Betsy Thal Gephart

Joining the Philharmonic in the fall of 1989, Betsy was easily convinced it was the perfect position for her. Not only was it a rewarding musical position with great colleagues to perform with, but the city of Fort Wayne also nurtured her number one pastime of family history research, with the Allen County Public Library’s fabulous Genealogy Center.  More than thirty years later, her opinion has not changed.

Betsy began her musical training on piano at the age of five and added violin at age 10 through her public school’s strings program. While growing up, she enjoyed performing chamber music, especially two-piano recitals, with her parents and sister, and continued her piano studies through college.  She received both her Bachelors and Masters of Music degrees from the University of Michigan, where she studied violin with Jacob Krachmalnick.   Before coming to Fort Wayne, she performed with the South Bend Symphony and the Springfield (IL) Symphony, among others. 

Betsy married Geoff Gephart in 1999 and they have two children. When not involved with the Philharmonic, she continues to follow her passion for family history. In 2018, she helped found the Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society, and she has developed a database of Fort Wayne Jewish Families for that organization. She also serves as the librarian for Congregation Achduth Vesholom, where she is a member. Betsy is a past member of the Board of Directors of Northeast Indiana Public Radio and has been active in the local alumnae chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota. She treasures whatever time she has with her children and is always ready to dive into a good book.