Press Release – New ECSO Bookkeeper and Personnel Manager Announced
ECSO Board Member appointments – 7.30.24
For Immediate Release
Contact: Caleb Bailey, [email protected]; 860-443-2876
New ECSO Bookkeeper and Personnel Manager Announced
The ECSO is pleased to announce the appointment of John Biatowas to the part-time position of Personnel Manager and Courtney Coates as Bookkeeper.
Executive Director, Caleb Bailey had the following statement: “We’re so thrilled to have John and Courtney begin their important roles with the ECSO. Courtney has all the qualities and enthusiasm to be a great fit on our team while we enter an exciting season to celebrate Toshi’s 15th. John Biatowas has already been a valued member of our team as our faithful music librarian and section violist for many years and he acted as the interim Personnel Manager last year, in addition.”
John Biatowas bio: John Biatowas, violist, has grown up playing violin and viola throughout Connecticut and the surrounding states. John serves as orchestra librarian and section violist with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra and filled in as Interim Personnel Manager during the 2023-2024 season. He received his BA in molecular biology from Colgate University and Performers’ Certificate in viola and MM in violin performance from the University of Connecticut. John has sat concertmaster of the Colgate and UConn Orchestras, as well as principal viola at UConn. He teaches privately and is a founding member of the Arioso Ensemble. He has also performed with the New Britain and Wallingford Symphonies and the Hartford Festival Orchestra. John teaches chamber music at Wesleyan with his fellow quartet members. His teachers include Theodore Arm, Laura Klugherz, and Phoebe Barron.
Courtney Coates bio: Courtney Coates is a graduate of Stonybrook University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. Courtney has previously been the Program Coordinator and Director of Administrative Partnerships for the Eastern CT Chamber of Commerce, as well as a Development and Office Administrator for Sofia Sees Hope in Ledyard CT. Currently, Courtney is the treasurer for the Union Baptist Church in Mystic, CT and the Director of Outreach and Development at Hope in Focus in Ledyard, CT where she is responsible for outreach to the Leber congenital amaurosis and inherited retinal disease community, development activities including grants and donor management, and overall office management and administration.
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We are thrilled to announce our 2024-25 Season lineup, curated by Music Director and Conductor Toshiyuki Shimada. Season Highlights include Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 (Organ), Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.4, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 featuring our Instrumental Competition winner, Puccini & Verdi selections with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Chorus and international guest artists. From early fall to late spring, the 75-plus member professional Symphony Orchestra presents six subscription concerts annually, most of which feature guest soloists. Subscription concerts are primarily performed at the historic award-winning Garde Arts Center on State Street in New London.
Visit www.ectsymphony.com for more information and follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) @ectsymphony. In addition to a range of affordable single-ticket options from $70 to as low as $12. The ECSO offers those under 40 years of age and active or retired military members $12 tickets in selected sections.
Founded in 1946 by Norwegian immigrant, Victor Norman, the ECSO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving the eastern Connecticut region, including New London, Norwich, Waterford, Groton, Mystic, Old Lyme, and East Lyme. Recent concerts in Norwich, Willimantic, and Stonington reflect our renewed dedication to serving a broader area.
Our mission is to inspire, educate, and connect our communities through live orchestral music.