Spotlight on PHILANTHROPY
How did you come to
connect with the CSO?
I began to enjoy classical music
at an early age, having been
brought up in a home where
78 LPs of symphonic music
were played. As kids, we took
piano lessons, and our family
subscribed to our town’s classical music series which brought
in well-known musicians to
perform. I also think I love
music because of my DNA—
my great-grandmother was a
music instructor at a women’s
seminary and an accompanist
for classical singers. I inherited
her piano sheet music, including
one with a cover featuring the
Theodore Thomas Orchestra
that I have donated to the
CSO’s Rosenthal Archives.
After college, while working in
New York, I attended symphony
and opera performances at
Lincoln Center and Carnegie
Hall. So when I moved to
Chicago, I knew I wanted to
hear CSO concerts.
What inspires you about the
work of the CSO?
I’m very interested in supporting
the Institute for Learning,
Access and Training. Classical
music has given me so much
joy, comfort, and excitement,
and I want this opportunity
to be available to everyone.
I firmly believe in the value
and mission of expanding the
CSO’s audiences and exposing
more people to classical
music—taking music into the
community, and introducing
children to music at an early age.
Music is a universal language,
brings people together, and can
greatly enrich one’s life.
Ann Blickensderfer has been
a subscriber and supporter
of the CSO for more than
forty years. A retired estate
planning attorney and bank
wealth management officer
in Chicago, she is a member
of the Theodore Thomas
Society Stradivarian
Associates of the CSO and a governing member. Her
many years of involvement with the CSO have included
volunteer work as a member of the Women’s Association
(now The League of the CSO) and on Symphonythons in
the 1970s. Next season, Ann will serve on the Program and
Evaluation Committee of the Institute for Learning, Access
and Training.
What inspired your
commitment to
planned giving?
As an estate planning professional, I advised clients on the
many ways they could make
charitable gifts for emotional
and tax reasons. For me, it was
natural to provide a bequest to
the CSO in my estate plan. The
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
has been a constant and one
of the best parts of my life,
and I wish to leave a legacy to
something I’m passionate about
and want to preserve.
How has the CSO enhanced
your love of music?
Rather than try to choose a
favorite performance, I’d say
each of our music directors has
given me a particular appreciation and love for music by a certain composer. Under Sir Georg
Solti, it was Mahler, whose
works I really didn’t know
previously. Daniel Barenboim
gave many of us a fresh appreciation for Mozart and brought
a new dimension to Orchestra
Hall—South American music.
With Riccardo Muti, it is
Verdi. The CSO’s Macbeth and
Requiem performances with
the Chorus and vocalists far
surpassed operas I’ve heard
elsewhere this season!
How can audience members
connect more deeply with
the CSO?
I would encourage audience
members to become subscribers.
Hearing consistently excellent
music making on a regular
basis is a wonderful cultural
experience in one’s life. And it’s
a fun activity to do with friends
and family. Another way to
connect is through charitable
gifts. There are many donor
levels with benefits that offer
additional contact with the
Orchestra and the institution.
To learn more about making a
planned gift, please contact Al
Andreychuk, major gifts officer
and director of planned giving,
at 312-294-3150.
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