Please Support the Annual Fund

Your support ensures that Crowden can continue to use chamber music as a learning model for young musicians to cultivate confidence, commitment and teamwork. The special role Crowden plays in the lives of young people is nicely captured by Crowden alumnus Owen d a LB y, who is currently an artist-in-residence at Stanford University and a member of the St. Lawrence String Quartet:

When Crowden’s Executive and Artistic Director Doris Fukawa realized she had to travel east for personal reasons, she immediately decided to capitalize on the trip to connect with former Crowden students and friends. The opportunity came at short notice, but luckily eM i Ly a da MS (’97) and her partner George Adams kindly offered to host a ‘Meet & Greet’ at the George Adams Gallery in Chelsea. Doris also met alums uptown for a happy hour at the Hotel Beacon Bar on the Upper West Side.

Armed with old yearbooks and photo albums on both occasions, Doris met with small but exceptionally engaged groups of alumni— all eager to spin Crowden yarns and to connect with other classmates. After browsing through

Both reunion events proved heartfelt, invigorating experiences. Plans for more East Coast events for alumni are certainly in our future!

TOP P HOTO, l EFT TO RI g HT: Emily adams (’97) is a visual artist in NYC; Daniel Holtmann-Rice (’00) attended with his wife liz Bospflug and has been working at g oogle for the last six months as an engineer; Christo logan (’97) attended with his wife and four-month-old son. although he and his wife met as architects, Christo recently changed careers and is currently designing his own line of hardware (lighting and fixtures); Doris Fukawa; Oliver Konkel (’09) is a junior at Columbia University studying Civil Engineering. He wants to work on large scale transportation projects—his eye is on California; gideon lazarus (’08) is a junior at the New School majoring in Performance Studies, and working on a musical theater project.

B OTTOM P HOTO, l EFT TO RI g HT: Sophia Kessinger, a former student of anne Crowden, attended with her husband Shmuel and daughter Hanna; lyly li (’07) is a graduate student at the Juilliard School; Doris Fukawa; Mariko Wyrick (’03-’06) is a student at the Juilliard School, Rachel Ruggles (’00-’02) is a working violinist and founder of the orchestral pop duo gracie and Rachel, living in Brooklyn; Sam adams (’00) recently moved to Chicago where he is a composer-in-residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Photos by Kerri g awryn.

The education I received at the Crowden School was some of the most formative of my life. My years at Crowden showed me that chamber music is the perfect intersection of discipline and fun, and that it’s this wonderful shared and social experience that kids rarely have at this level. Learning to play chamber music at Crowden is all about when to lead, when to follow, how to support each other, and most of all how to LISTEN to your peers and create something beautiful together. These abilities, learned early, have made me not only a better musician but a better learner, a better leader, and simply a better person. I am so proud to watch the school turn out generation after generation of kids who also know these skills and whose many achievements can, I believe, be traced to that unique shared experience among middle schoolers and their teachers. Bravo, Crowden!

The joy Crowden students experience in playing music together nurtures a zeal to create, explore and listen while fueling a lifelong passion for music. Please consider making a gift, as Crowden’s capacity to transform lives through music depends on the generosity of people like you.