About The SC Philharmonic

Officers

• Emily Luther, President 

• Chris Winston, President-Elect 

• Josh Price, Treasurer 
  

• Alexis Short, Secretary  

• Mike Ferguson, Vice President 

• Dr. Harold Friedman, Vice President 

• Lindsey Griffin, Vice President 

• Samuel Waters (Sam), Vice President 

Board Members

• Steven Anastasion (Steve) 

• Jason L. Beckett (JB) 

• Kyle Aaron Brannon 

• Jarrett Coco 

• Kenneth R. Cox (Ken) 
  

• Bill Danielson 

• Lucy Dinkins 

• Tom Fortson 

• Terry Goodfellow 

• Lynn Hodge 

• Rhonda Hunsinger, Executive Director, Ex-Officio 

• Sarah Landholt 

• Dr. Gail Morrison 

• Morihiko Nakahara, Music Director, Ex Officio 

• Stephen Savitz, Parliamentarian 

• Alma Schultz, Symphony League President, Ex Officio 

• Patricia Smith (Pat) 

• David Turner

Board Members Emeriti

• Mary Green Brush 

• Barbara Darden – in memoriam 

• Thomas R. Gottshall, Esq. 

• Rick Palyok 

• Hyman Rubin, Jr. 

• Regan Voit 

Administrative Staff

• Rhonda Hunsinger, Executive Director
• Robin Hallyburton, Development and Deputy Director
• Chad Henderson, Marketing Director
• Susan Cafferty, Education & Community Outreach Director
• Rebecca Faith Warthen, Development Associate
• Margaret Bauknight, Patron Services Manager

Artistic Staff

• Morihiko Nakahara, Music Director
• Ashley Horvat, Personnel Manager
• John L. Hunsinger II, Production and Stage Manager
• Tzu-Ying Liao, Music Librarian and Operations Manager

Youth Orchestra Staff

• Reed Hanna, Artistic Director and Youth Philharmonic Conductor
• Naiesha Wise, Concert Orchestra Conductor
• Emma Brown, Prelude Orchestra Conductor
• Joanne Mosquera, Symphonic Youth Orchestra Director
• Amy Johnson, Youth Orchestra Manager

Benefactors

• BlueCross BlueShield of SC
• City of Columbia
• Richland County
• S.C. Arts Commission

Platinum

• Symphony League 
• Prisma

Gold Level

• Berkshire Hathaway/ Carolina Gas Transmission
• Combined, A Chubb Company
• Dominion Energy
• FACES, Inc.
• Grace Outdoor
• SC ETV | SC Public Radio
• Terminix / Pat and Tom Fortson
• Thermal Technologies

Silver Level

• Aflac
• Baker Commercial Properties
• Blythewood Gloriosa Florist
• Bourbon Columbia
• Cox & Dinkins / Lucy Dinkins & Harrison Floyd
• Clarke and Harold Friedman
• Howard Gilman Foundation
• Dr. Todd A. Kolb
• Dr. Gail M. Morrison
• Elizabeth Wheeler
• Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLC
• SoulHAUS
• South Carolina State Museum
• Dr. Mary Baskin-Waters & Samuel C. Waters

Bronze Level

• AllSouth Federal Credit Union
• Ameris Bank
• Any Lab Test Now
• Joseph Bruce
• First Citizens Bank
• IGS Energy
• M.B. Kahn Construction
• McDaniels Auto Group
• Propel Insurance
• Schmoyer & Company CPAs

Friends Level

• Helmut & Gillian Albrecht
• Centa
• Debbie & Rick Cohn
• DataPay
• GMK
• GMM Insurance
• Val & Dennis Grady
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites - Downtown Columbia & Vista
• Ingram Law Firm
• Pollock Company
• Truist

Education & Outreach Sponsors

• Anonymous (2)
• Anonymous “In Memory of Ann Cassidy”
• BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
• City of Columbia
• Dominion Energy
• Howard Gilman Foundation
• Lipscomb Foundation
• Looking Out Foundation
• Nord Foundation
• Richland County
• South Carolina Arts Commission
• Symphony League
• USC School of Music
• Woman’s Club Endowment

