Norma Brown married Corrick Brown in 1956 and they left for a year in Vienna where Corrick studied conducting and Norma studied piano and chamber music. When they returned to Santa Rosa, he became Music Director and Conductor of the Santa Rosa Symphony. The Symphony League was formed the next year. In the early years the Symphony League filled many administrative rolls. Maggie Smith, a former Waves officer, and later Susan Nix, ran the symphony office. Phyllis Apfel solicited all the program advertisements, Diane Anderson served as orchestra librarian. The League put on a Viennese Ball at the Vets Memorial that is still being talked about. Norma started the chamber concert series in 1970, originally jointly sponsored by the college and the symphony, and presented in the Santa Rosa City Council Chambers. Performers were members of the Symphony and guest artists from San Francisco and Los Angeles areas. Soon after, Neumann Auditorium was built on the campus and the series was moved there. The anchor of the series was the Santa Rosa Piano Quartet: Polly Holbrook, Gerald Ogle, Shirley Chilcott and Norma Brown, but concerts included many others. Norma and Corrick housed all the soloists who played with the orchestra. Corrick conducted the Pops Concerts as well as the Classical Concerts. The Browns’ musical influences extended to their three talented sons: Ryan played the violin, Derek the cello and Keven the piano.
When you support the League, you make a difference in the lives of 30,000 young musicians in Sonoma County.
