Building a Symphony: Community, Commitment, and Culture

Our special anniversary series Behind the Baton: Looking Back on 20 Years of

Memories, Milestones and Magical Moments continues. Enjoy!

By Zandra Wolfgram

Q: How did you first start?

DF: We formed the symphony with an existing contingency of local orchestra players and

community members who rallied to the cause. We launched a Founding Partner Program. I

went to Mike Freeman’s office at Whitney Bank (now Hancock Whitney), and said, ‘I need a

line of credit.’ I didn’t have collateral, so I signed up 10 partners at $50,000 cash up to five

years. I got eight and Kay Phelan got two. It was not difficult, and the support was

forthcoming. The Howard Group, Destin Commons, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, St. Joe

Company and Legendary Marine were among the founding partners.

Q: How does Sinfonia fit into the local arts scene?

DF: I hope locals agree we’ve made a huge impact on the local cultural landscape. We are a

destination in terms of one-stop symphony shopping, so to speak. Overall, we’re here to

entertain and become a source of cultural support for the area, but also to become a part of

people’s lives. Beyond music, we provide education and a social offering – altogether, those

three elements are what Sinfonia has brought to the community.

Q: What is at the heart of Sinfonia’ mission?

DF: Music education is integral to our mission. Over the past 20 years, we’ve focused on our

educational outreach, and it’s become a standard staple in Okaloosa, Walton and now Bay

Counties as a supplement to their in-school curricula. Link Up, impacting almost 4,000 kids

in 3 rd through 5 th grade each school year, is remarkable. It's a symbiotic relationship.

Obviously, we provide a service to the community, but more than people just buying a

ticket, what we do is not a stopgap; our patrons really understand what Sinfonia does and

what their money goes to; they see the value in what we provide.