Wolf Trap 40th Anniversary Highlights

With our 40th Anniversary year coming to a close, we decided to ask some the Wolf Trap staff about their anniversary highlights. This is what they had to share!



Matt Martz, Assistant, Communication and Marketing
My favorite moment had to be attending the Wolf Trap Ball for the first time. I wasn’t able to attend in 2010, but what better way to attend than to start with one that celebrates the last 40 years of Wolf Trap’s rich history? It was great to see so many people who wanted to be involved in Wolf Trap’s mission and vision, not just to have a good time (which are a dime a dozen these days in D.C.). The decorations, food, drinks, and dancing were all phenomenal as well, with no detail overlooked. Oh, and getting a quarter page picture in The Washington Post Sunday Style section didn’t hurt either.



Cate Padgett, Program Assistant, Education Outreach

Most people would consider themselves lucky if at some point in their life, they met one of their idols. Through an amazing summer internship at Wolf Trap, I was fortunate enough to meet mine! Mr. Cosby and I first met the summer of 2009 during my internship in the Program & Production department here at Wolf Trap. Our first encounter involved hotel security, a duffel bag full of sandwiches, and a lot of laughs.

I had the pleasure of meeting him again this summer. As I was walking to see his show with my parents and boyfriend, it was by fate that my supervisor from my previous internship saw me and called me backstage. I left my parents and boyfriend standing outside waiting for me while I chatted it up with Mr. Cosby. He proceeded to make me feel horrible about ditching them and asked them to come in and join us. After a few “zerberts” and wisecracks at my dad, it was time to head to the lawn for a wonderful night spent under the stars with good company and great entertainment.



Danielle Rohar, Program Assistant, Institute

Professionally, 2011 had some major highlights for me, but the one thing I will remember from Wolf Trap’s 40^th year is finally seeing my middle school idol perform. And no, it wasn’t Dolly Parton, or Aretha Franklin, or even k.d. lang (of course, all were phenomenal!). I had been waiting 12 years to see Michelle Branch and almost fell off my chair in excitement when I saw that she would be playing with the Goo Goo Dolls, another of my ‘90’s favorites. I have no shame, and maybe a little pride, in admitting that I still knew all the lyrics to those songs that got me through the tween years!




Stefanie Hranek, Accounting Manager

My boyfriend, Scott, and I attended 20+ shows this summer. The diversity of shows Wolf Trap offers allowed us to take a chance on some that we probably never would have gone to otherwise. Some were right up our alley, while others were new but fun experiences. We braved the rain, horrid heat, and the traffic to sit on the lawn for all kinds of different performers. The jazz of Swamp Romp (or “Swamp Thing”, as Scott calls it), the dance-in-your-seat songs of MAMMA MIA!, and Motown hits of the The Temptations & The Four Tops were just a few from the long list of Wolf Trap memories made this summer. We look forward to repeating our “performance” in the 41^st season!

Jennifer Schnizler, Chelsea Musante, Juliet Prillaman, Jackie Dolan

Jackie Dolan, Program Coordinator, Special Events

In one word, this summer was a whirlwind. My first summer as a full-time Wolf Trap staffer was one filled with working events, attending concerts, learning lessons, and spending time with great people. The highlight of my summer happened when it came to a close with the last Chairman’s Dinner of the season on August 30^th.

Although the evening started off with a few hurdles, the event was a success. All of the elements came together - enthusiastic guests, smooth dinner service, a wonderful program by the Face of America – Spirit of South Florida choreographer, David Parsons, and a very important component considering the characteristic thick humid air of this summer… beautiful weather!

To top the night off, I went to enjoy the Lyle Lovett performance at the Filene Center with family and friends after the event. Growing up, tunes like “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas)” and “She’s No Lady” were frequently played on full volume throughout the house by my Step-father, so it was great to finally hear them live. On the lawn under the stars, I enjoyed a glass of red wine and listened to the country, folk, jazz, and blues styling’s of Lyle Lovett and his [amazing] Large Band, and reflected on what a crazy, and wonderful, summer I had.


Melissa Chotiner, Director, Public Relations

Taking my daughters to see what they consider their first REAL concert featuring Miranda Cosgrove this summer at Wolf Trap was definitely a highlight for me. You can see they enjoyed it just as much as I did from their reviews here.

Another great thrill was meeting Marvin Hamlisch. For Wolf Trap’s 40^th anniversary I had the privilege of coordinating on-camera interviews with some big name artists who have become part of the Wolf Trap family, so to speak, for a video we showed at the annual Wolf Trap Ball. Of course I was a little nervous before each one --not sure about the mood or personality of each artist. Mr. Hamlisch came in and greeted me nonchalantly --no handlers, no tour managers, no reps --just me, Marvin, the camera crew and one piano in the Center for Ed lecture hall. Mr. Hamlisch spent at least 30 minutes if not longer sharing his thoughts on Wolf Trap, followed by banging out a few pieces on the piano. You can catch some of the interview in the Happy Anniversary video here.