SCP Musician Sponsors

Winifred Goodwin, piano Sponsored by Jane LaRoche

Cynthia Hopkins, flute Sponsored by Jane LaRoche

Mary Lee Taylor Kinosian, violin Sponsored by Jane LaRoche

Carol Stumpf, timpani Sponsored by Val & Dennis Grady

Dusan Vukajlovic, cello Sponsored by Jane LaRoche

Advisory Council Chairs 

Co-Chairs: Ann Cameron & Mike Ferguson 

Advisory Council Members 

Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis – President, Benedict College 

Clinch & Mary Belser - Attorney, Belser & Belser 

Charlotte Berry – Philanthropist 

Carl Blackstone - Executive Director, Columbia Chamber of Commerce 

Roger Blau - Retired, E.D. of External Relations; President of Southern Electric Co. 

Sarah and Frank Brown - Retired MarketSearch, Past SCP Board President 

Donna Bucalo - Community Volunteer 

Ann & Andy Cameron - Retired 

David Campbell - President & COO, Chernoff Newman 

Frank and Jennifer Clark - Psychiatrist at Prisma Health, former SC Philharmonic Board Member 

James Cooper - WellCare Health Plans 

Faith Divisek - Philanthropists 

Earl Ellis - Attorney – Earl Ellis Mediation 

Michael Ferguson - Dominion Energy 

Tammy Finney - Chief of Voluntary Service, Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center 

Tim Gardner - Owner, Lula Drake Wine Parlour 

Harvey Galloway - Retired BlueCross BlueShield of SC, Past SCP Board President 

Audrey Harris – SC Philharmonic Musician 

Janet Hopkins - Associate Professor, USC School of Music 

William "Skip" Holbrook – Chief, City of Columbia Police Department 

Ann & Steve Holtschlag - President and CEO (retired) Consolidated Systems 

Libby Anne Inabinet - Providence Health, Financial Planning 

Avni Gupta-Kagan – Educator 

Kim & Matt Kennell – Executive Director of City of Columbia Center Partnership 

Skip Kugler - Philanthropist 

Bill LaMotte – Retired – Synovus 

Edward McDowell - City Councilman, City of Columbia 

Verne McGough - Attorney, Merline & Meacham, P.A. 

Dr. Ernest McNealey - President, Allen University 

Jackie Newland – Arts Patron 

Jyotindra Parekh – Owner, Rice Music House 

Joe Pinner – WIS TV 

Bill Quattlebaum - CPA 

David Reisman - Professor, Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina 

Curt Rone - Retired CFO Loxcreen Company, Inc. 

Steven Rosansky - Retired Nephrologist 

Michal Rubin - Psychotherapist, Columbia SC 

David Sennema – Past SCP Board President 

Vincent Sheheen and Amy Sheheen - Attorney 

Hal Stevenson – Grace Outdoor 

Inez Tenenbaum - Educator 

Sam Tenenbaum – President, Prisma Foundation 

Dr. Mary Baskin-Waters – Professor, University of South Carolina 

Barbara Yongue - Artist & President of Fairfield Arts Council 

Tammy Finney - Chief of Voluntary Service, Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center 

Tim Gardner - Owner, Lula Drake Wine Parlour 

Janet Hopkins - Associate Professor, USC School of Music 

William "Skip" Holbrook – Chief, City of Columbia Police Department 

Kim & Matt Kennell – Executive Director of City of Columbia Center Partnership 

Judge Joe Strickland – Master in Equity for Richland County 

Congressman and Mrs. Joe Wilson (Roxanne) – US House of Representatives 

Cindy & Al Saad – Jeweler, A.L. Saad & Co. 

Senator Mia McLeod – State of South Carolina 

Nancy Smith – General Manager, SC State Fair 

Deepika & Ajay Champaneri – Lexington Hospitality, LLC Hotel Management Group  

Hal & Linda McIntosh – Director of Worship, Music Ministries at Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church 

Bhavna Vasudeva – Community Volunteer & Advocate 

Paula Benson – Attorney, South Carolina Senate 

Beth Richardson - Attorney, Robinson Gray 

Charles Weathers - Consultant, The Weathers Group 

Sara Fawcett – President and CEO, United Way of the Midlands 

Scott Middleton - Owner, The Grand, The Venue, Top Golf 

David Platts – Executive Director, SC Arts Commission 

Dr. Armen Shaomian – Professor, University of South Carolina 

Allison Terracio – Representative, Richland County 

The South Carolina Philharmonic is deeply committed to building and maintaining a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) through partnerships with our musicians, staff, audience members, and volunteer leadership. We denounce racism and racial injustice. 

