The Bach Festival Society Announces M. Elizabeth Brothers as its First Trustee Emerita

The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park has announced that the Board of Trustees has unanimously elected Ms. M. Elizabeth Brothers as its first Trustee Emerita. At the invitation of President John Tiedtke, Ms. Brothers joined the board of trustees in 1995 and served as a member until 2007. Since her retirement, Ms. Brothers has not only continued her season concert subscription but also continues to support fundraising efforts through personal gifts as well as solicitation of donations from other patrons. She is currently working with the Society to launch a Planned Giving program to ensure the future financial health of the organization.

In 2011, the Bach Festival Society revised its Bylaws to provide for a new classification of Trustees, Trustees Emeriti, which enables the Board to recognize and honor former trustees for exceptional service to the Society. Society President Eric Ravndal III says, “Elizabeth served the Bach Festival Society with distinction over her twelve years on its Board. Her passion for classical music and her lifetime work in fundraising greatly benefited the Society during that time. Her remarkable energy and perseverance are traits recognized by all who know her.”

Ms. Brothers is a graduate of Vassar College and came to Rollins College in 1980 to help establish a well-rounded fundraising program. She has been a strong proponent for planned giving throughout her career and successfully launched a planned giving program at Rollins College.

An active volunteer with numerous organizations, Ms. Brothers has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mayflower Retirement Center; President of The Conquerors and Mayflower Toastmasters Clubs; President of the University Club of Winter Park (she was its first woman member); Vice President of the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation; and a Director of the Warren and Augusta Hume Foundation, the Community Foundation of Central Florida, and the Central Florida Branch of the English-Speaking Union.