With a new performance season comes new leadership, and the Tuscarawas Philharmonic community welcomes Gil Snyder as its new board president. The announcement was initially made in the August 2011 newsletter, which can be downloaded here.
Snyder joined the board several years ago because he is motivated by worthy causes and good things for the community, and he is energized about his new role as president. “I’m really excited about it,” he said. “I think the opportunity is here for us.”
His use of the word “us” is no accident, as Snyder recognizes the need for collective effort and the importance of leadership through delegation. “I love nothing better than to empower others to act,” he declared.
As a life-long native of New Philadelphia, Snyder is fully invested in the community as both a businessman and a philanthropist. After college, he followed his father’s lead, as well as his grandfather’s, by starting his own real estate and appraisal business, Charles G. Snyder Company. He is also a partner in Shepperd Investors AG, a global real estate business headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland; and he is CEO and president of Integrity Health Partners, Inc.
Snyder has been instrumental in bringing out-of-the-norm music to the community. His influence was key to hosting local performances by the Vienna Boys’ Choir; and to staging The Long Night of Music, a four-night event held in New Philadelphia in 2005. Boosted by these successes, Snyder hopes to bring that same far-reaching energy to the Philharmonic board, saying, “Let’s get out of the box and see what we can do.”
Snyder has set specific goals for the coming year, just one of which is to take each Philharmonic performance from the concept of “concert” to one of “event,” where attendees are given the opportunity to enjoy the total social experience. “I would like people to start coming to see the Philharmonic at the PAC because it’s the place to be,” he said. And he has a similar goal for board meetings, believing they should be events people look forward to attending.
The newly installed leader’s optimism for a successful season is contagious. “Gil possesses a genuine enthusiasm for music and for the Philharmonic—I’ve seen it when he sings in the chorus—and a strong, imaginative sense of community, along with business savvy and connections,” said Eric Benjamin. “He’s the total package, and I am inspired by his presence on the board.”
Snyder and his wife, Tricia, have a passion for antiques and historic architecture, and the couple doesn’t shy from hard work. After purchasing an 1848 home in Gilmore, Ohio, they set about dismantling the structure and moving it to New Philadelphia. Throughout the eleven month process, they meticulously tagged every element from bricks to hinges to doorknobs, and they rebuilt the house with respect to its architectural style. They plastered the walls according to the home’s historic nature and filled its rooms with period furnishings and artwork.
Snyder put such painstaking work into his home because he believes in the value of perpetuating the best assets of our community. He said he understands that although he has paid for his belongings, they will someday belong to someone else, and he is merely the current custodian. He has the same approach to guiding the Philharmonic through the upcoming season, saying, “We are caretakers. We want to nurture it and make it better than it ever was.”
Fast Facts: Gil Snyder…
- has two children, Kyle and Kelsey
- portrayed a shepherd in Amahl and the Night Visitors
- loves a good Gregorian chant
- has been in business for 34 years
Tuscarawas Philharmonic Website
Downloaded the August 2011 Philharmonic Newsletter
The Charles G. Snyder Company is pleased to announce that Mr. Snyder was unanimously elected to serve as Trustee for the 