Board of Directors

Peter Beacham

Development Committee

Peter retired 1n 1995 from Office Environments of New England Inc. which he helped found in 1986. He served as Vice President in charge of market development. In addition he owned and operated a successful antique business, Woodbine Antiques, for some 35 years. He and his wife, Janice, moved permanently to Rockport in 1990. He is a Past President of the Rockport Rotary Club, has also served on a number of town committees, including the Economic Development Committee, the Building Study Committee, the new Police Station Committee, was past President of the Rockport division of the Cape Ann Chamber of commerce, and was instrumental in re-starting Boy Scout Troop 20 in Rockport. Working quietly with others, he headed the ABC Program ( A Better Choice) for Rockport which successfully converted the town from its historic position of being alcohol free, to allowing alcohol service thus making the town a more welcoming destination for those that live, work and visit. Peter is actively involved in trying to improve the economic climate of the community by working behind the scenes with like-minded individuals to ensure that Rockport realizes its full potential, that it capitalizes on its assets, and works constantly to become a premier community on the North Shore. Peter , now in his third term as a director, is proud to be actively involved with the Cape Ann Symphony.

David Benjamin

Business Manager

After joining the Cape Ann Symphony as a clarinetist in 1968, David was named the Business Manager in1981. He also serves in the wider community as a conductor, orchestra manager and active community music presenter. He is equally at home on the symphony concert stage, marching in parades, playing in jazz clubs or playing in church services in and around Cape Ann.

Recently retired, David was for many years the Director of Instrumental Music for the Gloucester Elementary and Middle Schools, the Conductor and Music Director of the Cape Ann Community Band as well as the North Shore Concert Band, a professional ensemble sponsored by the American Federation of Musicians, Local 126, Lynn, Mass. As the Summer Music Director for the City of Gloucester, he presents the annual Antonio Gentile Bandstand concert series. “Mr. B”, as he is known in Gloucester, also performs jazz with his good friends: guitarist, Anthony Weller and pianist, Jonathan Jarvis.

David’s honors include a Scholarship in his name given annually to a Gloucester High School graduating senior(s) with a performance background.

Henry (Hank) Betts

Hank has always enjoyed many types of music but became intimately involved with classical music when he married his wife, Wendy. She is a classically trained singer, as well as a trained organist and pianist and Hank has supported her efforts throughout their five relocations with the Dupont Company where Hank was a manufacturing manager. Born in Gloucester and raised in Beverly, they moved to Rockport 15 years ago, developing a vigorous music-filled life including formation of the musical group Share the Music through whose efforts monies are raised for various local charities, as well as for the Cape Ann Symphony. Hank provides business and back stage support for these efforts. Wendy is the director of The Cape Ann Symphony Singers who perform at the Holiday Concert. Hank continues to be a consultant for Dupont, helping major global businesses learn how to manage their work forces in a way which prevents personal injuries as well as how to analyze and prevent process malfunctions thus avoiding catastrophic incidents.

John B. Bjorlie

John Bjorlie is a transplanted mid-westerner who was born and raised in Minnesota. One of six children, he learned to play the piano and trombone so that he could join in the family orchestra. He recalls attending concerts of the Minneapolis Symphony from an early age. Since moving to Gloucester some thirty years ago, he has been active in a variety of civic and cultural organizations, such as The Gloucester Civic and Garden Council, the Waterways Board of the City of Gloucester and three terms on the City Council. He is a lawyer with offices in Gloucester and specializes in litigation, real estate and probate work. He has been on the Board of the Symphony for some years, including four years as President, and is currently the Secretary of the organization. In addition, he is a member of the Cape Ann Symphony Singers.

Pam Burton

Vice President of Marketing

A piano student from grade 2 through grade 12, Pam enjoyed the performances more than the practice. She developed a love for classical music which led her to a BA degree at Colby College where her favorite course besides her French classes, was Music Appreciation 101. Pam, her husband Ross, (aka Sandy) and their two English Cream Retrievers recently moved back to Gloucester from California to be closer to their children and granddaughters. Now a partner with Accelent Consulting, Pam is a tremendous marketing leader with a balance of creative vision, tactical execution, and results orientation. Pam previously directed global marketing for leading technology companies including Mincom, MRO Software, IBM Tivoli, NETg, Dun & Bradstreet Software, McCormack & Dodge, PictureTel Corporation and Progress Software, and served as a Board member of the Cape Ann Symphony rom 2007 to 2009. Pam has a B.A. from Colby College, an M.A. from New York University and a Diplome Superieur from the University of Caen, France. Fluent in French, Pam has spent a large part of her day- to-day working life outside of the United States leading dynamic global organizations. Pam led the project for the very successful CAS family concert on Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton in January 2009 is very excited to be back on the Board of CAS.

Dana Cohen

Co-Chair Celebrations Committee

Dana brings to the Cape Ann Symphony Board a lifelong love of both Big Band and classical music. He began playing the trombone at age 13 and has continued it up to the present day. In High School he played the bass trombone in the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and was part of their trip to Great Britain during the summer of 1972, where the orchestra performed for the British Parliament and the Queen.

