About The SC Philharmonic

The South Carolina Philharmonic is committed to performing live symphonic music and providing dynamic educational opportunities in the Midlands. We carry forward a legacy of passion for the music and embrace our responsibility to be a vibrant part of the cultural fabric of our diverse community.

An independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the South Carolina Philharmonic performs and promotes high-quality, professional symphonic music, serving the community’s needs for cultural development and education, entertainment and tourism since 1964. The introduction of Music Director Morihiko Nakahara in 2008/2009 ushered in a New Era of Artistic Excellence that has enabled the orchestra to move forward and become the Midlands pre-eminent performing arts group.

Learn about our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Board of Directors

Officers

Incoming President Emily Luther - Attorney, Parker, Poe, Adams and Bernstein
Immediate Past President David Turner – Marketing – LTC Hospitality
Treasurer Josh Price - Audit Senior Manager, Grant Thornton
Secretary Chris Winston - Director Sale Communication, Combined Insurance
Vice President Juanita Vitali Cox - Senior VP, Private Client Manager, Bank of America
Vice President Sam Waters - Attorney, Finkel Law Firm, LLC
Vice President Regan Voit - President, Chem Nuclear, retired
Vice President Steve Anastasion - Baker & Baker Real Estate Developers, LLC

Board Members

Jessica Addison Gist Law Firm
JB Beckett CEO, Beckett Financial Group
Kyle Brannon Attorney, Nexsen Pruet
Ken Cox VP, First Citizens Bank
Bill Danielson Managing Partner, Datapay, Inc.
Lucy Dinkins Attorney, Wyche Law Firm
Mike Ferguson Berkshire Hathaway, PE
Tom Fortson President, Terminix, retired
Dr. Harold Friedman Chief/Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, USC & Prisma Health
Lynn Hodge Public School Principal, retired
Rhonda Hunsinger SC Philharmonic Executive Director, ex officio
Lindsay Griffin Sr. VP, Private Client Advisor, Bank of America
Ryan Knott Players’ Committee, ex officio
Sarah Landholt Assistant VP, Truist South Carolina
Dr. Gail Morrison SC Commission on Higher Education, retired
Morihiko Nakahara SC Philharmonic Music Director, ex officio
Stephen T. Savitz Attorney, Gignilliat, Savitz & Bettis, LLP
Alexis Short Director of Strategy, 37 Gears
Patricia Smith Attorney, retired
Regan Voit Retired, Chem Nuclear

Board Members Emeriti

Mary Green Brush, emeritus Marketing, SCANA
Thomas Gottshall, Esq., emeritus Attorney, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd
Rick Palyok, emeritus President, FACES, Inc.
Hyman Rubin, Jr., emeritus Attorney, McDonald McKenzie Rubin Miller & Lybrand

Executive Director & Staff

Administrative Staff

Rhonda Hunsinger, Executive Director
Robin Hallyburton, Development and Deputy Director
Chad Henderson, Marketing Director
Kathryn Neely, Patron Services Manager
Susan Cafferty, Education & Community Outreach Director
Rebecca Faith Warthen, Development Associate

Artistic Staff

Morihiko Nakahara, Music Director
Ashley Horvat, Personnel Manager
John L. Hunsinger II, Production and Stage Manager
Tzu-Ying Liao, Music Librarian

Youth Orchestra Staff

Reed Hanna, Interim Youth Orchestras Music Director and Symphonic Orchestra Conductor
Naiesha Wise, Concert Orchestra Conductor
Emma Brown, Prelude Orchestra Conductor

Sponsors - Corporations and Foundations

Platinum

Gold Level

Silver Level

Bronze Level

Friends Level

Advisory Council

Advisory Council Chairs

Co-Chairs: Ann Cameron & Mike Ferguson

Advisory Council Members

Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis – President, Benedict College

Clinch & Mary Belser - Attorney, Belser & Belser

Charlotte Berry – Philanthropist

Carl Blackstone - Executive Director, Columbia Chamber of Commerce

Roger Blau - Retired, E.D. of External Relations; President of Southern Electric Co.

Sarah and Frank Brown - Retired MarketSearch, Past SCP Board President

Donna Bucalo - Community Volunteer

Ann & Andy Cameron - Retired

David Campbell - President & COO, Chernoff Newman

Frank and Jennifer Clark - Psychiatrist at Prisma Health, former SC Philharmonic Board Member

James Cooper - WellCare Health Plans

Faith Divisek - Philanthropists

Earl Ellis - Attorney – Earl Ellis Mediation

Michael Ferguson - Dominion Energy

Tammy Finney - Chief of Voluntary Service, Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center

Tim Gardner - Owner, Lula Drake Wine Parlour

Harvey Galloway - Retired BlueCross BlueShield of SC, Past SCP Board President

Audrey Harris – SC Philharmonic Musician

Janet Hopkins - Associate Professor, USC School of Music

William "Skip" Holbrook – Chief, City of Columbia Police Department

Ann & Steve Holtschlag - President and CEO (retired) Consolidated Systems

Libby Anne Inabinet - Providence Health, Financial Planning

Avni Gupta-Kagan – Educator

Kim & Matt Kennell – Executive Director of City of Columbia Center Partnership

Skip Kugler - Philanthropist

Bill LaMotte – Retired – Synovus

Edward McDowell - City Councilman, City of Columbia

Verne McGough - Attorney, Merline & Meacham, P.A.

Dr. Ernest McNealey - President, Allen University

Jackie Newland – Arts Patron

Jyotindra Parekh – Owner, Rice Music House

Joe Pinner – WIS TV

Bill Quattlebaum - CPA

David Reisman - Professor, Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina

Curt Rone - Retired CFO Loxcreen Company, Inc.

