WHY I GIVE FEATURED GIFTS
Music carries across the state Passion and personal connection University of Kansas alumnus James Zakoura has a passion for music. Music, he says, has the power to bring people together. To support this passion, Zakoura has provided more than $400,000 to KU Endowment for the School of Music. Zakoura, of Overland Park, Kan., earned two degrees at KU, a bachelor’s in language arts in 1970 and a law degree in 1972. His gifts for the School of Music represent his wide range of interests.
They support the Midwestern Music Academy, a summer program for youths; a music professorship; scholarships for music students; and a program that takes free-of-charge musical performances throughout Kansas. Zakoura said everyone shares a personal connection to music. “It is a common bond among all of us,” he said. “Music is a wonderful vehicle that bridges any perceived differences among people. Music — in particular, music outreach — bridges the sometimes perceived differences that can act as
barriers between urban and rural, young and old, and people of differing ethnic and cultural backgrounds.” KU graduate student Crystal Alexander received scholarship support from the Zakoura Outreach Fund. Through this program, she and three others in the Saxophone Outreach Quartet visited schools and performed in towns throughout Kansas. She is as grateful for the opportunities to perform in public and hone her skills as a saxophonist as she is for the financial support.
courtesy of school of music/wheat photography
The Saxophone Outreach Quartet toured Kansas in 2010, supported by donations to the School of Music from James Zakoura. Vince Gnojek (without horn), professor of saxophone, coached the ensemble. Quartet members were Mary Huntimer, Bryan Cremer, Crystal Alexander and Joel Wagoner.
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KU GIVING | WINTER 2011