shows at the Phoenix Symphony.

"We inventoried everything, including our music library, and put it up for sale. There was no money to pay the musicians," Berkenkamp said. "We didn't have a choice but to shut down operations."

Barbara Lashmet, vice president of the symphony's board of trustees, was in tears when the symphony disbanded, but she said she was thrilled to death when the symphony received the lifeline donation from Hastie last year.

"Sometimes miracles happen, but you have to be ready for them," Berkenkamp said.

The board of trustees began organizing immediately, Berkenkamp said, assisting the rebirth by trying to create a more intimate symphony. That meant choosing smaller venues such as churches rather than large ones such as Sun City West's Maricopa County Events Center, the symphony's traditional home.

"Rather than targeting a large number of people, let's stay within our means," Berkenkamp said. "It's worked well. We're going to make it."

The symphony also created an ambassador program to foster more awareness of the West Valley Symphony. The program includes 55 volunteers who put the word out about the symphony to friends and neighbors.

"It's important that the volunteers talk to people who they know and trust," Berkenkamp said. "We seniors, we don't pay attention to advertising. But we will listen to someone we know and trust."

The West Valley Symphony's performance earlier this month had a strong showing. More than 400 tickets were sold for its first show of the season at Faith Presbyterian Church in Sun City, Lashmet said.

"The response was great from the audience. We didn't hit capacity, but it was crowded," she said. "There is a place for this type of music that's dear to my heart and there is a following ... it's a wonderful community."

Conductor Cal Stewart Kellogg of the West Valley Symphony performs at the Faith Presbyterian Church in Sun City.