Dana graduated from Brandeis University in 1976. During college, he played in a brass rock band called Legacy. In 1980, Dana was one of the original founding members, with his father, of the Soft Touch Dance Band out of Waltham, MA, a band that continues its success to his day. He enjoys playing trombone with the pianist at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Rockport, where he is co-chair of their music committee. Dana also helped found, and plays in, the newly formed Cape Ann Big Band.

During college Dana studied to be an optician with his Optometrist Dad and became a licensed Dispensing Optician. In 1976 Dana took over ownership of Medford Optical in Medford, MA and went on to become one of the premier Pediatric Opticians in the Greater Boston area. In 2006, Children’s Hospital Boston selected Dana to partner with them in their optical shop at the Waltham location. He is also involved in managing several Ophthalmology stores in the Boston area.

Robert Y. Ellis

Marketing Committee and Artistic Committee

Bob Ellis holds a degree in economics from Swarthmore College and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He was a journalist with the Christian Science Monitor, editor of Skating Magazine and Executive Secretary of the United States Figure Skating Association. He and his wife Barbara owned and operated the Yankee Clipper Inn in Rockport for 35 years until they sold it in 2001. Ellis is the author of the home improvement book How To Buy and Install Floor Covering, Scribner’s, 1980. In 2008 he authored A Collision of Truths: A Life in Conflict With A Cherished Faith, iUniverse. Ellis has had a life long love of music, especially blue grass, jazz and classical. He has served 12 years on the CAS board and is a member of the Cape Ann Symphony Singers, the choral side of the symphony. He also is chairman of the Symphony’s Artistic Committee and a member of the Marketing Committee.

Frances Conover Fitch

Marketing and Artistic Committees

Frances Conover Fitch has toured extensively in North America and Europe and performs with such ensembles as The Newberry Consort, Emmanuel Music, Aston Magna, Boston Cecilia, Handel and Haydn Society, and The Boston Camerata. She helped found the groundbreaking ensemble for 17th-century music, Concerto Castello, and has been described as a “delightfully inventive and compelling” continuo player. Ms. Fitch has participated in major music festivals, including Tanglewood, Aix-en-Provence, Pepsico Summerfare, Tage Alter Musik (Regensburg), the Boston Early Music Festival, and the Festival de Musica Antigua in Mexico. Ms. Fitch has made more than a dozen recordings. Her playing has been noted for its “precision and delicacy of wit.” She was a member of the faculty of the Longy School of Music for nearly three decades, and served as Chair of the Early Music department there. In 2006, Longy awarded her the George Seaman Award for Excellence in the Art of Teaching. Ms. Fitch is on the faculties of Tufts University and The New England Conservatory. She also maintains a private studio in the Boston area, and is Program Director for Early Music Week at Pinewoods Camp, and Director of Music at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lynn. Ms. Fitch has taught workshops on figured bass improvisation for the American Guild of Organists and the Japan Harpsichord Society. With Jack Ashworth of the University of Louisville, she is co-author of the figured bass workbook, Running the Numbers.

William (Bill) Fonvielle

Marketing Committee

Bill brings to the board a life-long love of all music, but especially classical music. In high school, he was student conductor of the pep and concert bands and played first chair alto saxophone. Much later in life, and prior to joining the CAS board, Bill spent a dozen years as an Overseer and then a Governor of the Handel & Haydn Society, America’s oldest performing arts organization. He is a globally recognized authority on performance measures, business scorecards, innovation, research methodologies and customer and employee research. In addition, he has chaired or been part of numerous cultural and educational committees and groups.

In his volunteer experience and on Committees, he has served as chair of Career Collaborative, a Boston-based non-profit organization, and the Massachusetts Product Development Corporation, a state quasi-public body. He has served on the boards of many civic, non-profit, governmental and educational institutions, including Rockport Chamber Music Festival Development Committee, two committees with O’Maley School (Site-Based Management and Principal Selection), as well as social services organizations, such as Career Collaborative, Home of Private Enterprise and Association House, aimed at helping the underprivileged in many areas of their lives. Bill has also been deeply involved with the City of Gloucester, as current chair of the Gloucester Plan 2001 Implementation Committee, that being only one of his numerous involvements with the City and its government.

Bill puts his MBA to good use as a management consultant, business researcher and realtor. He heads Performance Measurement Associates, a Gloucester-based consulting firm, and is a founding senior partner of Promising Outcomes LLP, an international business service firm based in the United Kingdom. He is also actively involved with his wife, Carole Sharoff, in her businesses, Atlantic Vacation Homes and AVH Realty, Inc.

