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Mayor Jim Ford has proclaimed Monday, May 12, as Elizabeth Hochholzer Day within the City of Lewes in recognition of her vital role in bringing major symphonies and musical performances to local venues as executive director of the Southern Delaware Choral Society.
The honor is also in recognition of her role in bringing independent film to the region as past president of the Rehoboth Beach Film Society, and for her leadership, knowledge, dedication and passion.
“Beth has been a fixture for the choral society and has done many things to support our community by bringing music and culture to the local level. She helped bring us the Mid-Atlantic Symphony, the Chesapeake Brass Band and the Delaware Symphony and aided in the creation of the choral society’s Lee Mitchell Scholarship Program to give promising young musicians the opportunity for advanced training,” said Ford.
The Southern Delaware Choral Society (SDCS) will also be honoring Hochholzer during a champagne reception following its performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta “The Mikado” for her many achievements during her 22-year tenure as the society’s executive director. She will be retiring from the position effective Tuesday, July 1. The reception will follow the 3 p.m., Sunday, May 11 performance of “The Mikado” and audience members are invited to attend.
“Beth has that rare combination of attention to detail and excellent people skills,” said SCDS President Clement Edgar. “I always thought she was one of the most pleasant and engaging people I have ever met.”
Where’s “The Messiah”?
Passion for the arts and community involvement came first for Hochholzer, who will be continuing as a member of SCDS and as a singer in the choir.
“Being involved in music is an instant way of finding like-minded people and becoming integrated into a community,” Hochholzer said. “It is something you can continue to create and enjoy throughout your life.”
A Rehoboth resident for 23 years, Hochholzer moved to Lewes in 2003. A retired high school English teacher, Hochholzer previously taught in New York, Virginia, Wisconsin and locally at Indian River High School and Sussex Central High School.
During the 1980s, Hochholzer served on the board of directors of the now-defunct Sussex County Arts Council. It was there that the thought of creating a choral society was born, she said.
“Each year while I lived in Washington, D.C. I went to the Kennedy Center to hear ‘The Messiah.’ I asked the council where ‘The Messiah’ sing-along was in Sussex County. Their response was that they didn’t even have a ‘Messiah,’” Hochholzer recalled with a light-hearted laugh.
Resolved to remedy the situation, she contacted the Delaware Symphony Orchestra only to be told they had never performed in Sussex County. With the council’s efforts, the first performance of “The Messiah” was held at Milford High School, led by Director Dick Eckerd.
“The place was filled,” Hochholzer recalled. “We had thought it would be a one-performance event but the chorus didn’t want to disband. So we formed the Southern Delaware Choral Society.”
The society’s most recent performance of “The Messiah” was with the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra to an audience of nearly 900 people on Dec. 8, 2007.
Hochholzer became the first SDCS president and, soon after, became its founding executive director. Now, 22 years later, she will relinquish her position to Gail Launay on July 1, 2008.
Parting gifts
Hochholzer said she is confident her decision to retire as executive director is a good one.
“Organizations that rely on the same leadership for too many years do themselves a disservice. Even good leaders can be effective only so long,” Hochholzer said.
It is time, she said, for the choral society to go to a new level. “Our new executive director will have a different type of energy; she will have new perspectives and be willing to take new risks.”
Grateful for her time with SDCS, Hochholzer said its gift to her was the opportunity it gave her to work with so many talented and committed people over such a long period of time.
“My gift to the society was the creation of continuity and an institutional history that is critical to establishing a start-up organization as one with an identity that will stay,” Hochholzer added. “Through continuous involvement, the society has been helped to last and hold together, a challenging feat for a volunteer organization.”
Launay and the society will have the benefit of the many risks taken and challenges faced by Hochholzer and the boards she has served.
During her tenure the group has had several rehearsal venues, many new singers, four rehearsal accompanists and three musical directors.
In addition to private fundraising, the society has procured support from the Division of the Arts, the Sussex County Council, the City of Lewes the Freeman Foundation as well as many businesses and individuals.
A highlight is the Lee Mitchell Scholarship Program, Hochholzer said.
Created to promote music and the arts among Sussex County high school students, the program began with an endowment from the family of Lee Mitchell, an internationally renowned pianist and composer who had a collaborative relationship with the Southern Delaware Choral Society.
Scholarship recipients receive a year of private voice instruction, participate in the choral society’s upcoming season, and receive concert attire and membership dues.
Current Lee Mitchell Scholarship recipient Allison Clendaniel is singing the part of Yum-Yum in “The Mikado.”
“Allison will never forget singing one of the most famous musical pieces of all time with a symphony orchestra,” Hochholzer said.
Contact Georgia Leonhart at g.l.leonhart@comcast.net
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