Symphony officials welcome music director

There was a positive buzz Monday evening during the welcoming reception for Olivia Tsui, the Glendale Symphony Orchestra's new music director.

The board of directors for the symphony's association, members of the Women's Committee and longtime contributors attended the reception and got their first glimpse of the new Minx Restaurant & Lounge, the former home of the Rusty Pelican. The restaurant opens today.

In a brief ceremony, symphony Executive Director Diane Hedrick introduced the new board members Glenn Treibitz of the Piano Factory in Burbank and Ann Chadney of Glendale. Hedrick also introduced Bill Holderness, board president, and Patrick Shahijanian, incoming board president, who will take office in January.

Hedrick gave a special thanks to the Glendale Community Foundation, which provided a grant to hire Jenine Baines as the new marketing and public relations representative.

Tsui thanked everyone for their support over the years and expressed how excited she is to be the new music director.

"We will be taking the orchestra into a very new direction and I'm very excited to share this with you," she said. "We're going forward and upward."

For its 83rd season, the association has planned three concerts. The first, on Oct. 7, is titled "Tango Through the Four Seasons."

The holiday concert is the first weekend in December and the final concert is on Feb. 9. They will all be at the Alex Theatre.

Those attending all had positive things to say about Tsui's appointment. One of those was Paul Greene, a member of the board of directors of the Glendale Community Foundation.

"She will bring music to be enjoyed by all the ethnic groups in the Glendale community," he said.

Those attending were Doris Boyer, chairwoman of the Glendale Community Foundation; Marion Graydon, Pamela and Ian Spiszman, Georgia Abelmann, Sheila Murray, Ken Scott and Lolita Pascua, Jaime Lopez and his wife, Yolanda Acevedo, former City Councilwoman Mary Ann and Bill Plumley and Eve Rappoport, community services supervisor for Glendale Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department; and Glendale Arts and Culture commissioners Razmik Grigorian, Joylene Wagner, Amador Solis and Arman Keyvanian.

Other guests were Jennifer Horine, advisor to the teen support group, The Preludes, with her daughter and Preludes President Cassandra Horine, and Vice President Sue Keyvonian.

The Preludes are the official hostesses for the symphony concerts.

They greet guests and distribute concert programs, and set up and clean up at fundraisers, like for the Women's Committee's Symphony Stampede scheduled for Sept. 16.

Members from the Women's Committee attending were President Karin Detweiler, Mary Margaret Smith, Martha Feutz, Silvia Larrea, Shirley Darling, Beverly Morrow, Rita Burns, Karen Suter, Lucille Mellon, Lucy Yarrick, twins Dorothy and Doris Dash and Mary Rough.