BSO, Dalton award recipients at annual CCA gala

The Bangor Symphony Orchestra and William “Bill” Dalton, assistant director of catering at the University of Maine, received awards at the annual Collins Center for the Arts gala on Sept. 29.

The BSO received the Wilma Award, which reflects a long-standing tradition of community involvement and engagement at the CCA.

The BSO played its first concert on Nov. 2, 1896 in Bangor City Hall with Horace Mann Pullen as conductor. In 1986, the BSO performed at the opening of the CCA, then named the Maine Center for the Arts, with Yo-Yo Ma and Isaac Stern, and conductor Werner Torkanowsky.

The orchestra is now entering its 123rd season led by Lucas Richman, Grammy Award-winning music director and conductor. The BSO performs in numerous mainstage shows at the CCA every year, including six Masterworks concerts, “The Nutcracker” with the Robinson Ballet and an annual Pops concert, as well as the the Young People’s Concerts, which annually draw more than 2,700 students from across Maine. The BSO also is a leader in music education and community programming — the Bangor Symphony Youth Orchestras is entering its seventh season with four ensembles and more than 100 members.

Wilma “Willie” Bradford was a member of a small group of local community leaders whose vision and dedication led to the opening of the center. In 2001, in recognition of her unrelenting devotion and ongoing commitment to the center, the outstanding volunteer recognition award was named in her honor. Bradford passed away in July 2017 at age 97. The legacy of service and commitment to the CCA lives on through the award and the amazing individuals and organizations who have received it over the years.

Dalton received the new Director’s Award, which was created to honor individuals or departments that have gone above and beyond the call of regular work requirements to help continue the tradition of excellence at the CCA.

Dalton began working at UMaine in 1982 as the manager of catering and conferences, and remains in the same position after several title changes and an expansion of responsibilities as the campus and its facilities have grown. Dalton has worked closely with the CCA administrators since the 1986 opening gala. He has many stories about the performers and their sometimes strange food requests, the themed dinners, the challenges of different venues, and the wonderful people he has met and worked with over the years. He remembers everyone’s dietary restrictions and their year of graduation.

This year’s CCA gala dinner was held prior to the Melissa Etheridge “Yes I Am” 25th Anniversary Tour show. The farm-to-table theme emerged from conversations about the gala’s decor, which featured a number of windows and was inspired by Etheridge’s song “Come to My Window,” which earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

Sponsors of the gala included University of Maine Foundation, lead sponsor; Eaton Peabody Attorneys at Law, Wilma Award sponsor; Sutherland Weston, Dead River Company, First National Bank, First Advisors and Quirk Auto, corporate sponsors; CCA Advisory Board, reception sponsor.