Radio Arts Foundation - St. Louis Announces the Formation of its Radio Advocacy Council

ST. LOUIS - March 29, 2013 - PRLog -- Members Will Act as Advisors and Conduits for the Station to Connect with
the Local Arts Community in the St. Louis Region.

MARCH 29, 2013 (ST. LOUIS, MO) – Radio Arts Foundation – St. Louis (RAF-STL) announced the members of its newly formed Radio Advocacy Council today. The group, comprised of key leaders and enthusiasts within the arts community of the St. Louis region, will assist the station’s board of directors in implementing the station’s vision of supporting and advocating the growth of the arts and culture in the St. Louis region.

Members of the council will provide input, guidance and feedback from the St. Louis arts community, as well as assist with the fundraising efforts and the formation of the RAF-STL friends and young friends’ organizations. The executive members of the advocacy council and their respective roles include: Noemi Neidorff, chairman; Libby Weinman, secretary; Katja Georgieff, treasurer; Susan Uchitelle, programs and special events; Spencer Burke, membership, and Pat Fogle, nominating.

Noemi K. Neidorff is a classically trained pianist and graduate of the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. She has been actively involved in the arts community in the St. Louis area, both as a philanthropist and volunteer, for many years. Organizations that have benefitted from her leadership include the St. Louis Symphony, Regional Arts Commission, Opera Theatre St. Louis and the St. Louis Art Museum, to name just a few. Neidorff was previously a member of the KFUO (Classic 99) Radio Arts Board.

Elizabeth Weinman, along with Neidorff, Uchitelle and Fogle, was a member of the original KFUO (Classic 99) Radio Arts Board prior to the station’s closure in 2010. Weinman is a supporter of Opera Theatre of St. Louis and currently serves on the St. Louis Symphony’s Volunteer Association.

Katja Georgieff is an emeritus professor at Maryville University and the artistic director of “Music at Maryville,” a popular concert series that began in 1980 as a way to spotlight classical music on the Maryville campus and continues to attract internationally renowned artists.

Susan Uchitelle is a lifelong St. Louis educator and school superintendent who played a large part in local history as a driving force in the desegregation movement. She is the founder of the Confluence Academy charter schools, as well as the founder of the St. Louis Art Fair. She provides commentaries for St. Louis Public Radio and is the former executive director of the St. Louis Voluntary Interdistrict Coordinating Council. She is the co-author of the book, “Unending Struggle: The Long Road to an Equal Education in St. Louis.”

Membership chair Spencer B. Burke currently serves as executive vice president and member of the board of directors of St. Louis Trust Company. Previously Burke was senior vice president, director of corporate finance and a member of the board of directors at A.G. Edwards & Sons, the brokerage subsidiary of A.G. Edwards Inc. Burke serves on numerous boards within the St. Louis area including the Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation, the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School, from which he graduated in 1965.

Pat Fogle is a St. Louis philanthropist who supports numerous organizations, including the Rainbow Village, a non-profit organization that provides long-term, affordable homes for those with developmental disabilities, and the Junior League of St. Louis. She received the Drue Webster Award for her work with the Junior League.

Members of The Radio Arts Foundation Advocacy Council include: Joan Briccetti, Spencer Burke, Allison Felter, Arden Fisher, David Halen, Barbara Harbach, Carolyn Henges, Lawrence P. Katzenstein, Wilfred Konneker, Kenneth Kranzberg, Priscilla McDonnell, Marylen Mann, Minoo Mehta, Robert C. Packman, Mary Pillsbury-Wainright, Peggy Ritter, Marsha Rusnack, Julie G. Schuster, Jennifer Stoffel, and Donald M. Suggs. Honorary council members include: Fred Bronstein, Cary Hobbs, Timothy O’Leary, and David Robertson.

About Radio Arts Foundation – St. Louis

Radio Arts Foundation-St. Louis (RAF-STL) is dedicated to bringing classical music back to the St. Louis public airwaves. The station operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and will offer the St. Louis region a broad and invigorating radio format, both on analog radio at 107.3 and in hybrid digital at KIHT 96.3 HD2. Broadcasts will also be streamed live at www.rafstl.org. The station’s mission is to be a nucleus for the cultural and performing arts community in the St. Louis area to connect, grow and flourish for years to come. The station will partner with distinguished local arts organizations, as well as solo and chamber artists, to broadcast performances, conduct in-depth interviews, air behind-the-scenes programs, and cover the local arts and cultural scene. More information on the station and its programming is available at rafstl.org.

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ATTENTION MEDIA: Interview opportunities are available. Please contact Annemarie Schumacher at 314-265-5237 or annemarie@schumachercreative.com
to arrange.