the Crowden Letter
One Weekend, One Vision Unites Four Decades of Crowden
Crowden’s 40th anniversary year culminated this past Memorial Day weekend in extraordinary fashion, complete with capacity crowds, standing ovations, and the largest gatherings of our Crowden community yet. But it was the experience–both electric and affirming–
of reuniting with so many beloved friends, students, and Crowden believers that makes us more excited about our future together than ever before.
The electricity on the ground began much earlier that week, as more and more alumni and musician friends started to drop by campus to share early hellos and rehearse for the Anniversary Concert at Hertz Hall. It was a special treat to welcome Anne Crowden’s daughter
Deirdre Cooper, who flew in from London for the occasion, and spent time with our students and teachers soaking in what her mother’s vision has evolved into today.
Our John Adams Young Composers Program presented the first public concert of the anniversary weekend, held off-campus at the intimate, brick-lined, sofa-filled concert space, the Backstage, in downtown Berkeley. It was an evening entirely of new premieres for voice and instruments, composed by our exciting young composers, and performed by baritone Nick Rizzo and soprano Amy Foote.
Back on campus, four generations of
Crowden musicians gathered for a whirlwind of rehearsals, including preparations for the world premiere of Arches by Samuel Adams (’00), commissioned just for the 40th anniversary. Longtime faculty member (and so much more) Heidi Mattson watched the final rehearsal of Arches on the Hoefer Auditorium stage: “This is where I felt all the threads of Crowden reverberating across the decades. It was a truly spiritual moment for me, seeing all the ‘kids’ old and young in the same space, sharing the same vision of collectively creating something beautiful together. As a teacher, I could see every minute of their training and practice, and as a listener I could feel every ounce of passion and joy–from watching Sam [Adams] watch them, to seeing Alexie (’24) play with the same physicality as Jory (’91), to watching the calm and humble expertise of Nora [Chastain], and even with Eugene’s expected comment at the end, that there was even more to work on!”
At the 40th Anniversary Concert itself, at Hertz Hall, Opera Hall of Fame and arts education advocate Frederica von Stade welcomed a sold-out audience. It was a program filled with Crowden favorites, traditions, and homegrown composers, performed by an incredible array of alums, past and present faculty, longtime mentors, and our current students. Each half of the concert ended with standing ovations and multiple curtain calls, first for
Arches, then for a beloved Crowden tradition, our ubiquitous concert-closer, Fiddle Faddle by Leroy Anderson.
The next day, over 300 Crowden community members filled campus for our Reunion Brunch. It was incredible to welcome so many new and old friends from all walks of Crowden life, including alumni and families representing nearly every class in our 40-year history! Speaking in our Hoefer Auditorium, one of our founding figures, Brigitte Mancini (who traveled from her home in Italy for the weekend), shared the history of the school with newer generations of Crowden families. “I’m so happy to see [Anne Crowden’s] vision continue. The school still has wings, still has the spark of creativity and spontaneity. Like so many kids who studied here, this school is like a flower that continues to blossom.”
Crowden Artistic Director Eugene Sor noted, “Your presence here this weekend is more than a celebration of music, more than an anniversary of a beloved institution. It is a celebration of all the good that Crowden brings into the world, and all the good we collectively bring to Crowden. It is a model of how we’d like to envision the world.”
Our shared values, love of Crowden, and excitement for Crowden’s future shined all weekend long. It was a remarkable experience
for all of us involved–affecting, affirming, invigorating, and inspiring. As we reflect on the culmination of our 40th Anniversary, our heartfelt thanks go out again to DORIS FUKAWA for envisioning this celebration years ago, to our generous host committee co-chaired by SHELBY AND FREDERICK GANS and BRUCE BURNAM , and to our 40th Anniversary Concert Honoree, philanthropist and composer GORDON GETTY . And to all of the many incredible volunteers and students who made this celebration possible, we are grateful, deeply moved, and incredibly excited to do it all again, with you, in ten years!
“Like any good birthday,” surmises Head of School Dan Meyer, “it’s as much about the wish you make for the upcoming years when you blow out the candle, as it is the years that preceded. There is much to celebrate in Crowden’s past, present, and our shared future.”
