Philadelphia Music Makers is Philadelphia's only magazine that supports classical music in the Philadelphia area. Through the hard work of Editor Jane Lennel and Designer Katharine Kriebel, Philadelphia Music Makers has grown from their early days under assistance of Resource for Human Development. While they are currently working through web site issues, they can be found at www.philamusicmakers.com
This interview took
place at the Center
City home of
Katharine
Kriebel.
PCM :This is the fourth year of Philadelphia Music Makers Magazine?
Jane: Yes.
PCM: The magazine just received two grants?
Jane : Yes, from the Five County Arts Fund & Performing Arts Foundation.
PCM: How many subscriptions did you start with?
Jane: Well, we started with seven.
(Laughter)
PCM: Would those seven be Jane, Katherine, Jane's kids, Katharine's kids?
(laughter)
Jane: Well one of my kids told me they don't read it so I stopped sending it to them.
(laughter)
PCM: How did you come up the idea to start Philadelphia Music Makers?
Jane: I had been writing for odds & ends newspapers. I always wanted to do something like this. I gave some samples to Diana Burgwyn who writes for Opera news. I told her my ideas and she pushed and pushed. After a dinner with friends supportive of the idea I was walking home very enthusiastic with the idea and I bumped into Katharine as I was walking past the Trinity Center.
Katharine: Yes, I was trying to get Jane to come to an Opera at the Center the following week..
Jane: And knowing that Katharine worked in publications I was trying to get information about putting a magazine together.
Katharine: Right, you told me you have an idea for Philadelphia Music Makers and I said it was a wonderful idea. (Katharine raises her hand above her head) Next thing I know I'm up to here in it.
(Laughter)
PCM: How did your distribution start? Did you take it into stores?
Jane: I asked everybody I knew. The Chamber Music Society was a tremendous help right from the beginning.
PCM: They were the first to respond to this site too.
Jane: It took awhile to get our thoughts together. We ate a lot of sandwiches at Sandy's Restaurant.
(Laughter)
PCM: Do you work mostly from grants?
Jane: From grants? No, we operate primarily from subscription and advertisement.
Katharine: And our own money.
(Laughter)
Katharine Kriebel has also published her first novel Gargoyles in the Library.
