Andersons Name Principal Bassoon Chair
by Casey Oelkers, Director of Development
With gratitude, the MSO is pleased to announce that Rozan and Brian Anderson have pledged a gift of $150,000 to endow and name the Principal Bassoon Chair. Rozan and Brian are season subscribers and annual leadership donors. Rozan currently serves as president of the Madison Symphony Orchestra League, and she and Brian both serve on the MSO Board of Directors.
“I’ve been an amateur bassoonist for nearly 60 years, and orchestral music is one of my main lifelong loves,” says Rozan. “Brian and I are really excited to make this personally meaningful gift that will help the Symphony for the long-term.”
In recognition of the Andersons’ gift, the MSO’s Principal Bassoon Chair—currently held by long-time principal bassoonist Cynthia Cameron—has been permanently named The Rozan and Brian Anderson Chair.
“Rozan is also a bassoonist and we have known each other for a long time,” says Cameron. “I was really touched to learn about her and Brian’s decision to endow my chair. It’s special for me to hold a chair that bears their name, and it means a lot that all of the MSO principal woodwind positions are now backed by donor support.”
In 2020, the Andersons made a gift to the MSO’s Organ Endowment to symbolically adopt a bassoon pipe in the Overture Concert Organ. “We had seen the MSO’s Principal Bassoon chair endowment naming opportunity listed in MSO materials. The dollar amount wasn’t something we could consider at the time, but we did decide to adopt a bassoon organ pipe through the Adopt-a-Stop program,” says Rozan. “Recently, Brian and I were talking about the things we hope to support with our charitable giving, and we realized we were now in a position to consider making a larger endowment gift to the Symphony. I was so happy that the opportunity to endow the Principal Bassoon Chair was still available!”
Brian, an attorney with DeWitt LLP, and Rozan, a dedicated leader at Temple Beth El and with Women of Reform Judaism, have served on multiple nonprofit boards over the years. Through their respective board service, they have enjoyed learning about the inner workings of various non-profit organizations and all that goes into supporting them. In addition to making regular annual gifts to support current programs, the Andersons urge others to consider endowment giving for your chosen causes as a way to provide reliable funding for the future.
As the MSO continues our Centennial Celebration throughout the 2025-2026 Season, we invite readers to take note of the following chair endowment naming opportunities that are available as of November 30, 2025:
Music Director
Associate Concertmaster
Chorus Accompanist
Principal Tuba
Principal Bass
Assistant Principal Bass
Section Chair (various instruments)
To learn more about these and other endowment opportunities, visit madisonsymphony.org/endowment or contact Casey Oelkers, Director of Development, at (608) 260-8680 x228 or coelkers@madisonsymphony.org.
Please join us in thanking Rozan and Brian for their wonderful gift!