Jacqueline (Jackie) Gravell

Development Committee and Marketing Committee

Jackie is a Beverly native and Ipswich resident. A graduate and former staff member of North Shore Community College, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Quinnnipiac College, and a Master’s Degree in Psychological Studies from Cambridge College. Music has always been part of Jackie’s life. Her joy of music stems from growing up with classical music as the background sounds of home and family. A pianist and avid singer she enjoys many varieties of music but her favorites are classical, American songbook, and secular music. Currently Jackie is a member of the Our Savior Lutheran Church Choir, Share the Music, and the Cape Ann Symphony Singers. She is a former longtime member of Chorus North Shore, as well as other area choruses. Jackie’s volunteer efforts at the Rockport Chamber Music Festival lead to employment by Rockport Music where she also continues to support the organization in several volunteer capacities. Outside of music, she has been associated with North Shore InnoVentures, a life science business incubator dedicated to Biotech and Cleantech start-up companies. Jackie, a seasoned administrator and idea person, has an affinity toward marketing. She shares these skills with the Cape Ann Symphony as a member of the Development Committee.

Thomas Mannle

Vice President of Development

Thomas (Tom) Mannle first attended Cape Ann Symphony when he lived with his family in Gloucester from 1981 to 1993. During that time, Tom's son Ryan was a student (saxophone) of David Benjamin at O’Maley Middle School.

The Mannles moved to the Washington, DC area in 1993, but always returned to Cape Ann for some part of the summer and for the Christmas holidays. Because Tom's consulting work can be done anywhere, the planned move back to Cape Ann (truly "home"). Shortly after moving back in 2009, Tom joined the Cape Ann Symphony Board. Tom and Ann both enjoy all varieties of music, including classical.

Tom is also a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University, and has been a health care consultant, particularly focused on the unique planning requirements of the federal Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, since the early 1990s.

Jennifer Ober

Co-Chair Celebrations Committee

Jennifer has been in love with classical music since starting piano lessons at age 7, continuing for the following 14 years, with an additional 7 years studying organ. During her high school years she was awarded the Lincoln Center Youth Award by the New York Philharmonic. The award was given to high schoolers in the greater New York City area for their outstanding music accomplishments. Jennifer later graduated from Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Radio-TV, having minored in music. Her professional television career started as an officer in the United States Air Force. She later went on to work at television stations in both Hartford and Boston. Her professional music career started at age 16 as a church organist, and she is currently the Music Director at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport. After many years of managing her own catering business, Jennifer is happy to have more time to celebrate music. She loves being a part of Share the Music and the Cape Ann Symphony Singers, and is particularly excited about her new Board position.

Kathleen Purdy

Operations Committee

Kathleen is a new Director of the Cape Ann Symphony and she serves as a member of the Operations Committee. A lifetime resident of Cape Ann, Kathleen has been active in several local organizations and firmly believes that community service ensures a brighter future for everyone. Kathleen is currently a Director of the Gloucester Education Foundation, where she has served for several years. In addition, Kathleen is IT director and an officer of the Cape Ann Savings Bank. Kathleen is excited to be a part of the Cape Ann Symphony.

David Stotzer

President

Dave’s love of classical music began in college in the seventies with a Classical Music Appreciation course. While living on Cape Ann (since 1988), he has enjoyed classical choral singing with Chorus North Shore, Share the Music, private voice lessons and has been a member of the Cape Ann Symphony Singers since they were first organized. Dave is in his seventh year as a Symphony board member. He donates all of his photography services to the Symphony for its advertising and promotion. For several years he wrote and edited the Symphon-e Club E-letters. In addition, he has served on the artistic, marketing and development committees of the symphony in various capacities. He has been advertising his photography business with the symphony for over 17 years. Besides his extensive involvement with the Cape Ann Symphony, Dave is currently in his twentieth year serving in various capacities in the Gloucester Rotary Club. In 2008 he received the Paul Harris Award for Distinguished Community service from Rotary. For the past nine years he has also served on the board of directors of the Gloucester Pride Stride Association, which helps charitable organizations in the area raise money. Dave has owned and operated Cape Ann Photography (www.capeannphotography.com) in Gloucester since 1988, when he moved here from Chicago. He is married to Dani Stotzer.

Robert K. Whitmarsh, Jr.

Bob grew up in Gloucester and graduated from Gloucester High School where he played the baritone horn in the ROTC Band. Continuing his interest in music, Bob played with the Gloucester and Rockport Legion Bands, the Gloucester Community Band, and the GHS ROTC Alumni Band. Bob graduated from Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology and Northeastern University with Associate and BS Degrees in Electrical Engineering.

In his early work career, Bob wrote and administrated US Department of Labor Jobs Programs for Action, Inc. in Gloucester. After over a decade of engineering work at Sylvania, General Electric, and United Shoe Machinery, Bob took over the family locksmith business, Whitmarsh Lock & Safe. He was the Chairman of the Massachusetts Locksmiths Association’s Education Program. Bob was an instructor at the Yankee Security Convention. He is a member of the Associated Locksmiths of America where he received a rating of Certified Professional Locksmith. Bob’s interest in Gloucester’s history and architecture led him to attend the Boston Architectural College where he received a Certification in Historic Preservation. He is a volunteer and a member of the Cape Ann Museum, as well as a member of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and the City of Gloucester Downtown Development Commission.

The fondest memories Bob has from his years at Gloucester High School is when he practiced with the Gloucester High Band in the High School Auditorium on the same night as the Cape Ann Symphony, which had an important effect in shaping Bob’s interest in classical music.