For nearly seven decades, Marilyn K. Humiston has lived with a violin tucked under her chin and music woven through her spirit. What makes her Unsung Hero story remarkable is not just her extraordinary talent or longevity as a performer, but an unwavering commitment to making classical music accessible, meaningful and rooted in community.
Humiston first joined the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra (SLPO) in 1963 as a sophomore at University City High School. Since then, she has continued to play in the orchestra while giving thousands of hours to ensure the organization can thrive.
In 1981, she was elected to the orchestra’s board and by 1986 became its president, a title she holds nearly 40 years later.
The astonishing part? She has done all of it — performing and managing the administrative work — as a volunteer while building a career as an educator and raising a family.
Founded in 1860, the SLPO is the oldest symphony orchestra west of the Mississippi. With no paid musicians, its survival has always depended on the commitment of its members, now about 90. Under Humiston’s leadership, the orchestra, which performs six concerts a year, has not only endured but flourished.
She helped create the Young Artist Solo Competition for high school musicians, giving talented students the chance to step into the spotlight with a full symphony. More recently, she secured a partnership with the Artist Presentation Society that allows their college competition winners to perform with an orchestra for the first time.
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Humiston’s vision has also kept the orchestra connected to the wider community. Its annual Holiday Pops concert doubles as a collection site for Toys for Tots, drawing some of the largest single-day donations in St. Louis and earning the group a Semper Fidelis award from the Marine Corps. She has fostered collaborations with children’s and college choirs, invited television audiences into holiday broadcasts and even helped the Philharmonic earn a Telly Award for a televised Pops concert.
Her leadership style is equal parts pragmatism and heart. As SLPO president, she does everything from writing brochures and managing contracts to liaising with conductors, soloists and venues. She proofreads programs line by line and makes sure soloists are greeted with flowers — and sometimes even a ride from the airport.
Just as importantly, she fosters a sense of family among orchestra members, organizing after-rehearsal social gatherings and celebrating their milestones.
Colleagues describe her with a mixture of admiration and affection, and their words paint a portrait of a leader who is both formidable and deeply human. St. Louis Symphony Concertmaster David Halen says Humiston leads with “a generosity of spirit, fully giving of her time and efforts.”
Philharmonic violist and board member Julie Hoffman attributes the organization’s continued stability and success to Humiston’s leadership, adding that “she treats the Philharmonic like her family and encourages conversation to make sure we are all covering the ground we need covered and getting the results we need to have.”
Longtime violinist and board member Edwin Simon calls her “a class act,” stressing her “people-first leadership.” Phyllis Traub, a friend of more than 60 years, perhaps sums it up best: “She is a volunteer extraordinaire, an amazing colleague and an even more amazing friend.”
For her part, Humiston says her approach is simple but intentional. She tries to “lead with presence,” by making herself available, listening and using common sense, a philosophy that has quietly shaped the Philharmonic and the lives of countless musicians around her.
“I try to make fair and equitable decisions,” she explained. “It is a privilege to lead this remarkable ensemble of musicians. I deeply appreciate and admire them. They are all volunteers, and I am grateful for their gift of time, talent, energy and dedication to our orchestra. I am also honored by their friendship.”
The strings that bind
For Humiston, music has never been just about notes on a page. It has been both compass and companion since she picked up her first violin.
“My daddy was a blue-collar worker, but he was also a musician. He played the violin, clarinet and saxophone, and his sister, my auntie, she played piano,” said Humiston, a third-generation congregant of B’nai Amoona. “I’m the oldest of four. When I was 5, Daddy looked at me and said, ‘You’re going to play the violin.’ My sister plays piano because my aunt played. And because Daddy also had a clarinet and sax, my brother plays the horns. My younger sister is the only one who got to choose, and she chose the cello.”
With a father who guided her lessons and a mother who made sure she practiced — and even sewed her first performance skirt — Humiston grew up steeped in music and encouragement.
“He just wanted me to love it and excel at what I did, to do the best I could,” she said, a guiding principle that continues to drive her forward. “My daddy is my hero. He started me on all of this.”
Although she initially went to Mizzou to study elementary education, she also had a music scholarship and played in the university orchestra.
“When I was a junior, I was taking bass lessons and my professor came to me one day and said, ‘You’re in the wrong place. Tomorrow you’re out of elementary ed and moving into music.’ ”
Ultimately, she pursued a career in teaching — music, of course — and, together with her beloved husband, Ron, who passed away in 2016, raised son Dan and daughter Sara.
Humiston taught strings in the Parkway School District for more than 25 years and directed the Parkway Strings Music Camp for two decades. She earned her master’s degree, served on statewide and local music education boards, judged countless festivals and continues her work alongside Concertmaster Halen at the Missouri River Arts Festival in Boonville, where he is festival artistic director and she is his assistant.
“David does the music magic, and I’m the wrangler,” she said, chuckling.
“She’s helped me put on the festival in Boonville for more than 10 years,” Halen said. “She hires an orchestra, we put the program together. She makes sure everything’s done on time. She contracts with the musicians and helps them get to their hotels. She does everything. She’s an amazing resource. And she never gets tired. I wouldn’t be able to do the festival without her.”
‘Music fills my cup’
Perhaps Humiston’s most far-reaching contribution is the positive impact she has had on so many people, young and older.
“Marilyn’s impact has been global,” Halen said. “She has made a difference in more people’s lives than most. Think about all the kids that went through that program in Parkway, probably over 1,000. They have learned the love of music from her and gone out and influenced other people’s lives.”
Humiston counts among her greatest rewards playing alongside some of her former students in the orchestra.
“That you had an influence on a child’s life, hopefully making a difference for the better, is the greatest honor of them all,” she said.
“Music brings joy and humanity into the world. The sheer beauty of it. The ability to bring (music) to life and share it, whether it’s with the person I’m sitting with or with an audience … it fills my cup, it brings me such happiness. Music has done that for me.”
And not just classical music. Over the years, she has played in pit orchestras, performing alongside such varied superstars as Luciano Pavarotti, Rod Stewart, Natalie Cole, Sarah Brightman, Josh Groban and Smokey Robinson.
At 77, Humiston is still going strong. She enjoys playing tennis (following shoulder replacement surgery), working out, mahjong and socializing. Her Philharmonic family looks forward to an annual beer and pizza party she throws at her home before December’s Holiday Pops concert.
Halen, who has known Humiston for roughly 50 years, says her approach to working with people is always respectful. She listens. She’s relentless in getting things done.
“She also has a certain elegance about her,” he added. “And whoever does her hair must have a big retirement account because her hair is always perfect.”
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