In Tuesday’s (9/3) Bellingham Herald (Washington), Michelle Nolan speaks to Thom Mayes, the 29-year-old executive director of the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra, who also plays bass in the ensemble. “Mayes assumed his role Aug. 1, not long after the orchestra’s board of directors hired Yaniv Attar as the new artistic director…. ‘We have a great impact on young people and we have a strong following of music lovers who have been with us a long time,’ says Mayes. ‘I feel we also have a great opportunity to reach the 20- and 30-something generation.… We want the community to support music education…. I was inspired to take up cello in fourth grade…. We had a wonderful program [in my school in Edmonds] where kids were encouraged to try various instruments. I might never have realized my love for music without a school district that valued music education. I began playing double bass in sixth grade…. I became executive director at the Lincoln [Theatre in Mount Vernon, Washington] when I was 25 and worked there for 2 1/2 years. It was great preparation for my new job.”
Posted September 4, 2013
