Washington Trust Receives Community Partner Award

Washington Trust, Rhode Island's largest independent bank, recently received the "2011 Community Partner Award for Major Philanthropic Support” from the Chorus of Westerly. The award was presented to Joseph J. MarcAurele, Washington Trust Chairman, President, and CEO, for the Bank’s "three decades of support as Major Presenting Sponsor of Summer Pops, for support of the Chorus of Westerly’s Capital Campaign for the George Kent Performance Hall, and for over five decades of support of the Chorus’s programming.”

Washington Trust receives Community Partnership Award. (Left to Right: Dr. Douglas Rayner, Chairman, Summer Pops; George Kent, Music Director; Joseph J. Kirby, retired Washington Trust President; Joseph J. MarcAurele, Washington Trust Chairman, President, and CEO; Ryan Saunders, Chorus of Westerly Executive Director; and Jodie Drapal Koretski, Chorus of Westerly Director of Development. (PHOTO: Business Wire)

The original "founding fathers” of the "Summer Pops”: Dr. Douglas Rayner, Summer Pops Chairman; George Kent, Chorus Music Director; and Joseph J. Kirby, retired Washington Trust President, recently gathered at the George Kent Performance Hall to reflect on the event and the significance of Washington Trust’s involvement with the Chorus. (Note: On June 16^th, the day after this gathering, George Kent, the founder of the Chorus of Westerly, announced that he would retire from his role as conductor, after Summer Pops 2012.) As the group recalled, in 1981, the Chorus of Westerly held a huge festive "Summer Pops" concert in downtown Westerly, as a salute to the area residents who had helped fund the Chorus’s first international concert tour. Meant to be a one-time show, it became an annual summer concert in Westerly due to its success and popularity. Audiences grew from 5,000 to 10,000, and, within five years, 25,000 people five years were attending the "Summer Pops" concert. The Bank was the original sponsor of the event and has sponsored the "Summer Pops" ever since.

"The Chorus of Westerly is very grateful for Washington Trust’s support of Summer Pops,” stated Ryan Saunders, executive director. "The Bank has been a wonderful partner with us in presenting Pops since the very first show in 1981. In truth, Summer Pops would not exist if it were not for the generosity of Washington Trust.”

"Washington Trust is honored to be recognized by the Chorus,” stated Joseph J. MarcAurele, Washington Trust Chairman, President and CEO. "They have entertained generations of families in our community. Their Summer Pops event has become a summer tradition in our area, bringing together families, friends, and neighbors joining to enjoy good music, good food, and good fun, while celebrating our nation’s rich history.”

The 31^st Annual "Summer Pops,” one of the Chorus’s major events, will be held in Wilcox Park, Westerly, RI on Saturday June 25, 2011 with at 8:30 pm, with a 6:30 pm pre-show. This year’s concert is scheduled to have performances by the Chorus of Westerly with The Boston Festival Orchestra conducted by George Kent, with special guest, Mina Um, violin. The concert will also feature fireworks by Grucci, canons from the Newport Artillery, and the pealing church bells of Christ Church in the incredible finale of the concert, Tchaikovsky's world famous Overture of 1812.

Washington Trust not only supports the Summer Pops concert financially, but Bank employees volunteer to set up Wilcox Park the day prior to the concert each year. Employees spend the day preparing the stage and Park for the spectacular concert. The Bank has also partnered with the Chorus on several other ventures in efforts to keep the Chorus of Westerly an integral part of the Rhode Island and southeastern, Connecticut communities. "Beyond Summer Pops, Washington Trust has been a wonderful community partner with us on many ventures. In particular, Washington Trust was a major supporter of our last capital campaign to expand and renovate our building. Even today, they continue to support us for our programs and for the longevity of the George Kent Performance Hall, our historic home. We are blessed to have company liked Washington Trust in our community,” commented Saunders.

The Chorus of Westerly is a 200-voice performing arts organization located in Westerly, Rhode Island. Founded in 1959 by music director George Kent, the Chorus of Westerly is the nation’s only independent intergenerational chorus. This means that the 80 child/teenage members of the Chorus of Westerly sing alongside the 110 adult members on every performance throughout the concert season regardless of work, difficulty, or demands. This a practice that is, in this day and age, unheard of in the American performing arts industry and one that has made the Chorus of Westerly unique among its peers. The Chorus of Westerly’s season now includes three classical concert series, a Christmas Pops concert series, seven performances of A Celebration of Twelfth Night, the annual Summer Pops performance in Wilcox Park (with audiences of 25,000 annually), and several choral symposia/workshop weeks at Camp Ogontz in New Hampshire. The Chorus of Westerly is also one of only two choral organizations to own and operate their own performance venue. The historic George Kent Performance Hall, located at 119 High Street in Westerly, has been owned by the Chorus since the early 1990s and, in previous iterations as Westerly’s Immaculate Conception Church and the Westerly Center of the Arts, has been its regular performance home since the 1960s. The facility was expanded and renovated over the last decade thanks to the community’s generous support to a major building capital campaign. For more information on the Chorus of Westerly, its programs, or the George Kent Performance Hall, please visit http://www.chorusofwesterly.org or call 401-596-8663.

Founded in 1800, Washington Trust is the largest independent bank headquartered in Rhode Island and the oldest community Bank in the nation. Washington Trust provides commercial banking, small business banking, personal banking, mortgage banking, and wealth management and trust services to individuals and institutions throughout the Northeast. Our Commercial Banking Group offers a full line of commercial and industrial lending, commercial real estate, and cash management services to borrowers throughout the Northeast. Washington Trust is an SBA preferred lender. Our team of experienced professionals are dedicated to providing customized, comprehensive financing and personalized services. The Washington Trust Company is a subsidiary of Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc., (NASDAQ Global Select, symbol: WASH).

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