Teresa and Charlie Babcock at the 2023 Bing, Bing, Swing!

Philharmonic subscriber Charlie Babcock is the fifth generation of his family to call Binghamton home. After being turned down by the Union Army because of a farming injury, Charlie's great-great-grandfather moved from Friendship, New York, to Binghamton to work in Sisson's Department Store on the corner of Court and State Streets. Great-grandfather Babock later opened his own hardware store, Babcock, Hinds & Underwood, a Binghamton institution well into the 1960s.

Charlie grew up on the corner of Chestnut Street and Bennett Avenue on Binghamton's West Side, and after graduating from Princeton, went to work for IBM. We were delighted recently to have a lively chat with Charlie in our offices, where he spoke about his experiences as a Philharmonic concertgoer and subscriber.

Binghamton Philharmonic: Charlie, as a member of an old Binghamton family, are you also a longtime subscriber to the Philharmonic?

Charlie Babcock: As a matter of fact, no. Years ago I used to attend concerts when [Maestro Fritz] Wallenberg was in charge [of the Binghamton Symphony, the group that would become the Philharmonic]. But I was a bit of a napper, so going to concerts didn't seem like the best investment at the time. My wife and I started subscribing about three years ago.

BP: What inspired you?

CB: Well, I'm on the welcome committee at Christ Episcopal Church downtown, where my father was the warden for many years. A few years ago, when [Philharmonic Executive Director] Paul Cienniwa and his wife Jackie moved to town, I showed them around the church. I remember taking them up into the belfry and casually asking if they knew anything about music. They both smiled, but Paul was incognito that day.

Later, he substituted for our regular organist at the last minute one Sunday. At the recessional, where congregants are usually making for the exits, no one moved from their seats. His playing blew everyone away. I asked him, "What do you do professionally?" And the truth came out! I was so electrified by that experience that I thought I'd try the Philharmonic again.

Babcock, Hinds & Underwood Hardware, c. 1910

BP: How does your experience of the Philharmonic now differ from the days when you were a "napper"?

CB: My wife Teresa is short, so we always sit in the front row. So there we are, in our favorite seats, looking up at the stage, and what you see is [Maestro] Daniel Hege right in front of you. It just envelops you. I can see the sweat on Maestro Hege's face, and I know how hard he's working, but with him it does not look like work. It looks like he's just absorbing and transforming all of these people in the orchestra into something else, something bigger that expands out into the auditorium. I sit there and hear the music, and now my eyes are open the entire time. The whole thing is so exciting. Often when I leave, I'm whistling one of the pieces I just heard.

BP: Do you and Teresa have any special concert-going traditions on the night of a performance?

CB: We like to go out to dinner before the concert, either to Little Venice or to the DoubleTree Hotel for its special menu and free parking. We try to get to the Forum early to hear the pre-concert chat. Afterwards, we drive home and go to bed, tired and happy.

BP: What would you like to tell our community about the Philharmonic?

CB: It's been absolutely amazing to subscribe. I am only a Binghamton person, but it seems wonderful to me that Binghamton has both an opera and a professional symphony orchestra. The Binghamton Philharmonic is planting seeds in our community by reaching out to people, inspiring kids to come with free kids' tickets. Paul [Cienniwa] is doing the right thing by making the music available to as many people as possible. The Forum is packed for every concert, and it gives everyone a great feeling when you're in with a lot of other people enjoying the music together -- the experience feeds on itself. Every bit of what the orchestra is doing is a win. It's just so exciting.

We are so excited to have you as a member of our Philharmonic Family, Charlie! We can't wait to see you next season!