Opera & Symphony!

 
High culture was the theme at the April 11 RCOS luncheon, as club member and violin virtuoso Alice Sauro (Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera) topped the bill as our featured speaker.
 
 
 First up, President Dan McVeigh called the meeting to order, thanking Luann Richardson (Re/Max Gold) for sponsoring the day’s wine reception.
 
 Bonnie Plummer (National University / Sanford School of Education) offered a thought for the day. President Dan hailed the return of club stalwart Maynard Nelson, who had been away while mending from an auto accident.
 
 Robyn DeLong (Coldwell Banker) introduced Carol Christie as the club’s newest member. A longtime Rotarian, Carol (Lyon Real Estate) recently relocated from San Francisco, where she amassed an impressive array of accomplishments with her former club. Carol was sponsored by PP Susan Sheridan and Judy Kjelstrom (UC Davis).
 
 PP Jon Snyder (Snyder Commercial Real Estate) presented President Dan with souvenirs from Jon and his wife Susan’s recent road trip – a Route 66 license plate, and a Texas Ranger “Danny” badge.
 
 Allison Cagley (California Musical Theatre) introduced the day’s guest speaker, our own Alice Sauro. Alice serves as Executive Director of the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera. Alice highlighted the recent successes of the symphony and the opera since reorganizing and unifying a couple years ago. She noted the region’s appetite for classical music and cited the extraordinary renewal rate for subscribers to the opera performances.
 
 
 Alice welcomed her colleague Julian Dixon, whose duties range from tuba solos to heading the organization's ambitious outreach to underserved youth in the region. He recounted that just last week, 5,000 youth musicians participated in the group's "Link Up" culminating performance.
 
 Having primed the audience, Alice then unveiled the main act: her beautiful violin skills alongside the voice of surprise guest singer Omari Tau, who heads the opera theatre program at Sacramento State. The duo wowed the crowd with samples from various pieces, delivering a brilliant finale to the luncheon.
 
 As usual, the club announcements riveted the gathering. Among the highlights -
 . the district conference in Santa Clara is May 5-7 and President Dan encouraged all to attend (details can be found online);
 . with an eye for younger members, the club reached out to young professionals at the Metro Edge group’s “Emerge” daylong gathering – and generated significant interest in Rotary, reported Todd Koolakian.
 
Roast Boast and Toast
 
Jeanne Reaves (Jeanne Reaves Consulting) – Tiffany Award,
 
April Javist (Sacramento Public Library Foundation) - Fast Pitch Success,
 
 Kathy Herrfeldt (Home Care Assistance) - Best of Home Care by Home Care Pulse ( 2016 Employer of Choice and 2016 Provider of Choice), 
 
Kathe Nathan (The Merchants National Bank) to Kathy Herrfeldt, 
 
Eric Solis (Solis Financial Strategies Group of Wells Fargo Advisors) for his Eddie Mulligan.
 
 Along the way, President Dan thanked musical director Aaron French (Zanker Recycling) and greeters Michele Amaral (Dick James & Associates); Allison Cagley; and Roy Alexander (Sacramento Children’s Home).
 
 Next meeting will feature political veteran Steve Swatt talking about the current state of California politics -- with an eye on next year's gubernatorial election and California's ongoing feud with the Trump Administration.
 
 And continuing the refined culture theme, President Dan announced next Tuesday’s meeting as “Wear Your Favorite Hat Day,” with prizes to be awarded in the women’s, men’s and “special” divisions. “Silliness will be rewarded,” promised the club president.