Columbia man gives $2M donation to S.D. Symphony Orchestra
The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra has received a $2 million from philanthropists Rosemarie and Dean Buntrock who originally hail from Columbia.
According to a news release from the Symphony Orchestra, this is the largest give ever received and will support increased fundraising and marketing capacity for the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. The donation also funds two initiatives: new concerts for the Lakota Music Project and a production of Douglas Moore's Pulitzer Prize winning opera "Giants of the Earth, based on the Ole Rølvaag novel about Norwegian immigration to South Dakota.
Originally from Columbia and a life trustee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Buntrock was inspired to make this gift after reading about South Dakota Symphony Orchestra's bold programming and artistic impact in The New Yorker magazine.
"The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra is a tremendous asset for the State of South Dakota and has been doing great work with a small budget," Buntrock said in the news release. "It is my hope that the initiatives funded by this donation will advance the work of this wonderful orchestra and its adventurous programming, making it available to many more people in the state."
Executive Director Jennifer Teisinger called Buntrock's gift visionary and a, "direct response to the artistic vibrancy the SDSO brings to our community and the State of South Dakota."
Music Director Delta David Gier said the donation is about building momentum and recognizes achievements already made by the SDSO.
"We do the right things for the right reasons in the right way," he said in a news release. "Dean Buntrock saw that in us and has become a great champion of the momentum and the possibilities here at the SDSO.”
This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Columbia man gives $2M donation to S.D. Symphony Orchestra
