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Mount Dora Music Festival Names New Chairwoman

Monday, July 12, 2010

Boston native to lead Board of Directors

Patricia Nelson, a native of Boston who relocated to Mount Dora in 2007, has been elected by the Mount Dora Music Festival board of directors to assume duties as the festival's chairwoman for the 2010-2011 season. Nelson, whose career as an executive was spent in global finance and banking, held the position of Chief Operating Officer with Santander Global Advisors, and also sat on the board of directors of Barings Asset Management, Inc. where she served as Chief Operating Officer.

While vacationing in Florida, Nelson attended the Mount Dora Music Festival and was impressed by the diversity of performers and the camaraderie of the organization. It was instrumental in helping her and husband Raymond make a decision to relocate.

"We decided that Mount Dora had a hybrid New England/Florida charm," she says. "And with its menu of cultural offerings, we decided that this was the place where we would to retire."
The Mount Dora Music Festival is a multi-genre, cross-cultural annual celebration of music. The upcoming event will be held February 17-20, 2011. The mission of the Music Festival is to entertain and educate through musical performances, lectures and workshops, while providing quality programming to all socio-economic levels. Last year, the Music Festival presented 19 concerts and programs, and all but four were free to the public.

Sustaining a four-day music event featuring national and local performers while providing free programming requires funding. If you would like to make a gift to the Mount Dora Music Festival, a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization, or become a sponsor of the event, contact executive director Nancy Howell at (352) 383-2627. You may also contact the festival on-line at mountdoramusicfest.com, or by mail at Mount Dora Music Festival, P.O. Box 712, Mount Dora, Florida 32756.