Steven Rosansky - Retired Nephrologist

Michal Rubin - Psychotherapist, Columbia SC

David Sennema – Past SCP Board President

Vincent Sheheen and Amy Sheheen - Attorney

Hal Stevenson – Grace Outdoor

Inez Tenenbaum - Educator

Sam Tenenbaum – President, Prisma Foundation

Dr. Mary Baskin-Waters – Professor, University of South Carolina

Barbara Yongue - Artist & President of Fairfield Arts Council

Tammy Finney - Chief of Voluntary Service, Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center

Tim Gardner - Owner, Lula Drake Wine Parlour

Janet Hopkins - Associate Professor, USC School of Music

William "Skip" Holbrook – Chief, City of Columbia Police Department

Kim & Matt Kennell – Executive Director of City of Columbia Center Partnership

Judge Joe Strickland – Master in Equity for Richland County

Congressman and Mrs. Joe Wilson (Roxanne) – US House of Representatives

Cindy & Al Saad – Jeweler, A.L. Saad & Co.

Senator Mia McLeod – State of South Carolina

Nancy Smith – General Manager, SC State Fair

Deepika & Ajay Champaneri – Lexington Hospitality, LLC Hotel Management Group

Hal & Linda McIntosh – Director of Worship, Music Ministries at Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church

Bhavna Vasudeva – Community Volunteer & Advocate

Paula Benson – Attorney, South Carolina Senate

Beth Richardson - Attorney, Robinson Gray

Charles Weathers - Consultant, The Weathers Group

Sara Fawcett – President and CEO, United Way of the Midlands

Scott Middleton - Owner, The Grand, The Venue, Top Golf

David Platts – Executive Director, SC Arts Commission

Dr. Armen Shaomian – Professor, University of South Carolina

Allison Terracio – Representative, Richland County

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The South Carolina Philharmonic is deeply committed to building and maintaining a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) through partnerships with our musicians, staff, audience members, and volunteer leadership. We denounce racism and racial injustice.

In February 2020, we completed a strategic plan for the organization to systematically improve the socio-economic, gender, ethnic, special needs, and age diversity of our Board, musicians, and staff to reflect the diversity of the community we serve. As part of this plan, Executive Director Rhonda Hunsinger joined the Diversity Leaders Initiative of the Riley Institute at Furman - a program that helps community leaders better understand the diversity and inclusion shortfalls within their organizations. Upon completion of the program, Rhonda will be equipped with focused decision-making skills and a deeper knowledge of how to effectively manage and lead increasingly diverse workers, clients, and constituents.

The SC Philharmonic's strategic plan includes staff and Board educational sessions with other organizations who are doing meaningful EDI work in our community; creating an EDI committee comprised of Board and Advisory Council members; establishing annual goals for engaging a more diverse cross-section of our community for Board service, with a priority of having an inclusive Board that embraces all ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, ages and genders; and building an audience that reflects our community. While our commitment to EDI is ongoing, we acknowledge that we have struggled to move as quickly as we should to align practices with our beliefs. The strategic plan is propelling this shortfall into action.

The SC Philharmonic is a member of the League of American Orchestras (LAO) - an organization that is committed to elevating the principals of EDI as the highest priority in the orchestra field. Members of the SCP staff, orchestra, and Board are actively engaged in opportunities through the LAO to participate in forums for training, discussion, and reflection and use its resources and tools to facilitate change and continuous learning.

Community Outreach and Inclusion

While the SC Philharmonic is perhaps best known for its performances of live symphonic music on stage, members of our orchestra and staff work closely with local partners to develop inclusive educational outreach programs to fill the needs of our community.

With the unrest of social injustice and the pandemic, the SC Philharmonic saw an opportunity to support the wellbeing of our community’s mental health through "InTune," a mindfulness exercise collaborating our music with a guided meditation by psychiatrist Dr. Frank Clark. We also partnered with senior care centers to present video concerts by our musicians to individuals who are unable to leave their care facilities. Another virtual program, "From Our Homes to Yours," was launched to provide a broader audience with a series of on-line concerts available for free, along with releases of archival audio releases of the full orchestra. While virtual concert events will continue to be created throughout the pandemic, free musical offerings will become a permanent part of the SC Philharmonic's commitment to making symphonic music accessible to everyone.

Under the leadership of Music Director Morihiko Nakahara, the SC Philharmonic has developed programs to reach underserved communities and will continue to do so when musical gatherings and education programs are safe again. "Conduct the Phil" concerts, where the audience members conduct the orchestra, have been presented extensively throughout the Midlands, not only in public spaces like festivals, farmers markets, and the SC State Fair but for members of our community that otherwise might never have the chance to experience live symphonic music. These include interactive concert events at Transitions Homeless Center, Epworth Children's Home, the SC Department of Juvenile Justice, and Babcock Center.

The SC Philharmonic also presents "Healing Harmonies" concerts throughout the hospitals and campuses of the Prisma Health System, at underserved eldercare facilities and at the Dorn VA Medical Center - providing soothing and uplifting music to patients, families and staff alike.

Our orchestra actively seeks partnerships that enable children and adults of all ages to experience live symphonic music. These include educational programming for public school children throughout the Midlands, and actively working with Title 1 schools to ensure that every student has a chance to hear live music.

We are currently developing a sensory-sensitive concert series for neurodiverse members of our community. The concerts will allow children and adults who are unable to normally attend concert events with their families to enter a safe and welcoming environment where clapping, movement, and vocalization are accepted and embraced.

For more than a year, the SC Philharmonic has actively worked on the current strategic plan, with the goals of equity, diversity, and inclusion being at the top of our prioritized goals. The creation of our EDI program is the first step to changing our organizational culture so that every aspect of our work embraces inclusion and the values of EDI.