In Your Words
Reunion guests shared their favorite Crowden memories at our alumni video booth:
“We were the first class to take a tour. It was my first time on an airplane, going to England. And getting to play in this gorgeous place-I never thought it was even in the realm of possibility that I would be doing this, and with a group of peers that I really respected and loved and enjoyed. We still have the recording from that and I’ve listened to it over the last ten years, and you think, “we were twelve years old!’”
ANJANINE BONET, ’ 97
“Even before I was a student, I met Anne Crowden at Junior Bach [Festival]. I had just played some Bach on guitar and Anne had broken her leg so was in a wheelchair. She came up to me, asked me to lean down, so I leaned
down real close to her, and she poked me hard in the chest and said, ‘you’re coming to Crowden next year!’ And so I did.”
MATTHEW CMIEL, ’ 04
“My favorite memory is playing Fiddle Faddle The playing of it itself was not the fun part-the fun part was the nuances that happen through playing it year after year, and the synergy that happens. That’s something I really miss, actually.”
NICOLE RODRIGUEZ, ’ 06
“Crowden has given our family a lot of grounding in the music community, has built friendships that have lasted forever, and has allowed us to connect with people from many parts of this country and the world.”
MIRIAM CHION, PARENT OF DIEGO ZAMALLOA-CHION, ’14
“My favorite times here were-obviously playing the music, that was fantastic-but really it was recess time, in PE with Teale Matteson,
down in the back, playing soccer, playing tennis, playing kickball, whatever we had, and just having a good time. Once we had our music in the morning, then we would have our playtime in the afternoon, and that was a really special moment for me, to get to bond with my classmates, build some teaming skills all the way around.”
GRANT KONKEL, ’ 16
“My favorite memory was playing the Dvořák Bagatelle, we would play in the little room [piano studio] near the lockers, with Michel [Taddei, Crowden bass and ensembles faculty]. That was really fun!”
MICHELL LIU, ’ 20
Thanks to our alumni video booth team, Emma Eyestone ’18, our alumni outreach coordinator, Ansel Klucsor ’22, and videographer Tal Skloot, parent of Nadav, ’14!
Share your Crowden memories: alumni@crowden.org
In Memoriam
With great affection, we celebrate the lives and friendship of the following Crowden community members:
• Brilliant cellist and photographer ELEANOR BRICETTI , an early and longtime Crowden cello and chamber music faculty member.
• Devoted staff member MARIA DANIELSON , our beloved and dearly missed colleague, Crowden’s Bookkeeper since 2011.
• STEVEN “FANNY” FANKUCHEN , an alum parent (Jory ’91), and the creator and original editor of this Crowden Letter publication.
• PATRICK GOLDEN , alum parent of Rowan (’09), served as a Crowden trustee for eight years and was a valued member of the board Advisory Committee for his incredible contributions.
• BENNETT MARKEL , perhaps Crowden's most frequent audience member, and longtime Trustee.
• EARL RUPP served as a Crowden trustee, including Board Chair and Treasurer, for six years and provided essential support for Crowden’s purchase of our current campus.
• MICHAEL TILLOTSEN , former school History faculty-favorite teacher and dear friend to many.
We offer our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of these remarkable individuals. You, and they, are in our hearts.
Snapshots: Spring & Summer 2024
Crowden School Goes to Hawaii: Crowden School seventh and eighth graders traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii, to participate in the Pacific Basin Music Festival this spring. The trip resumed another beloved Crowden tradition, our biennial school music tour, for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The Pacific Basin Music Festival is attended by hundreds of high school- and college-aged musicians, who engage in side-by-side and
Creativity In Miniature: Students in our summer John Adams Young Composers Program Workshop spent two weeks composing suites of miniatures this July. These young musicians, aged 9 through 14, could choose to compose for either violin and piano, or voice and piano. Students learned to compose a song and write for voice (with Crowden alum Vanessa Langer, ’03), compose duos for violin and piano, and even how to navigate the
adjudicated performances. Typically only one instrumental and one choral ensemble are selected for the final public concert, held at the historic Hawaii Theatre Center. The judges were so moved by our seventh and eighth graders' performance, they created a new Honorable Mention award for the first time in the festival's 39-year history, just so that our Crowden School musicians could perform Bach’s triple violin concerto. It was an incredible acknowledgment of our Crowden School students’ artistry, skill, and poise. Most importantly, our students made memories for a lifetime.
creative process itself, by creating something in small groups and individually within a single day. Daily workshops with their fellow composers and the guest artists performing their compositions, and private lessons round out the immersive workshop, which like all of our Young Composers program culminates in a public performance by professional musicians.
