The gift of music - Times-Standard

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The gift of music

Eureka Symphony receives notable instruments from local patrons

Eureka Symphony principal percussionist MJ Fabian plays the timpani during a recent performance. Fabian will play the symphony’s new xylophone when the instrument makes its symphony debut at the “Music of the Spheres” concert April 25 and 26. COURTESY OF EUREKA SYMPHONY

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The Eureka Symphony is a community orchestra launched in 1991 with a strong foundation of talented, hard-working musicians.

With the exception of guest soloists and a few extra players, orchestra members are residents of Humboldt County. Audiences enjoy a familiar rapport with the symphony, and conductor and music director Carol Jacobson is a local icon. Like all arts organizations today, ticket sales are just a part of what sustains the Eureka Symphony. Donations, sponsorships, collaborations, volunteers and in-kind donations are all vitally important.

“So, it is with joy and appreciation that Eureka Symphony announces the receipt of a substantial gift from the Fulkerson Family Fund, and multiple generous gifts from Jim West, for instruments that distinctly enhance both the sound and the capacity of the orchestra,” said Nancy Stephenson, Eureka Symphony general manager.

In the fall of 2024, the Fulkerson Family Fund made a generous donation for Marimba One (M1) to craft a four-octave premium concert xylophone for the orchestra. M1, a world-renowned instrument maker that designs and builds the world’s finest percussion keyboards and mallets, started in Arcata in the mid-1980s.

Owner and founder Ron Samuels said, “A big thank you to the Fulkerson Family Fund and the Eureka Symphony Orchestra for giving us the opportunity to build this new xylophone. It is always the local instruments that are the most fun to build.”

The xylophone will make its debut in the hands of principal percussionist MJ Fabian, himself an M1 alum, at the Eureka Symphony’s “Music of the Spheres” on April 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts in Eureka.

“Other major gifts to the Eureka Symphony have been made by long-time donor and symphony patron Jim West, who provided a crucial donation toward the purchase of a set of timpani as well as other important percussion instruments for the orchestra,” Stephenson said.

Timpani, also known as kettle drums, have the ability to play pitches and, with their powerful, resonant bass sound, are used to create dramatic moments in the music.

In a thank-you letter to West, the Eureka Symphony board of directors said, “We were dependent upon and grateful to Eureka High School for the ability to borrow their music department’s timpani for our concerts, but we increasingly found times when our timpani needs conflicted. The purchase of our own set solved this problem and greatly simplified our logistics. We thank you very much for facilitating this purchase and helping us realize one of our objectives as a governing board.”

West said that he feels “very lucky that we have this outstanding, local symphony orchestra.”

Jacobson said, “I feel incredibly grateful to live in this community of wonderful people whose support and generosity allows us to realize a world of music without instrumental limitations. We can produce what we can imagine.”

For more information, or to purchase tickets for “Music of the Spheres,” go to www.EurekaSymphony.org or call 707-845-3655.