THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS 2016-2017 Link Up sponsors
• National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Engagement in American Communities
• Marion A. and Ruth K. Sherwood Family Fund of the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation
• Greatest Needs Fund of the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation
• DTE Energy Foundation
• Fremont Area Community Foundation
• Youth Advisory Council of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County
• Women’s Division Chamber of Commerce
• Maurice Libner & Susan Scupin in honor of Robert Libner
• Youth Fund of the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation
• Samuel L. Westerman Foundation
• Hung and Elsie Liang Fund for Music of the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation
• Nichols
• Comerica Bank
• Hines Corporation
• Pratt and Whitney Component Solutions, Inc.
• Clarke Manning Fund of the Community Foundation for Muskegon Count
• Paul A. Johnson Foundation
• Michael and Kay Olthoff
• Samuel L. Westerman Foundation
• Mary Payne
• and many individual supporters!
IN MEMORIAM
Robert (“Bob”) Libner (1929 – 2016) was a distinguished lawyer who represented Muskegon’s sick and injured foundry and mill workers and their families for many years. He and his wife, Ruth, a history teacher, were both born and grew up in Connecticut, but settled and raised their family in North Muskegon.
Mr. Libner had a deep and abiding love of music. He studied the violin as a young boy, but ultimately could not resist the allure of football and hockey. His little sister, Susan Scupin, of St. Charles, Missouri, became the accomplished musician in the family, graduating from Oberlin Conservatory as a pianist and earned a PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of California, Berkley, with a specialty in Thai musical instruments.
Bob loved attending concerts by the West Shore Symphony Orchestra (as the West Michigan Symphony was then known) and he encouraged all four of his children to study music. Bruce Harwood, former concertmaster and conductor of the West Shore Symphony, patiently gave violin lessons to the oldest Libner child, Maurice, for 10 years. The other Libner children studied piano, flute and clarinet. When the children weren’t practicing their instruments, Bob often played treasured recordings of Zino Francescotti (Hungarian Rhapsody #5, Zigueinerweisen or Rondo Capricioso), while Ruth favored Tchaikovsky and Chopin’s etudes.
The donation to sponsor West Michigan Symphony Orchestra’s youth mentorship program for the coming season is made possible through the instruction and generous bequest of Robert Libner to his son, Maurice Libner of Brunswick, Maine along with a contribution by Robert’s sister, Susan Scupin, in loving memory of her late older brother.
Please consider partnering with us. If your organization would like to support this music education program please contact:
Karen Vander Zanden
Director of Education and Community Engagement
231 726-3231 x231
kvanderzanden@westmichigansymphony.org
