Rare Music School gift to provide for new scholarships

by Ken Harris

Monday, January 21, 2008 12:10

The University of Wisconsin School of Music received a donation last month, allowing the department to provide its first full-ride undergraduate scholarship program for students majoring in piano and voice, specifically sopranos.

UW alumni Glenn and Winifred Skillrud have committed to donate between $150,000 and $175,000 to the UW Foundation over the next four years to fund the two scholarships, which will cover the cost of classes, food, books and even concert dress, UW School of Music Director John Schaffer said.

Schaffer added the donation is in a trial run, and if the Skillruds are satisfied with the results after the first four years, they will endow the scholarship programs. The funding came as a surprise because the UW School of Music has had no prior relationship with the Skillruds, he said.

According to Schaffer, the Skillruds were inspired to give the money while watching old movies from the 1930s. He added they would like to help ensure more classical singers receive training instead of the “American Idol”-style popular today.

Schaffer said he is optimistic the Skillruds will want to continue the scholarships.

“I think they have every reason to be happy,” he added. “We don’t teach rock ‘n’ roll.”

UW voice professor James Doing said the gift is “exciting” and “amazing,” adding students at the graduate level can obtain fellowships to fund their schooling, but the Skillruds’ gift is the first of its kind for undergraduates at UW.

“We have a very small pool we can use to partially fund students,” Doing said. “We’d like to do more, and now we can.”

In the absence of a piano scholarship, UW piano professor Catherine Kautsky said she started UW Piano Partners two years ago along with Martha Fischer, a UW associate piano professor.

UW Piano Partners is a group dedicated to raising money for a piano scholarship. Kautsky said the group gives complimentary CDs to people who donate money.

According to Doing, the UW music program is consistently among the top 20 in the nation. He said UW is “never going to be a Juilliard,” but with donations, the school will be able to recruit “better and better people.”

Doing said UW lacks the “depth of talent” of other music schools, but the faculty is great, and some of the students are top talents. “Our very best students can compete anywhere,” he added.

Kautsky said there would not be any special auditions this year for the scholarships, and the scholarships will be decided from the regular auditions held this past November, as well as those scheduled in January and February.

Both Doing and Kautsky said the decision for granting scholarships will not be made until after all auditions have been heard.