Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/533211
photography by brad swonetz Pure Harmony Las Vegas PhiLharmonic President and ceo Jeri Crawford is bringing the PhiL's most ambitious season eVer to underserVed Las Vegans. by brian sodoma From the stage of Reynolds Hall, Jeri Crawford is determined to ensure that classical music isn't only for the well-heeled. When Jeri Crawford moved to Las Vegas in 2003, her longtime love of the arts drew her to the city's f ledgling symphony, then just five years old. An early faithful supporter, she and husband Rick later joined the Smith Center's founding board and helped build a permanent facility for the hometown orchestra. In 2008, Crawford became interim president of what locals affec- tionately call "the Phil," and seven years later she's still there (fittingly, the "interim" tag has been dropped). With an enthusiastic new conductor in Donato Cabrera, the orchestra will embark on its biggest season ever in September. And while engagement with music lovers in Vegas and beyond is growing by leaps and bounds, Crawford is focused on bringing classical music to a less expected audience: local kids who may have never been exposed to it before. Tell us about your initial contact with the Phil. When I came here, I was just looking for a season ticket. [Laughs] My husband and I grew up together in San Diego, and he moved here in 1971. We had gone different directions. Thirty-some years later we connected. I said okay [to moving to Las Vegas], but I'd like season tickets to the sym- phony. He asked, "Do we even have one?" I guess you found one. We sponsored a couple concerts, then I was invited to join the board in 2004. I ended up as interim president—it kind of evolved to where it is today. We were doing five concerts at [UNLV's] Ham Hall, then we added a pops series, and all of a sudden the Smith Center idea came up, and my husband and I decided we wanted to be founders. We really wanted to make this happen for the community. How did you find Donato Cabrera? It was a two-year search and we saw 17 candidates. It exposed us to some of the top conductors in the nation. Then all of a sudden Donato shows up. He wasn't part of the initial group, but the board really liked him. He had 62 vegasmagazine.com PEOPLE Spirit of Generosity