BILL & SAMANTHA
DANCING FOR GRANDFATHER COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
BILL HYDER
Partner, Brown Brothers Harriman
Bill Hyder is a Partner with Brown Brothers Harriman. He oversees the firm’s multi family office business in the Southeast and has been with the firm for over 22 years. He grew up in Charlotte and attended Davidson College after which he received his MBA from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
Bill has been an active supporter of the broader Charlotte community having previously served as a Partner with Social Venture Partners, the First Tee of Charlotte, and the Charlotte Community Health Clinic. He currently serves on the Sanger Board of Advisors and is a Partner with the Charlotte Chapter of GreenLight Fund.
Bill and his wife Courtney live in Myers Park and have three daughters.
GET TO KNOW BILL
- Fun Fact: Scratch golfer
- Dancing Experience? I attended teen cotillion from age 13-16. So, not much.
- Why did you choose to support Charlotte Ballet? Carl Showalter and Charlotte Wickham asked me to and out of my respect for them and the community, I was an enthusiastic supporter.
SAMANTHA RIESTER
Seasons with Charlotte Ballet: 2
Samantha is from Greenwood, Indiana. She started training with Indianapolis Ballet and was invited on scholarship to attend The School of American Ballet at age 15. She attended summer courses at The School of American Ballet and Miami City Ballet. She joined Cincinnati Ballet’s Second Company in 2015 and was promoted to their main company in 2017. Samantha has danced notable roles in repertoire such as Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort and Sechs Tänze, “Pas de Trois” and “Neapolitan” in Swan Lake, “Lady of the Sea” in Val Caniparoli’s Ibsen’s House, “Duet Mabul” in Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16, “Sugar Plum Fairy” and “Rose” in The Nutcracker, “The Caterpillar” in Septime Weber’s ALICE (in Wonderland), “Summer Fairy” in Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella, and in Andrea Schermoly’s Swivet.
Samantha has performed in numerous ballets choreographed by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Helen Pickett, Ohad Naharin, Mthuthuzeli November, Ma Cong, Septime Weber, Nicolo Fonte, Stephanie Martinez, Adam Hougland, Jennifer Archibald, Devon Carney, Kirk Peterson, Ib Andersen, Garett Smith, Victoria Morgan, Myles Thatcher, David Morse and Taylor Carrasco. She has enjoyed dancing with other organizations such as the Cincinnati Opera for their 100th anniversary celebration in 2021 as well as their 2022 production of Aida. She was also a guest artist for Indianapolis Ballet in 2016 where she performed principal roles in George Balanchine’s Emeralds and Concerto Barocco.
GET TO KNOW SAMANTHA
- Hometown: Greenwood, Indiana
- What inspires you as an artist? Being exposed to different styles of dance throughout my career has been a tremendous source of inspiration and learning. I am really grateful for the opportunity to expand my knowledge and skills through these different techniques that push me outside of my comfort zone. I’m lucky to have been surrounded by such incredible artists throughout my career and they are the ones that truly inspire me. Taking class everyday is one of my favorite parts of being a dancer because I love seeing other artists in their element.
- What do you like to do to unwind/de-stress? I look forward to coming home and spending time with my cat Lapis and reading a good book. If you have any recs, I’d love to hear about them!
- What is your pre show ritual? Before a show, I love eating a PB&J sandwich and listening to music that hypes me up.
About Grandfather Community Foundation
Grandfather Community Foundation focused specifically Hurricane Helene relief. The Grandfather Community Foundation is typically focused on serving the needs of the broader Avery County Community. Following the devastation brought on by Hurricane Helene, I seek to allocate dollars to the Foundation’s mission of adopting families who have lost their homes. In partnership with other local and national fund raising efforts, our dollars will be allocated specifically to families for furniture, linens, etc. so that when they are able to move into a rebuilt home, they will have the necessities to make a real home.
LEADERS AT A GLANCE
Check out the fundraising competition live via the Star Dancer leaderboard. Support your favorite Star Pair and cast your vote by purchasing tickets or making a donation. All ticket sales and donations received are split 50/50 with Charlotte Ballet and the Star Dancer’s chosen charity. $1=1 Vote! Thank you to all of our sponsors, both corporate and individual, for underwriting the expenses of this event. On March 1, the People’s Choice Award will be presented to the Star Pair with the most funds raised. The Judges’ Choice Award will be presented to the Star Pair the judges determine had the best performance.
Total: $242,136
Thank you to our sponsors
- Prima
- Relevé
- Plié
- Pirouette
- Arabesque
