Quarter Notes

Hello Everyone!

SUMMER is finally here! It’s been a WONDERFUL season in Boston getting volunteer activities back up and running and seeing so many familiar faces, and new faces at the BSAV as well!

As you might have noticed, I’ve added to my usual mantra of “remember the F-word” (fluidity) an additional refrain of….

Check the portal!

I’m doing my best to keep everything you might need to know on the homepage of the portal, so please bookmark this page, practice logging in, whatever you need to do to make sure you have easy access to this page.

News

Boston Volunteers: Many of you have been asking about the BSAV Bus Trip to Tanglewood. This will be Sunday, July 31. Information will be forthcoming, and I will also put it…on the portal!

Also – yes, per Cathy’s article, we will have a new dress code for Boston volunteers next season! The dress code is all black, along with your lanyard and badge. This is really an effort to make our volunteers much more visible both to patrons and staff. You all do so much, and I want both patrons to be able to find you, and also for staff to see all you do. This will apply for anyone who works directly with the public. You will NOT need to dress in all black for a mailing or to do flowers (unless you want to), but if you are host, tour guide, work in the Shop, then yes, you will need to wear all black along with your lanyard.

Upcoming Events

(Hint, this is all on the portal)

COFFEE TALKS AT TANGLEWOOD! Everyone is invited! Bring your coffee, I’ll bring scones, and we will have a casual gathering to chat and catch-up (9am, outdoors by the Tanglewood Grille at the Main Gate), followed by a tour of the grounds at 10am. Sign up on the portal!!

Dates: July 1, July 9, August 5, August 13

Tanglewood BSAV Welcome Back: Wednesday, June 15, 3pm, Shed

BSAV Named Concert at Tanglewood: Sunday, July 31, 2:30pm, Shed (ticket and bus trip information will be forthcoming)

Tanglewood BSAV Recognition Event: Thursday, August 18, 2pm, Tent Club

Upcoming Trainings

All trainings are via zoom. Zoom links are….on the portal!

Glass House Gift Shop: Wednesday, June 8, 10am

Host (includes Greeters)/Information Table/Mobile Ticketing: Friday, June 10, 3pm

Usher: Thursday, June 9, 1pm

Tour Guides: TBD

BSAV Welcomes New Members

Mark Alimansky

Lisa Beede

Nicki Belt

Marc Berman

Cathy Carter

Liyang Cheng

Nancy Curme

Bob Cutick

Susan Erdos

Anne Ferril

Dena Fisher

Alexandre Franco Garcia

John Gartner

Toni Gartner

Myles Gordon

Carol Gremli

Jack Gremli

Kelly Grems

David Haines

John Halpin

Olivia Harris

Naomi He

James Hyun

Veronica Jarek-Prinz

Wendy Jennis

Jeanne Johnson

Mai Keklak-Meacock

Amy Laskey

Judith Levenfeld

Barry Meneghelli

Denise Meneghelli

Esther Messing

Harriet Miller

Sydney Neugebauer

Donna Noyes-Grosser

Alan Ponanski

Jonathan Rosenthal

David Ross

Myra Ross

Lin Saberski

Patricia Shuart

Alan Tuckerman

Ashley Wang

In Memorium

We work hard to recognize the passing of valued members of our community and the time and dedication they have afforded us. We want to remember the following BSAV members who have passed since our last Quarter Notes issue:

Rosalie Beal (TWD)

Jerry Dreher (BOS and TWD)

Marie Feder (TWD)

Hans Fehlmann (TWD)

Athena Garivaltis (TWD)

Gabe Kosakoff (TWD)

Jeffrey Hunt (TWD)

Trish Lavoie (BOS)

Sumner Milender (TWD)

Alan Model (TWD)

Norma Ruffer (TWD)

If you know of the passing of a fellow volunteer, please contact the BSAV office at BSAV@bso.org so we may alert other volunteers.

Factoids

Fun facts about the Boston Symphony’s history to keep you in the know!

Serge Koussevitzky loved dogs. He had several dogs during his lifetime. In France in the early 1920’s he had two dogs named "Sharp" and “Flat.” These dogs were Boston Terriers. At Seranak (his summer residence at Tanglewood) his dog was a black cocker spaniel that he named “Bima.” When he wanted to call Bima to come to him, he would whistle a musical phrase. The phrase is 9 notes long and in 6/8 time. It was probably in F Major. (Koussevitzky did not have perfect pitch.)

Whenever I take guests on a tour of Seranak, I talk about this and if someone requests that I whistle the phrase, I respond that I am not allowed to because the ghost of Bima might come running by.

In 1958 (eight years after Koussevitzky died), the Juilliard Foundation commissioned Leonard Bernstein to compose a fanfare for brass quartet (Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Tuba) based on this dog whistle. It is called “Fanfare for Bima.”

In the scrap book of pictures on the desk in the Maestro’s study at Seranak, there is a picture of Koussevitzky with his wife Olga and his four-legged friend.

-from “Mr. Tanglewood”, Gabe Kosakoff, former Tanglewood Tour Guide and Tanglewood expert