In Thursday’s (2/24) Honolulu Star Advertiser, Steven Mark writes, “A group of prominent business and civic leaders has formed a committee aimed at returning the bankrupt Honolulu Symphony to the concert stage. Led by Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee Oz Stender, the group, informally named the Symphony Exploratory Committee, has asked Steve Monder, retired president of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and JoAnn Falletta, acclaimed conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, to develop a business model for the symphony. The group also filed for nonprofit status. Falletta has served as artistic adviser for the symphony and has been a guest conductor here. … Other committee members were identified as former Hawaii first lady Vicky Cayetano, a former symphony board member; Paul Kosasa, president of ABC Stores; Mark Polivka, president of Monarch Insurance; attorney Ken Robbins; Mona Abadir, chief executive officer of Honu Group; Mitch D’Olier, president of Kaneohe Ranch Co.; Gabe Lee, executive vice president of American Savings Bank; and Barron Guss, president of Altres Corp. The group has been meeting quietly over the past few months, Stender said, but Gov. Neil Abercrombie announced its existence Monday night at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation organizational meeting.”
Posted February 24, 2011