In February 2020, we completed a strategic plan for the organization to systematically improve the socio-economic, gender, ethnic, special needs, and age diversity of our Board, musicians, and staff to reflect the diversity of the community we serve. As part of this plan, Executive Director Rhonda Hunsinger joined the Diversity Leaders Initiative of the Riley Institute at Furman - a program that helps community leaders better understand the diversity and inclusion shortfalls within their organizations. Upon completion of the program, Rhonda will be equipped with focused decision-making skills and a deeper knowledge of how to effectively manage and lead increasingly diverse workers, clients, and constituents.

The SC Philharmonic's strategic plan includes staff and Board educational sessions with other organizations who are doing meaningful EDI work in our community; creating an EDI committee comprised of Board and Advisory Council members; establishing annual goals for engaging a more diverse cross-section of our community for Board service, with a priority of having an inclusive Board that embraces all ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, ages and genders; and building an audience that reflects our community. While our commitment to EDI is ongoing, we acknowledge that we have struggled to move as quickly as we should to align practices with our beliefs. The strategic plan is propelling this shortfall into action.

The SC Philharmonic is a member of the League of American Orchestras (LAO) - an organization that is committed to elevating the principals of EDI as the highest priority in the orchestra field. Members of the SCP staff, orchestra, and Board are actively engaged in opportunities through the LAO to participate in forums for training, discussion, and reflection and use its resources and tools to facilitate change and continuous learning. 

Community Outreach and Inclusion

While the SC Philharmonic is perhaps best known for its performances of live symphonic music on stage, members of our orchestra and staff work closely with local partners to develop inclusive educational outreach programs to fill the needs of our community.   

With the unrest of social injustice and the pandemic, the SC Philharmonic saw an opportunity to support the wellbeing of our community’s mental health through "InTune," a mindfulness exercise collaborating our music with a guided meditation by psychiatrist Dr. Frank Clark. We also partnered with senior care centers to present video concerts by our musicians to individuals who are unable to leave their care facilities. Another virtual program, "From Our Homes to Yours," was launched to provide a broader audience with a series of on-line concerts available for free, along with releases of archival audio releases of the full orchestra. While virtual concert events will continue to be created throughout the pandemic, free musical offerings will become a permanent part of the SC Philharmonic's commitment to making symphonic music accessible to everyone.

Under the leadership of Music Director Morihiko Nakahara, the SC Philharmonic has developed programs to reach underserved communities and will continue to do so when musical gatherings and education programs are safe again. "Conduct the Phil" concerts, where the audience members conduct the orchestra, have been presented extensively throughout the Midlands, not only in public spaces like festivals, farmers markets, and the SC State Fair but for members of our community that otherwise might never have the chance to experience live symphonic music. These include interactive concert events at Transitions Homeless Center, Epworth Children's Home, the SC Department of Juvenile Justice, and Babcock Center.

The SC Philharmonic also presents "Healing Harmonies" concerts throughout the hospitals and campuses of the Prisma Health System, at underserved eldercare facilities and at the Dorn VA Medical Center - providing soothing and uplifting music to patients, families and staff alike.

Our orchestra actively seeks partnerships that enable children and adults of all ages to experience live symphonic music. These include educational programming for public school children throughout the Midlands, and actively working with Title 1 schools to ensure that every student has a chance to hear live music. 

We are currently developing a sensory-sensitive concert series for neurodiverse members of our community. The concerts will allow children and adults who are unable to normally attend concert events with their families to enter a safe and welcoming environment where clapping, movement, and vocalization are accepted and embraced.

For more than a year, the SC Philharmonic has actively worked on the current strategic plan, with the goals of equity, diversity, and inclusion being at the top of our prioritized goals.  The creation of our EDI program is the first step to changing our organizational culture so that every aspect of our work embraces inclusion and the values of EDI.