Foundation honors Newburgh orchestra

Sugar Loaf -—The Orange County Citizens Foundation has selected the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra as the recipient of its 2005 Seligmann Award. The award is presented each year to an individual or organization that displays an unparalleled commitment to the arts and culture in Orange County. According to George Handler, president of the orchestra, the organization has opened classical music to people of all ages by presenting pre-concert introductions to the music being performed as well as providing blocks of reduced-rate tickets to students throughout the area. "Ten years ago, Dr. Woomyung Choe, a Newburgh-based physician, had a vision to bring music to Newburgh, to people of all ages, and he has worked tirelessly to make that dream a reality," Handler said. "Each year at our Musikfest Concert in July, Dr. Choe invites every child in the audience to conduct the orchestra to further encourage their involvement in music." The award will be presented at the Citizens Foundation's Annual Meeting and Open House on Thursday, Sept. 8. at the Seligmann Homestead in Sugar Loaf. On the same evening, the foundation will open a photographic exhibit, Then & Now: A Photographic Essay of Orange County in Black & White, focusing on the changes in Orange County's landscape over the past century. The Citizens Foundation's mission is "to preserve and enhance the quality of life in Orange County." For more information, call 469-9459.