ASO Concertmaster Kathryn Hoffer Announces Retirement
After an extraordinary 39-year tenure as concertmaster of your Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, Kathryn Hoffer announces her retirement. A member of the ASO since 1974, Kathryn will perform her final concert in her leadership position on April 9th at our Season Finale.
Kathryn was appointed as concertmaster under the music directorship of David Loebel in 1983. She is only the second concertmaster in the ASO’s 76-year history, following Ruth Jefford.
When asked what her time at the ASO has meant to her, Kathryn responded, “We all have families; families of birth, families we create ourselves, and the Anchorage Symphony has been a family for me. Most of my closest friends are in the orchestra, friends who have been supportive and encouraging and who have also been part of my social network.”
ASO Artistic Advisor and Chief Conductor Elizabeth Schulze expressed, “She’s been a delight to get to know and a stalwart in the orchestra. Such a place of calmness, quiet confidence, and leadership. I will miss her, and I know the orchestra will miss her sorely. She has been central to the leadership of the orchestra and its development over these many years. Her legacy is immense and ongoing.”
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Kathryn has made a significant impact on the music community in Anchorage and beyond. In 2010, after 25 years of shaping young musicians, Kathryn retired from her position as an orchestra teacher with the Anchorage School District. That same year she started The Society of Strings, an orchestra for amateur adult string players. In 2015 she took over as director of the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center Women’s Orchestra.
“Our community knows Kathryn as a gifted musician and an outstanding music educator,” shared ASO Executive Director Sherri Burkhart Reddick. “Musicians revere her for her generosity and grace. Kathryn has enriched so many lives not only as a performer, but as a musician who encourages other musicians – no matter if they are picking up an instrument for the first time, haven’t played in years, or are her colleagues on the concert stage. Recently an ASO musician shared with me that were it not for Kathryn, this musician would not be playing in the orchestra today. When on a leave from the ASO to raise her young family, this musician credits Kathryn for keeping her engaged by inviting her to play in a quartet that arranged rehearsals around her family’s schedule. There are countless examples of Kathryn encouraging musicians of all levels to keep playing, and there are countless musicians who acknowledge what a profound influence she has been.”
Kathryn is looking forward to her next adventures. “I am moving to be closer to family. The community in Northern California where I will be living has a vibrant arts scene in which I plan to be involved.”
