Radiothon to highlight Glacier Symphony

For more than three decades, the Glacier Symphony and Chorale has been brining classical music to the Flathead Valley. The 60-member orchestra and 70-person chorale has been dubbed a “treasure” by its supporters, who flock to annual shows like Festival Amadeus and holiday concerts.

Today and tomorrow, local radio station KGEZ AM 600/FM 96.5 is hosting a Radiothon to both get the word out about the local musical powerhouse, and help raise funds for the symphony’s annual budget.

From 1-3 p.m. on Thursday, April 26 and Friday, April 27, the station is suspending their regular programming, including commercials, so fans of the symphony can call in to announce their pledges or simply share why the GSC matters to them.

“I just feel that this is a group of people that need our support,” said John Hendricks, KGEZ station owner. “The other thing that bothers me is you go to a concert and half the seats are empty, and I think that’s because people don’t realize the caliber of classical music that we have available here, and we’d like to change that.”

BJ Lupton, longtime symphony trumpet player and Radiothon co-chair, said that in addition to raising funds and awareness, he hopes the Radiothon will reach a segment of the local population who may not already be familiar with the symphony.

“I think folks will be astonished, truly astonished, with the beauty and significance of the music,” Lupton said. “It’s exhilarating, it’s moving, it’s wonderful beyond the English language in my view, and the variety is far beyond what the novice symphony thinker thinks it is. We do countless film scores, we do Leonard Bernstein’s ‘West Side Story’ … it isn’t just high-brow, elitist stuff — it is far beyond that.”

Lupton said the symphony operates with an annual budget of about $700,000. Between 25-27 percent of that is generated from ticket sales, another 40 percent from major donors and a further 25 percent from business partnerships.

This will be the first year the symphony has partnered with KGEZ for the Radiothon, so Lupton isn’t sure what to expect as far as a fundraising benchmark.

“The Glacier Symphony does have a program that’s easily double or more any program in the state. It really is remarkable,” he said. “What will happen for the first time visitor … I think they’re going to leave and go, whoa and how did I miss out all these years?”