Tom Dupree Sr. brings total Annual Fund gifts to $576,000 over past decade
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 19, 2014) — The Lexington Philharmonic received a record gift to its Annual Fund by long-time patron Tom Dupree Sr., founder of Dupree & Co. Inc. for the 2014-2015 season. This gift, totaling $150,000, is the latest and largest donation from Dupree who has been the largest individual donor to the Philharmonic over the last decade, with gifts totaling $576,000.
“We are deeply grateful to Mr. Dupree, who has been instrumental in helping LexPhil develop into a nationally recognized regional orchestra whose innovative programs and music touch the lives of over half a million Kentuckians every year,” said R. Scott King, board president of the Lexington Philharmonic.
“Lexington is a far more interesting place to live because we have an orchestra we can be proud of,” Dupree said. “I have accelerated the size of my gifts because I wanted to give our new musical director, Scott Terrell, room to innovate. He and his team have been successful beyond my expectations. In my experience, innovation is a must – it creates opportunity and enables productive change. If I had not fundamentally innovated the way I do business several times over the last 50 years someone else would have. The same principle holds for the Philharmonic and I applaud its work in the community and how it represents our city.”
Over the past five years, Terrell has brought distinction to Lexington through the unique Saykaly Garbulinska Composer-in-Residence partnership with the Chamber Music Festival of Lexington as well as innovative projects such as Piazzolla’s Tango Opera, Maria de Buenos Aires. Under Terrell’s artistic leadership, the Lexington Philharmonic has commissioned three new works from emerging American composers, explored exciting multi-media projects such as Holst’s The Planets and Boyer’s Ellis Island: The Dream of America while expanding the reach of the organization through artistic partnerships and education programs in the region. Subscriptions have experienced dynamic growth during Terrell’s tenure, while competition for open positions now draws musicians both locally and from a national pool.
For the second year in a row, LexPhil received nationally competitive grants from both the Aaron Copland Fund for Music and the National Endowment for the Arts supporting the Saykaly Garbulinska Composer-in-Residence program. Both awards are made in recognition of LexPhil’s demonstrated artistic excellence, commitment to innovation and the creation of new American music. Over the past three years, 25 percent of LexPhil’s concert repertoire has been new or American composed music.
Community engagement has become a core mission for LexPhil since Terrell’s arrival, with a wide range of programming and educational initiatives, involving over 100 different artistic and community organizations, and up to 400 artists per year.
“Mr. Dupree’s support has been key to LexPhil’s ability to deliver innovative programming and education, using music as a bridge to other community issues,” said Mike McNalley, EVP and CFO for East Kentucky Power and a LexPhil Board member. “I am involved in many smaller communities around the state where people appreciate the work LexPhil does beyond the concert hall.”
The Lexington Philharmonic, now in its 52nd season, is the most impactful performing arts organization in Central Kentucky. With 75 full and part-time employees, it is the largest platform for professional music presentation in the region. Its music is heard by over 500,000 Kentuckians a year, with educational programs that touch over ten thousand Kentucky school children in 17 counties and 35 schools annually.
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