CLARKSVILLE, TENN. – Clarksville's Gateway Chamber Orchestra is excited to announce the hiring of Summer Fuchs as its new Interim Executive Director and Tim Sharp as the GCO Chorale Director. Both bring their talent and expertise from prestigious organizations across the USA and beyond to enhance the growth and progress of the highly acclaimed, Grammy-nominated Gateway Chamber Orchestra.
“We are thrilled to welcome Summer Fuchs and Tim Sharp into these important leadership roles”, says GCO Music Director Gregory Wolynec. "Our orchestra and chorus have evolved dramatically, particularly over the challenging last few years. As the organization continues to refine its offerings, we look to increase both our national and regional presence. I cannot imagine two better partners to help us at this exciting and important time.”
Summer Fuchs is a licensed attorney with more than a decade of experience in nonprofit administration and arts management and a track record of maximizing responsible growth. Summer provides consulting services to artists and nonprofit administrators on various matters, including union relations, budgeting, immigration, intellectual property, touring, product endorsement, marketing, and business development initiatives.
Before her professional experience in arts administration, Summer's experience with the performing arts began as a dancer. She was enrolled in dance classes at the age of three and continued dancing through college, touring across Europe and North America for multiple seasons with the International Folk Dance Ensemble (IFDE) out of Brigham Young University. While performing with the IFDE, she obtained a bachelor's degree and then graduated from the J. Reuben Clark Law School. After admission to the Utah State Bar, Summer began working at Ballet West in Salt Lake City, where she managed various legal initiatives as well as several streams of business revenue.
Under her management, Ballet West's touring program experienced tremendous growth with a significant expansion in operating budget and tours to multiple venues in NYC, repeat appearances at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and a historic tour to Cuba. During her time acting as Interim Administrative Director of the Ballet West Academy, she improved the budgeting process, streamlined systems, and launched a new satellite location which significantly increased the organization's revenue.
Before stepping into the role of Interim Executive Director of the GCO, Summer proudly served on the GCO board of directors for six years. During that time, she also worked as a consultant for various performing arts organizations and individual artists, advising her clients' business initiatives.
She has led and participated in panel discussions for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters and Youth America Grand Prix, and has appeared as a guest lecturer for law students interested in careers in the arts.
Like many in the Clarksville Community, Summer was brought here by the Army when she married her husband, stationed at Ft. Campbell as a Green Beret with the 5th Special Forces Group. She is a proud mom to two young boys who help fill her home with music, dancing, and plenty of laughter.
Fun Fact: Summer appears on a few episodes of the television series Breaking Pointe produced by the BBC and aired on the CW Network.
Summer is excited to work with the GCO to build a strong foundation as it moves into its next growth phase.
Conductor/composer Tim Sharp, DMA, completed thirteen years as Executive Director of the American Choral Directors Association, the world's largest professional choral organization. Tim led ACDA to innovations that changed the course of this professional association for the 21st century. While in Oklahoma, Tim was Artistic Director and Conductor of the Tulsa Chorale, a 100-voice civic chorus, performing the major choral repertoire of the choral/orchestral canon. Dr. Sharp remains on the Executive Board of the International Federation for Choral Music and the World Choral Council, representing choral music in North America. These associations have taken him to six continents and China over twenty-five times, performing and lecturing.
Tim has authored 17 books, the most recent being Sacred Choral Music Repertoire: Insights for Conductors. Dr. Sharp has conducted and performed the major choral/orchestral works of JS Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Haydn, CPE Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Rheinberger, Bruckner, Saint-Saens, Faure, Ravel, Britten, Vaughan Williams, Holst, Finzi, Barber, and Thompson. He works with John Rutter regularly at New York's Carnegie Hall and other contemporary choral composers, Christopher Theofanidis, John Tavener, Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen, Karl Jenkins, Bob Chilcott, John Williams, and Arvo Part.
A Bluefield University and Belmont University graduate, Tim received the "outstanding alumni" award from both schools. He completed his graduate and doctoral work in 1981 at The School of Church Music, Louisville, Kentucky. Further studies include the Aspen Music School (conducting), Harvard University (musicology), and the University of Cambridge (U.K.) as a Life Fellow of Clare Hall. He contributed the choral work for A Glen Campbell Christmas, which won a Dove Award for Best Country Album and a Grammy nomination for Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album. In addition, the recording Come Away to the Skies with his professional ensemble "Kentucky Harmony" was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2020 in the category of Gospel Roots.
Since returning to Nashville in 2020, Sharp has been guest conductor of the Nashville Concert Chorale and Music Director at Immanuel Baptist Church.
Fun Fact: He also formed and prepared the supporting choir for the Eagles' "Hotel California" tour. Tim works from his farm in Hickory Point (Montgomery County, TN), where he and his family have a small herd of cattle, goats, alpacas, chickens, two cats, a donkey, and "Darby," a four-month-old Labrador Retriever.
* * *
The Gateway Chamber Orchestra (GCO) is a nationally-recognized American cultural institution committed to enriching lives through innovative concerts, distinctive recordings, and inspiring educational programs. Conducted by Gregory Wolynec, the GCO is delighted to have a home at the George & Sharon Mabry Concert Hall on the campus of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. The ensemble debuted in the fall of 2008, and has grown into a classically modeled chamber orchestra comprised of leading symphony players, recording musicians, and university faculty from Middle Tennessee and beyond who delight in bringing their shared passion for the world’s greatest music to the community. Visit www.gatewaychamberorchestra.com.