The Festival Planning Committee, composed of volunteers from the Rochester community, supports Gateways’ extensive chamber music in the community and houses of worship program, travel, lodging, receptions and special events for the musicians and community, marketing and communications, merchandise sales, and much, much more.
For the first 16 years of the Festival’s history, most of the organizing and planning was executed by founder Armenta Hummings Dumisani, her son Amadi and a small group of musician and local volunteers. Upon Ms. Hummings Dumisani’s retirement from the faculty at the Eastman School of Music and the Festival in 2009, two committees were formed to take over her work: the Festival Planning Committee and the Artistic Programs Committee. The Festival Planning Committee was initially co-chaired by Rochester-based civic leader Barbara Jones and board member Marie Rivers and was composed of approximately 30 community members.
Jennifer Allen
Rhonda Austin
Amadi Azikiwe
Carolyne Blount
Ricky Frazier
Joanne Gordon
Martha Hope
James H. Norman
Dolores Orman
Heide Parreno
Ruth Phinney
Marie Rivers
Cecille Shorter
Jacqueline Ulmer
Nancy Warren-Oliver
Robert Werth
