In Wednesday’s (5/26) Whittier Daily News (California), Sandra Molina writes, “Professional musician and symphony orchestra conductor Sylvia Lee Mann believes in the power of music. So much so, she has used her own money to finance the relaunch of the West Covina Symphony. The organization had been dormant for about 20 years before Mann, who is a professional musician and conductor and lives in the West Covina home in which she grew up, relaunched it nearly two years ago. ‘When I moved back from Louisiana to care for my ill parents (who are now deceased), I was surprised the symphony no longer existed,’ said Mann, 55. She is now the musical director and conductor of the symphony, which had gone dormant because of no financing. ‘It was too important not to do something about it,’ she said of rejuvenating the symphony. It hasn’t been easy. ‘Through the generosity of many in the community, we’ve kept afloat,’ said Mann, who played in the symphony’s original incarnation as a child and into her teens. … The orchestra consists of more than 60 musicians at every concert, with musicians ranging in age from 14 to 81. … The symphony also has an educational outreach program which offers free concerts for local area schools, a music academy offering music lessons and a solo competition for music students.”
Posted May 27, 2010