Crowden
Board of Trustees
officers and committee
chairs
Ann Eastman, Chair
Michelle Klucsor, Deborah Spaulding Graham, Co-Vice Chairs
Mike Ashton, Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair
Zoe Glynn, Secretary, Governance Committee Chair
Deborah O’Grady, Development Committee Chair
members
Angela Archie, Doris Chen, Donna Eyestone, Marjan Mashhadi, Juna Kim McDaid, Sandy Wilson, Whitney Wu-Chu (’02)
founder
Anne Crowden (1928–2004)
honorary president
Lord Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999)
founding president
Colin Hampton (1911–1996)
director emeritus
Doris Fukawa
Administration
Dan Meyers, Head of School
Eugene Sor, Artistic Director, Director of tcs Music
Rachel Durling, tcs Lower School Music Coordinator
Monica Frame, tcs Counselor
Kayde Griffin, Aftercare Supervisor
Margot Gutierrez, Front Desk Attendant/Aftercare
Supervisor
Kennia Hernandez, Executive Assistant
Jaqueline Herrera, Operations Manager
Heidi Mattson, tcs Curriculum Advisor
Jorge Mendoza, Building and Grounds Assistant
Shelley Olivier, Front Desk Attendant
Marcella Paolocci, Front Desk Supervisor
Reynaldo Rodriguez, Building and Grounds Supervi-
sor
Kirsten Shallenberg, tcs Director of Admissions
Diane Stair, Director of Development
Jennifer Strauss, Director of Communications
Stephannie Tornow, Development Associate and Database Administrator
Beth Vandervennet, Associate Artistic Director
Justin Velez, Community Programs Coordinator
Donna Williams, tcs Secretary, Bookkeeper
Crowden Letter
Jennifer Strauss, editor, graphic designer
Dan Meyers, Diane Stair, Jennifer Strauss, writers
Heidi Alletzhauser, Drew Altizer Photography, René Becker/Rockdove Photography, Dan Meyers,
Together Pictures, photography
With Your Support, Music Changes Everything!
At the heart of Crowden's success serving our day school students and community programs families, is the generosity and commitment of our community members—parents and guardians, alumni, grandparents, faculty and staff, trustees, volunteers, and friends who play an instrumental role in shaping and ensuring our future. We extend our deepest thanks to everyone who provided philanthropic support between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.
We offer a special thank you to those who have given to Crowden year after year, and for others, decade after decade. Your commitment to our vision of transforming lives through music and education empowers us. Every contribution enables us to deliver on our mission where students, teachers, and musicians at Crowden create a dynamic, inclusive learning community rooted in collaborative musical and educational experiences. Whether this year was your first year of giving, or your twenty-fifth, we thank you for being a vital part of the Crowden community.
Crowden School Families
Krste Asanovic and Aya Nagano
Hulan Barnett and Pooneh Najafi
Michael and Sabrina Chu
Emerson and Sara DuBois
Marie-Therese Ellis
Richard Knight and Joshua Gamson
Shannon and Adam Gerardin
Dominic and Zoe Glynn
Kalyan and Yuki Godden
Daniel Haddick and Joanna Budnicka
Neal and Nina Jagtap
Dylan Jeffress and Kristy Moore-Jeffress
Tracy and Tony Kobayashi
Suzanne Lippert and Eric Hallstein
Naomi Marks and Michelle Klucsor
Kendra Dodsworth and William Miller
Lindsay Newman and Joachim Kainz
Kemmeo Parr
Kurt Patzner and Carla Picchi
Shamal and Nazlee Ranasinghe
Stephannie Lovell
Kirsten Shallenberg and Marcos Saenz
Alpesh Shukla and Sumanjeet Kaur
Jasmine Tang and Wei Koh
Aldo Valle and Dora Rios
Veronica Sanchez and Russell Withrow
Faculty and Staff
Anonymous
Leah Bassoff
Wendy Clymer
Leah Demathieu
Rachel Durling
Hande Erdem
Emma Eyestone
Monica Frame and Dror Matalon
Karen Ginsberg
Jaqueline Herrera
Douglas Machiz
Heidi Mattson
