Bob McConnell, music director of the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra, enjoys a challenge.
And late last year, Keith Schulz of Burlington issued a challenge to McConnell and SEISO – the largest matching challenge grant in the organization’s 75-year history. Schulz agreed to match every donation made to the orchestra up to $100,000 through January 31.
McConnell called the offer amazing.
“He said to me, I’ve got this money available. What’s the best way to donate? And I said – as you guys know in public radio – matching challenges are great,” McConnell said.
He said that’s because matching challenge grants provide a timeline for giving, and donors know everything they give will be doubled.
McConnell said the organization was more than 85% of the way to matching the full $100,000 as of late last week.
McConnell believes it’s important to support the arts in the region. He called it a quality of life issue, something he talked about recently with one of SEISO’s supporters.
“And she said, if we don’t fight to maintain these things in our region, then they will just disappear. And it’s one of the really cool things I like about our region is we have good musicians spread throughout it,” McConnell said.
Donations can be made to SEISO on its website or by mail to Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra, P.O. Box 271, Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641.
Every bit of funding helps out. McConnell said cultural institutions such as orchestras and ballet troupes are quite expensive. He said SEISO’s annual budget is more than $300,000, with money coming from sources such as donations, a sustaining fund, and ticket sales.
“What I say to people is, 90% of the money we raise, it’s staying in our region. We’re paying, basically, musicians that live in smaller areas, so I think it’s a service to the region. That’s why I encourage people to help support us,” McConnell said.
And as supporters of the arts, his family also makes financial donations to other orchestras and ensembles in the region to help sustain them.
Hog farmer & music director
SEISO is a regional community orchestra. McConnell said it draws musicians from a roughly 120-mile radius.
“At a typical concert, we’ll have two to three players from Macomb, Illinois, we’ll have one to three players from Kirksville, Missouri, maybe one or two from Quincy, Illinois, two from Cedar Rapids, one from Quad Cities, maybe one from Des Moines. And then everybody else is from smaller towns,” he said.
“They’re either band directors, vocal directors, accountants, lawyers, attorneys. Or like myself, I’m actually primarily a pork producer, a hog farmer.”
While McConnell earns a living raising pigs, his passion is music.
“Really, it’s my favorite job in the world,” he said about his work with SEISO.
McConnell said he earned good grades in high school, but thought he would probably just stay home and farm.
However, his father insisted he go to college. McConnell earned a music education degree from Truman State University, and student taught in Quincy, where he did his first conducting.
He then earned a master’s degree in oboe performance with some additional conducting study at Temple University.
McConnell taught abroad for one year in Israel before moving back to his hometown of Washington, Iowa, where he became a full-time farmer and part-time musician.
He won the audition to be SEISO’s music director in the spring of 1990.
“This will be my 35th season coming up, which people find shocking when they look at me because I look so young,” he said.
For the love of playing
McConnell said SEISO’s musicians play basically for mileage and a small stipend. He said they perform for the love of it.
“When we do a concert weekend, that means five rehearsals and three performances, typically 60 people,” he said, again noting that they get together from throughout the region.
“We can’t have really weak links anywhere. Your oboes, your horns, your percussion – everybody needs to be capable of performing at a high level.”
And everyone helps out with a bit of everything.
“For small groups like this, it’s all hands on deck. We all do everything. I help move equipment. We ask musicians to help us with stuff. It’s a fun organization, it’s got a great group of personalities in it. And we perform at, I think, a really high level,” McConnell said.
SEISO’s next set of concerts is coming up in early March:
- The Capitol Theater in Burlington – 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 8
- Bridge View Center in Ottumwa – 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 9
- Chapel Auditorium in Mt. Pleasant – 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 9
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