18 January 2012
$20 Million Gift to Fully Endow Juilliard School's Historical Performance Program
The Juilliard School has received a $20 million gift from its board chair, Bruce Kovner, which will be used to fully endow the school's graduate-level historical-performance program, Juilliard announced today.
The program, which offers a graduate-level course of specialized study in period-performance practices for music composed between 1600 to the early nineteenth century, is a full-scholarship program that saw its first class of students graduate as part of Juilliard's 106th commencement in May 2011. The program's seventeen-member faculty is led by violinist and artistic director Monica Huggett, and regularly features residencies and masterclasses with important figures in Baroque and early music, including Fabio Biondi, William Christie and members of Les Arts Florissants, Dame Emma Kirkby, Nicholas McGegan and Jordi Savall. The program's students perform frequently in New York and also comprise the school's period-instrument ensemble, Juilliard415; the program has also fostered collaboration with Juilliard's other programs, including the school's Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts.
"This extraordinary gift exemplifies the vision and generosity of spirit that has been the foundation upon which Bruce Kovner has embraced his leadership of The Juilliard School," said Joseph W. Polisi, Juilliard's president, in a press release issued today by the school. "With a strong financial base, our Historical Performance program can now look toward the future with confidence that we can create an educational experience of excellence that addresses the best practices of this important field in today's musical environment. All the members of the Juilliard community are deeply grateful to Bruce for his exceptional support of this significant program." 
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