Dan Meyers and Andrea Cartwright
Annie Nalezny
Tyler Powles
Christiana Reining
Kirsten Shallenberg and Marcos Saenz
Eugene and Karen Sor
Diane Stair and Safir Ahmed
Jennifer Strauss and Djalma Barbero
Stephannie Tornow and Kyle Peterson
Elizabeth Vandervennet and Tim Carless
Donna Williams
Ondine Young
Op. 18 Alumni Society
George and Emily Adams
Noah Bendix-Balgley
Anjanine Bonet
Emma Eyestone
Cary Koh
Grant Konkel
Hannah Konkel
Oliver Konkel
Rebecca Liberman
Nathan Olson
Marie and Tobi Szuts
Evie and Russ Thibeault
Helene Toralba
Whitney Wu-Chu and Ryan Berns
Mariko Wyrick
Leila Yokoyama
Individual Donors
conductor ($25,000+)
Anonymous
Sallie and Edward Arens
Bruce Burnam
Bonnie Hampton
James Marks and Edna Lee Warnecke
Deborah O'Grady and John Adams
benefactor ($10,000+)
Anonymous
Angela M. Archie
Jane Hammond
Anna-Marie and John Strauss
sponsor ($5,000+)
Anonymous
Joan Balter
Ida Braun
Ann and Jack Eastman
Nick Gerson
Leslie and Jay Ifshin
Elaine and Herrick Jackson
Elizabeth and Frank Sor
Lisa Taylor
presenter ($2,500+)
Anonymous
Donna McCabe Eyestone
David and Nora Koh
Fran Krieger-Lowitz
Sukey Lilienthal and David Roe
Douglas MacLaughlin
Mark Moss and Lisa Braver Moss
William Perry
Sharon Simpson
Deborah Spaulding Graham and Andrew Graham
composer ($1,000+)
Anonymous (2)
Mike Ashton
Robert Bishop
Dr. Roberta Brokaw
Robinson Brown and Sarah Satterlee
Doris Chen and Joshua Uziel
John Danielson
Shinji Eshima and Sandra Jennings
Arezoo Fakouri and Doug Yokoyama
Charles and Harriett Feltman
Rachel Fine and Christopher Hawthorne
Alexandra Foote
Kathleen G. Henschel and John W. Dewes
Martha Jones
Carol and Eddy Lui
Richard and Myriam Misrach
Victor Rauch and Ingrid Madsen
Liz Varnhagen
June Wiley and Bruce McCubbrey
Ting Zhang
patron ($500+)
Nora Chastain
Blaine Devine
Jeremy Geffen
James Jones and Naomi Cytron
Sophia Kessinger and Shmuel Katz
Kenneth and Jane Heng-Chun Liu
Agnes and Fiore Marcheschi
Kent Young
supporter ($1+)
Anonymous
Alice Ahn
Neal Barmack
Karol Berger and Anna Maria Busse Berger
Zoe Berna
Nathan Birnbaum and Claire Peeps
Judith Bloom
James and Linda Boessenecker
Roy and Susan Bogas
Anne Cademenos
Crystal Chan
Jee Chew and Gi Kim
Robert Clear and Barbara Judd
Frances Colyer
Crowden Class of 2024
Kathryn and William Dumas
Andrew Ezersky
Aryn Faur
Susan Feder and Todd Gordon
Julianne Feldman
Matt Fisher
Janet Garvin and Bob Shumaker
Christine and Victor Gold
Frederica Gorman
John Gray
Michael Hall
Wayne Heiser and Anthonia Roller
Amy Hiraga and Peter Wyrick
Jeanine and Neal Holmlund
Helga Holtmann and Ronald Rice
Peter & Jane Jaffe
Janine Johnson
Elif and Bora Kalkan
Donald E. Kelley Jr. and Susan Getman
Mary Sarah Klise
Fred Konkel and Kathy Kaspar
Dorothy Lee
Michelle Lee
Yasaman and S. Young Lee
Jonathan Leichtling and Wendy Stern
Barbara Lewy
Patricia Lidot
Vivian Lopez
Yong Lu
Kunxin Luo and Qiang Zhou
Jacqueline M Divenyi
Anthony and Rosa Martin
Elmas and Lloyd Martin
Emiko and George Matsunaga
Elizabeth McCoy and Carl Haber
Rachel McKnight
Mary Lynn Miller and Raymond Meister
Harumi Murata and Thanh Hoang
Anqi Napolitan
Daniel Pinkham
Robert Portnoy and Gunilla Haegerstrom-Portnoy
Traudel Prussin
Marjorie Randolph
Laura Reynolds
Krehe and Katherine Ritter
Carol Robertson
Ron and Gail Rubenstein
Barbara Rydlander
Melissa and Bill Saphir
Mark Schwartz
Robin Sharp
Timothy Smith
Noah Stern
Toshi Takeuchi and Yonchu Jenkins
Lynne Tan
Jeffrey Ting
Lois Tucker
Ernst Valfer and Lois Brandwynne
Betsy and Craig Wahl
Beth Wehlage
Janet Weinstein
Juliet Welch
Gloria Wu and David Chen
Syl Yip and Will Hench
Daniel Zamalloa and Miriam Chion
Businesses and Organizations
Apple Matching Gifts Program
Disney Worldwide
Google Matching Gifts Program
Ifshin Violins
Market Hall
Meyer Sound Laboratories, Inc.
