Philanthropy | A Lifetime of Joy and Music: Joy McIntyre & Sarasota Concert Association

By Tom Reese • Photos by Nancy Guth • July 2024

Joy McIntyre has spent her life chasing her passion for music and supporting her community well beyond retirement. As a generous donor for the Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) and a past president of the organization, she has left quite a legacy, greatly contributing to its overall success. 

Now 85 years old, Joy’s passion for music began at a very young age when she realized she had a knack for singing. She remembers discovering her voice when she was around five years old and began singing on stage with children’s choirs and eventually performing solo on stage throughout grade school. 

As her talents evolved, she began playing the piano, continued to sing, and eventually acquired a Bachelor’s of Music from the Oberlin Conservatory before receiving a Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. 

Joy began her career in opera immediately after completing her studies and spent about 20 years performing throughout Europe. She performed leading roles at over 30 opera houses throughout Europe including Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne, Dortmund, Salzburg, Vienna, Geneva, Copenhagen, Rome, Barcelona, Lyons, and Strasbourg. 

After completing an illustrious career in opera, Joy spent the next 20 years as a professor and leading the voice department at Boston University before retiring and settling down in Sarasota. Her parents retired to Sarasota back in 1972 and she had visited regularly and experienced how fruitful the arts and music scene was in the area. 

Joy celebrated her Sarasota retirement by immediately getting involved in the community. She was invited to join the board of the Sarasota Concert Association where she helped with marketing, artist selection, and other various tasks. Not before long, she became president of the organization and served in that role for approximately eight years. She also served as a board member and President of the Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning (SILL).

“Sarasota really is the most incredible place. Many initiatives have begun and have flourished because people here love the arts and support it financially. It couldn’t be better here,” said Joy. 

The Sarasota Concert Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering a greater appreciation for world-class classical music. It offers the Sarasota community two engaging concert series and special events that showcase a diverse range of exceptional talent from all over the world: The Great Performers Series which features world-renowned orchestras, recitalists, and chamber ensembles, and Music Matinees, which are free performances featuring regional talent. 

“The potential to do good in Sarasota is just limitless. There’s all kinds of opportunities to get involved in the arts,” said Joy. “For those of us that retire and still want to maintain our skills and pursue our passions, it’s a golden opportunity here.”

The organization got its start in 1938 before briefly pausing shows during World War II. The Sarasota Women’s Club launched it with the mission to bring affordable, world-class concerts to Sarasota. Eighty years later, SCA continues to provide exceptional performances at affordable costs. 

Up until 2020, the Sarasota Concert Association ran exclusively on the manpower of volunteers and philanthropists like Joy. After serving as president, Joy convinced the board to hire its first executive director, Linda Moxley, to step up and take over for her. 

“Joy has an incredible background and her deep love of classical music along with her passion for SCA is evident in everything she does,” said Linda. “Nobody is a greater ambassador or cheerleader for our organization than her. We’re so lucky that Joy continues to be a vital part of SCA.” 

In addition to revenue from ticket sales, which only contributes to a part of the funding needed to operate, SCA lives on generous donations, individual and group sponsorships for performances, legacy contributions, and an endowment fund that continues to grow and which currently exceeds $1.6 million.

“As president of SCA, I realized the importance of fundraising, and when I retired, I just continued donating on my own,” said Joy. “It’s so important. I think music is something that unites us together and it’s something that speaks a universal language that can reach everybody. Music uplifts you, it comforts you. So I am very enthusiastic about making sure it lives on and can reach as many people as possible.” 

Joy is also the founding member of the Legacy Society, a prominent way to raise funds for SCA in which individuals can designate donations when they pass through estate planning. 

“One of Joy’s most impressive qualities is her impeccable memory of past artists that we’ve presented, including concert dates and the music that they performed,” shared Linda. “She’s incredibly knowledgeable about SCA’s history as well as the history of classical music in general. Joy’s been a mentor to me since I joined SCA and she has been an integral part of the organization’s growth and success.”

Joy, who lives in Plymouth Harbor, still leads various lecture series, including one at Selby Library with the Sarasota Music Archive, where she currently serves as vice president. 

“Usually when people ask what I do, I just tell them about work and my upcoming lectures. But I love to spend time with friends, and I just started taking a weekly bike ride and it’s just absolutely thrilling. I love it,” said Joy. 

If you are interested in attending a performance by the Sarasota Concert Association, its season begins in January 2025.

FOR MORE INFORMATION on season details, or regarding individual and corporate sponsorship opportunities to help support the organization as it continues to bring world-class performances to Sarasota, please visit www.SCASarasota.org.