When Lisa Watt-Bucci first attended a Cape Ann Symphony concert, she wasn't looking for a volunteer opportunity. She was simply looking for beautiful music a little closer to home.

She and her wife, Hope, had made a tradition of attending the Boston Holiday Pops with Hope's mother, Rita. But as the years went on, the trip into Boston became more difficult. Then Lisa discovered the Cape Ann Symphony.

"It was right up the street," she said with a smile. "And we loved it."

One concert changed everything. Before the performance, board president Tom Mannie invited anyone interested in becoming involved to reach out.

"I thought, that might be kind of fun," Lisa recalled. She met for coffee, joined the Board of Directors in 2017, and never looked back.

Today, she's one of the many volunteers quietly working behind the scenes to make sure one of 

Cape Ann's oldest cultural treasures continues to thrive.

As the Cape Ann Symphony celebrates its 75th Anniversary Season, Lisa sees something much bigger than an orchestra. She sees a community. "For seventy-five seasons," she explained, "the Cape Ann Symphony has stood for the same idea!” 

Great orchestral music belongs on the North Shore, performed by accomplished musicians for audiences of every age. That philosophy is one reason the Symphony has endured for three-quarters of a century.

Founded in 1952 by Helen and Sam Gordon, the organization began with a handful of neighbors making music together. Today it features approximately 70 professional musicians performing world-class concerts while remaining deeply rooted in the Cape Ann community. The founding promise still rings true: "The music you love, by the people you know."

For Lisa, that promise has proven to be true again and again.

"It's approachable," she said. "People come in, ask questions, and by the end of the concert they know us. We're friendly. We wear name tags. If someone needs help finding a seat or getting settled, we're there."

Unlike larger concert venues, board members greet guests personally, scan tickets, usher patrons to their seats, and make sure everyone feels welcome. It doesn’t matter if you’re a longtime subscriber or someone attending their very first symphony. "It's not like walking into a huge venue," Lisa said. "It feels personal."

That same spirit extends behind the scenes. While the orchestra is made up of highly accomplished professional musicians, nearly everything else is powered by volunteers.

"We have board members in their 40s alongside people in their 80s and even 90s," Lisa said. "The older members bring decades of history, while newer members bring fresh ideas. It works because everyone is committed to the same mission."

No one embodies that commitment quite like Lynne Khambaty. Now in her 90s, Lynne has served the Symphony since the 1970s, including as Board President, and still chairs the committee responsible for the popular Musicians Unleashed chamber concert series. Lisa laughed as she described visiting Lynne's home for meetings. "She has coffee ready. Lemonade. Homemade brownies. She's amazing."

For Lisa, Lynne represents everything the Symphony stands for: dedication, generosity, and a belief that music has the power to bring people together.

Another person Lisa is quick to recognize is Music Director and Conductor Yoichi Udagawa, who is entering his longest tenure of any conductor in the Symphony's 75-year history.

"Yoichi is a gem," Lisa said simply.

She loves attending rehearsals, watching musicians arrive in jeans and T-shirts before witnessing the transition: Yoichi to his concert tails, the men to their black tuxedos with bowtie and the women to their concert black. She marvels at the way dozens of musicians, guest soloists, and the conductor seem to communicate in a language all their own.

"I don't play an instrument," she admitted. "Maybe that's why I'm so fascinated by how it all comes together."

Yoichi sees something equally special in the board members who make each season possible. "Our concerts in Manchester have incredible energy," he shared. "We owe much of our success to board members like Lisa Watt-Bucci. Lisa does endless behind-the-scenes work to keep us thriving, and everyone in our Symphony family loves her."

That behind-the-scenes work has become one of Lisa's favorite parts of serving. Over the years she's chaired development, joined the marketing committee, helped launch community outreach efforts, hung banners around Manchester, represented the Symphony at local events, and continues to help organize outreach throughout Cape Ann.

"It's just another way to give back," she said.

Although the Symphony began in Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea has been home to its concerts since 2012, and Lisa says the town has embraced it wholeheartedly. "I can't tell you how many people stop when I'm putting up banners and say, 'We love the Symphony. It's right here in our town. We don't have to go to Boston.'"

The concerts regularly sell out, bringing world-class musicians to Manchester while making classical music accessible to neighbors of all ages. For Lisa, that's what making a difference looks like.

Not simply preserving a 75-year-old institution. Creating a place where neighbors gather. Where music inspires conversation. Where generations volunteer side by side. Where first-time concertgoers become lifelong supporters. To have this cultural tradition rooted right here in the community is a gift to be treasured without a doubt.

• Volunteer at concerts and community events
• Support the Symphony through donations or sponsorships
• Explore serving on the Board of Directors