PayPal Giving Fund
Signature Analytics
Sports Basement
Tarisio Auctions
United Way Bay Area
Government
Berkeley Civic Arts Commission
California Office of the Small Business Advocate
Foundations
ACMP Foundation
Coit Family Foundation
Jewish Community Federation Foundation
Pacific Harmony Foundation
Shelby and Frederick Gans Foundation
The Coblens Foundation
The Durfee Foundation
Gifts in Memory
in memory of willie archie
Angela M. Archie
in memory of elizabeth birnbaum
Nathan Birnbaum and Claire Peeps
in memory of gloria dianderas
Daniel Zamalloa and Miriam Chion
in memory of mary ellen fine
Rachel Fine and Christopher Hawthorne
in memory of renie sharp
Robin Sharp
in memory of david john testo
Frances Colyer
Gifts in Tribute
in honor of doris fukawa
Shelby and Frederick Gans Foundation
Fran Krieger-Lowitz
Janet Garvin and Bob Shumaker
in honor of dan meyers
Suzanne Lippert and Eric Hallstein
in honor of lois de domenico
Sharon Simpson
in honor of sukey lilienthal
Anonymous
Victor Rauch and Ingrid Madsen
in honor of rachel durling
Anthony and Rosa Martin
in honor of jean chastain
Nora Chastain
In Kind Gifts & Auction Donations
Gianna Abondolo
Krste Asanovic and Aya Nagano
Asha Teahouse
Benchmark
Berkeley Rep
Berkeley Symphony
Cal Performances
California Jazz Conservatory
Cellarmaker Brewing Co.
Cheeseboard Bakery
Claremont Hotel
Emerson and Sara DuBois
Marie-Therese Ellis
GameOn Berkeley
Shannon and Adam Gerardin
Dominic Glynn and Zoe Lim
Gold Bar Spirits Company
Daniel Haddick and Joanna Budnicka
Daniel Johnson
Kitchen on Fire
Amit and Southey Kulkarni
Yasaman and S. Young Lee
Wendy Liao and Stephen Lau
Stephanie Lovell
Jane Ludin
Mr. Tipple Jazz Club
Oakland Symphony
Oakland Zoo
Gawain O'Connor
Fumi Okiji and Ben Davis
Pocket Opera
Shamal and Nazlee Ranasinghe
Allyn Robles and Becca Sullivan
Brent Rubey and Betony Jones
SF Opera
SF Symphony
Lisa and Steve Sharafian
Ward Spangler and Deborah Steiner
St. George Spirits
Standard Fare
Supple Skincare
The Chess School
The Factory Bar
Stephannie Tornow and Kyle Peterson
Westbrae Nursery
Crowden’s development office makes every effort to recognize our donors and their donations accurately. This donor list reflects gifts received between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. If you spot a mistake, please email us at development@crowden.org so we can correct it for future publications.
In this Issue
1.
Crowden’s 40th anniversary celebrations
3. Share favorite Crowden memories Celebrating 40 Years!
Revel in
2. Peek into summer at Crowden