The Oregon Bach Festival is $2 million closer to reaching its $10 million endowment budget goal with two separate $1 million gifts donated by David Katzin and Andy and Phyllis Berwick in early December.
Jane Scheidecker, the director of development at the Oregon Bach Festival, said the donations brought the Festival’s total endowment to $3.8 million raised since July 2004.
“Each one of these gifts is by itself the largest gift the Bach Festival has ever received,” she said.
The gifts also inch the University closer to reaching its fundraising goal of $600 million, which is being collected by Campaign Oregon: Transforming Lives. The $2 million gift puts the University’s donation total to $385 million.
The Berwicks, both University alumni, were out of the country and were unavailable for comment. But in a University news release, they said they loved the Oregon Bach Festival when they first attended in June 2004.
“We were blown away with the quality of the music,” Andy Berwick said.
Andy Berwick is the founder of Berwick Pacific Corp. and his wife, Phyllis, was a teacher and currently directs a community choir near their home in Hillsborough, Calif. The Berwicks attended the University in the 1950s.
They are also involved with the San Francisco Symphony.
David Katzin, who was also out of the country and unavailable for comment, decided to donate despite never having attended the University. He saw the festival four years ago after he heard about it while attending a Ducks football game.
“I’m a big fan of classical music,” Katzin said in the news release.
Scheidecker said it was especially important that the two donations came from non-Oregonians because it shows how much classical music-lovers outside the Eugene area appreciate the festival.
“This was a very wonderful boost to our fundraising efforts,” she said.
Katzin lives in Phoenix and currently cosponsors and underwrites the festival’s Youth Choral Academy high school program and focuses on educating children about classical music.
“The future of the music lies with youth,” Katzin said.
Scheidecker said Katzin has donated to more than seven schools in the Phoenix area.
“David’s just really enjoyed seeing these kids learn,” she said.
This isn’t the first time the Berwicks have donated to the University. In 2004 they donated $100,000 to established the Richard C. Williams’ Endowed Student Leadership fund, said Scheidecker.
The Oregon Bach Festival will hold its 37th annual festival starting June 30th of this year. The festival will include performances by Jazz pianist Uri Craine, conductor Jeffrey Kahane and pianist Robert Levin.
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