In Friday’s (10/5) Arizona Republic (Phoenix), Kellie Hwang writes, “Joy Partridge grew up in a non-musical family, but she realized that she wanted to be a musician when, at age 13, she followed a girl with a violin case to her music class. … She went on to start her own accounting firm, but Partridge always found a way to support classical music, whether sitting on the boards of various orchestras or playing viola in them. But it wasn’t until this year that she found a way to merge her two passions: She founded and financed the Scottsdale Philharmonic, a full symphonic orchestra featuring volunteer musicians performing free concerts. … She had the idea for years, but the timing was never right. Then she reconnected with a similarly minded professional violinist, Carl Reiter, while playing for the Scottsdale Baroque Orchestra (now called the Arizona Pro Arte Ensemble). Other than smaller, specialized groups, there has been no major classical presence since the Scottsdale Symphony Orchestra dissolved about two years ago. The timing, they felt, was perfect. Partridge took on the business side while Reiter handled the musical side. Their working relationship was quite smooth, and within five months, the Scottsdale Philharmonic was born. Its first concert is Oct. 28, with a season running through next June.”
Posted October 9, 2012
