Blaskey appointed CV Symphony director
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Thursday, August 28, 2008 1:30 PM CDT
For the Herald
Longtime Eau Claire resident Mark Blaskey has been appointed executive director of the Chippewa Valley Symphony. He takes over from Jill Granlund, who leaves to pursue other ventures after serving for the past two years. Barb Brenden remains as Development Director.
Blaskey brings 25 years of business and administrative experience to the symphony, according to Jim Bartl, president of the board of directors.
“We are delighted to have someone with Mark’s business acumen and wide range of administrative experiences,” Bartl said. “He is a long-term resident of the Chippewa Valley and as a consequence is very familiar with the cultural support in this community.”
Blaskey said under his leadership the symphony will continue to be a strong presence in the downtown arts scene.
“While Nobu (Nobuyoshi Yasuda, CVS music director and conductor) and the musicians aspire to ever higher levels of excellence, I plan to manage the growth of the symphony so we play to even larger and more diverse audiences,” he said.
Blaskey, who has degrees in civil engineering from UW-Madison and attended the MBA program at UW-Eau Claire, has had a range of entrepreneurial and business management experiences, but this is his debut with non-profit organizations, “Unless,” he quipped, “we talk about Mark’s Brother Bagels that Action City founder Mark Steil and I started. That was non-profit, but not intentionally.”
“While engineering has been my profession, those who know me will tell you that music and musicology are passions of mine,” said Blaskey, who played trumpet under master showman Michael Leckrone while at UW-Madison. “My earliest memories are of music: my mother stacking records on the hi-fi on a Saturday, playing everything from Dvorak to Dorsey.”
Blaskey’s roots in the Chippewa Valley date to 1979 and include service on the boards of Eau Claire Ski Striders Inc., Wisconsin Alumni Association-Chippewa Valley and North Barstow Street Business Improvement District. He is a graduate of Leadership Eau Claire and was a member of the Altoona City Council, 1998-2000. Most recently he led a team of community volunteers who wrote successful grant applications, raised over $100,000 and built the $150,000 chalet at Tower Ridge.
Pops concert
The Chippewa Valley Symphony’s 34th season will open with the Pops Concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6 at the State Theatre. The 60-member orchestra will perform a program with something for everyone, including music from movies, Broadway shows, the Big Band era and more.
“Having the Pops on Saturday evening instead of Sunday should make it easier to bring the whole family,” Blaskey said. “We’re excited about these changes from previous years and invite all ages to come out and enjoy music from ‘Lord of the Rings,’ ‘Star Wars,’ ‘High School Musical,’ and even a Beatles medley.”
The larger venue means more seating and better acoustics while retaining the informal atmosphere associated with the Pops.
Pops tickets are $17 for adults and seniors and $10 for students/youth. They are available from the CVS office, (715) 832-6366, next to the State Theater in downtown Eau Claire, and will be on sale in the lobby prior to the concert.
The 2008-09 season’s first classical concert will feature Brahms and Beethoven on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the State Theater. Ticket information and other information about CVS and its concerts can be found at www.cvsymphony.org or by calling (715) 832-6366.
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