Colburn School receives $16.6 million gift

Florence Lockheart
Tuesday, August 13, 2024

The landmark gift comes from the Negaunee Foundation and will benefit the Colburn School’s Conducting Program

The donation comes as the Colburn School embarks on the creation of its new Frank Gehry-designed campus expansion. The 1,000-seat concert hall will be located on the West end of the project site. © Frank O. Gehry & Gehry Partners, LLP
The donation comes as the Colburn School embarks on the creation of its new Frank Gehry-designed campus expansion. The 1,000-seat concert hall will be located on the West end of the project site. © Frank O. Gehry & Gehry Partners, LLP

Los Angeles’ Colburn School has received a $16.6 million gift from the Negaunee Foundation for its Negaunee Conducting Program. The gift is the largest ever made to a California institution by the Illinois-based Foundation and ensures continuity for the course.

The donation comes as the Colburn School embarks on the creation of its new Frank Gehry-designed campus expansion. Construction on the Colburn Center broke ground in April. The school has also announced that it will become home to the collection of more than 1,400 annotated orchestra scores belonging to the course’s Maestro Ernst H. Katz chair Esa-Pekka Salonen. The score collection will be a valuable resource for students of the Colburn School.

Salonen said: ‘I am deeply grateful to The Negaunee Foundation for supporting this program from the very beginning. With this new and generous gift, we hope to make the Negaunee Conducting Program into the foremost conducting apprenticeship, finding talented individuals, regardless of their age or where they are in their studies, and nurturing that talent to share with the world.’

Established in 2018 with an initial gift from The Negaunee Foundation, the Negaunee Conducting Program seeks to prepare a select group of students known as Salonen Fellows to for successful careers under Salonen's guidance. The Colburn School has today announced the selection of Turkish-German conductor, pianist, and composer as its Salonen Fellow for 2024-25.

Conservatory dean Lee Cioppa said: ‘The Salonen Fellows’ education is not limited to the Colburn campus but extends around the world as they travel with Esa-Pekka and gain first-hand experience. The gift from The Negaunee Foundation ensures that these immensely valuable educational opportunities will continue to be available to our students. In addition, Esa-Pekka’s decision to entrust his extensive score collection to Colburn reflects his deep dedication to our institution, enriching the educational experience for generations to come.’