The Syracuse Orchestra performance celebrates a North Country benefactor whose generosity continues to enrich the region through music
CLAYTON — The Northern New York Community Foundation invites the public to experience an evening of inspiring music at the annual Sidney T. Cox Memorial Concert on Friday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m. at the Clayton Opera House, featuring The Syracuse Orchestra.
Presented with support from the Community Foundation in partnership with the Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund (TIPAF), the annual concert honors the enduring legacy of Sidney T. Cox.
This year’s performance blends beloved classical masterworks with familiar favorites from Broadway and the silver screen. Audiences will enjoy selections from Wicked, The Sound of Music, Jurassic Park, Beauty and the Beast, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Wicked, alongside works by Aaron Copland, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Duke Ellington and others.
“Mr. Cox’s legacy remains an enduring gift to our region through this annual event and in many other ways,” Community Foundation President and CEO Rande S. Richardson said. “For nearly two decades, this concert has been a reminder of the power of philanthropy to create meaningful experiences that can enrich lives for generations.”
Following his death in 2005, the Northern New York Community Foundation established a permanent endowment to honor a transformative gift he provided through his estate as well as his devotion to the arts and the region. Since 2007, the fund has supported annual performances at the Clayton Opera House, creating a lasting cultural tradition for residents and visitors alike. The Community Foundation also separately administers a permanent endowment that supports TIPAF and the ongoing preservation and programming at the historic Clayton Opera House.
A long-time Watertown resident, Mr. Cox was a journalist, composer, and public official. He joined the Watertown Daily Times staff as a reporter in 1949, covering Watertown and Canton, and then for five years was a political writer and legislative correspondent in Albany. He was executive secretary of the state Legislature’s joint committee on winter tourism and subsequently was a research associate for the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee.
He was named to the original Temporary State Commission on Tug Hill and served as vice chairman and acting chairman. Music remained his lifelong passion. An Army veteran and graduate of Cornell University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music and English, Mr. Cox studied composition with renowned American composers Roy Harris, Aaron Copland, and Robert Palmer. His own works were performed by orchestras throughout the country, including what is now The Syracuse Orchestra, where he also served on the board of directors.
Tickets for the July 10 performance are available through the Clayton Opera House, 403 Riverside Drive, Clayton, or online at claytonoperahouse.com.
Program highlights
- The Star-Spangled Banner — John Stafford Smith
- Dance of the Tumblers from The Snow Maiden Suite — Rimsky-Korsakov
- Variations on a Shaker Melody — Aaron Copland
- Central Coach Special — Calvin Custer
- Duke Ellington! — Arr. Calvin Custer
- The Sound of Music Selections — Richard Rodgers
- Highlights from Jurassic Park — John Williams
- How Does a Moment Last Forever from Beauty and the Beast — Alan Menken
- A Town with an Ocean View from Kiki’s Delivery Service — Joe Hisaishi
- Highlights from Wicked — Stephen Schwartz
About the Northern New York Community Foundation
Since 1929, the Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.
Through partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and generous families and individual donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that benefit the region. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable objectives now and for generations to come by preserving and honoring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.
The Community Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors, professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative solutions that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live, work, and play.