Press Release
The Summerville Orchestra (S.O.) is starting the New Year in a big way, welcoming both a new executive director and an associate director to its ranks.
Executive Director Andrew Price of North Charleston is no stranger to the S.O. Price has been principal bassist since joining the orchestra in 2018 and has also served as the musicians' president and a member of the S.O. Board of Directors. His first major action in his position was to establish the associate director position and hire Nancee E. Adams of Moncks Corner.
“The incredible range of abilities and skills of these two talented people, coupled with those of Wojciech Milewski, our dynamic conductor, will take us to new heights,” said Dean Glace, chairman of the board and principal trumpet of the 75-member orchestra.
Price has dedicated his life to the making of music. An accomplished double bass player, he received his bachelor's in music education at the University of South Carolina and recently completed a master's degree in arts management from Colorado State University. He served as orchestra director at the North Charleston Creative Arts Elementary School and CE Williams Middle School, earning multiple teaching and conducting awards. Price replaces longtime executive director Naomi Nimmo, who resigned in July.
“I am inspired by Wojciech, the musicians and the Summerville community’s love for their hometown orchestra,” said Price. “Serving as executive director for this amazing orchestra is a true dream job for me.”
Adams, as the S.O.'s first associate director, brings a rich diversity of skills to the position, including music administration, grant writing, fundraising and social media. On the music side, she has been the marketing and publicity chair for the Singers of Summerville and has previously held leadership roles in numerous performing arts organizations in New York, including as legal advisor. She is a member of the New York Bar, earning a law degree from The American University in Washington, D.C., and a bachelor's from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla. Her diverse pedigree includes a career in publishing, working for Random House, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan.
“Andrew and Nancee both bring such a diverse and complementary set of skills and viewpoints to our orchestra,” said Milewski. “I'm beyond excited to work with them! I foresee only great things in our future and am already looking forward to what lies ahead!”
The S.O. returned to live in-person concerts in October at its new state-of-the-art venue at Summers Corner Performing Arts Center. Three concerts remain in the current subscription series, sponsored by Ameriprise Financial, featuring all-American composers from an array of cultures and backgrounds. From patriotic to exotic, from playful to mindful, the season is designed to capture the vastness and complexity of the American spirit.
“With years of sold-out performances and waiting lists, the S.O. can now reach a bigger audience with the seating capacity of our new performance auditorium,” Price said. “We are dedicated to making the orchestral experience accessible to as many as possible. Our subscription series remains one of the most price-friendly musical experiences in the tri-county.”
Tickets are available online at www.summervilleorchestra.org.
For anyone interested in playing in the orchestra, auditions will be held on Jan. 22, 10 a.m.-noon. All instruments are welcome to audition, but the S.O. is specifically looking for harp, percussion, tuba, viola and bass. For audition requirements, go to SummervilleOrchestra.org/
