CSO Receives 2 Million Dollar Gift from the Clinton Family

CHICAGO-Jeff Alexander, President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA), announced today that CSOA Trustee Bruce Clinton and his wife, Martha, along with members of The Clinton Family Fund, pledged $2 million to the CSOA to endow the Principal Timpani position in the Orchestra. The position, held since 2013 by David Herbert, will be known as The Clinton Family Fund Principal Timpani Chair of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Said Jeff Alexander, "This extraordinarily generous gift will benefit the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for many years to come. Everyone in the CSO family is profoundly grateful to the Clintons for their steadfast support of the organization over many years."

David Herbert said, "It is a tremendous honor to have the Principal Timpani position at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra endowed by The Clinton Family Fund. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the generosity and foresight of Bruce and Martha Clinton in supporting this venerable orchestra now and in the future." In 2013, the Clintons made a gift to the CSOA for the purchase of a set of new timpani which Herbert said was a "huge upgrade to the orchestra's collection."

Said Bruce Clinton, "I was born and raised in Chicago, and my parents encouraged me to come to the programs of the CSO. I developed a passion for this timeless art form, and with it, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In my late teens I even fantasized about becoming a professional timpanist. For us, we are immensely proud to be connected, even in a small way, to Maestro Muti, to the extraordinary musicians of the CSO and to David Herbert , who is a preeminent timpanist.

"At one time I wanted to be a timpanist, and this is as close as I'll get. I'm grateful to the Trustees of The Clinton Family Fund for supporting my dream. I am a member of the CSO Board Finance Committee, where we're reminded how it has to be a collective effort on the part of a lot of people and a lot of institutions to support and nurture this art form. What I hope is that this small sum added to the endowment with many others, over many years, with each generation and each new opportunity, continues to keep the CSO preeminent among its peers. It's a superior group, and I hope this gift will make some small contribution to this tradition."

The retired Chairman and CEO of The Clinton Companies, Bruce Clinton has served as a member of the CSOA's Board of Trustees since 2008. He and his wife, Martha, have been longtime supporters of the Orchestra, and both are very involved in the classical music world. Bruce is a Trustee of the New World Symphony where he was involved in the conception and construction of the New World Center and where remains heavily engaged. He also serves as a member on the Board of Directors of the League of American Orchestras; a member of the Visiting Committee to the Division of the Directors of the League of American Orchestras; a member of the Visiting Committee to the Division of the Humanities, University of Chicago; a Trustee of the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden; and a Director of the Friends of Chamber Music of Miami. Both Bruce and Martha serve as Directors of the Miami Music Association (Cleveland Orchestra Miami) and are former Trustees of Merit School of Music in Chicago and the Colorado Symphony Association.

The gift from The Clinton Family Fund follows several other major gifts recently received by the CSOA. In September, the CSO announced that CSO Trustee Randy Berlin and her husband, Melvin, pledged $2 million to create the Randy and Melvin Berlin Family Fund for the Canon. Their gift supports artistic excellence in the programming of masterpieces of core classical orchestral repertoire, recognizing and demonstrating the impact of great masters on the legacy of the CSO. In June, Helen and Sam Zell endowed the position of Music Director of the CSO in perpetuity with a commitment of $17 million, and the Negaunee Foundation committed $15 million to support programs of the Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, formerly known as the CSO's Institute for Learning, Access and Training.

About the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (cso.org)
Founded in 1891, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is consistently hailed as one of the greatest orchestras in the world. Since 2010, the preeminent conductor Riccardo Muti has served as its 10th music director. Pierre Boulez is the CSO's Helen Regenstein Conductor Emeritus, Yo-Yo Ma is its Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant and Mason Bates and Anna Clyne are its Mead Composers-in-Residence.

From baroque through contemporary music, the CSO commands a vast repertoire. Its renowned musicians annually perform more than 150 concerts, most at Symphony Center in Chicago and, each summer, at the suburban Ravinia Festival. They regularly tour nationally and internationally. Since 1892, the CSO has made 58 international tours, performing in 29 countries on five continents.

People around the globe listen to weekly radio broadcasts of CSO concerts and recordings on the WFMT network and online at cso.org/radio. Recordings by the CSO have earned 62 Grammy Awards, including two in 2011 for Muti's recording with the CSO and Chorus of Verdi's Messa da Requiem (one of four recordings Muti has released with the CSO to date). Find details on these and many other CSO recordings at www.cso.org/resound.

The CSO is part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, which includes the Chicago Symphony Chorus (Duain Wolfe, Director and Conductor) and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, a preprofessional training ensemble. Through its prestigious Symphony Center Presents series, the CSOA presents guest artists and ensembles from a variety of genres-classical, jazz, world and contemporary.

The Negaunee Music Institute at the CSO offers community and education programs that annually engage more than 200,000 people of diverse ages and backgrounds. Through the Institute and other activities, including a free annual concert with Muti and the CSO, the CSO promotes the concept of Citizen Musicianship™: using the power of music to create connections and build community.

The CSO is supported by tens of thousands of patrons, volunteers and institutional and individual donors. Bank of America is the Global Sponsor of the CSO. The CSO's music director position is endowed in perpetuity by a generous gift from the Zell Family Foundation. The Negaunee Foundation provides generous support in perpetuity for the work of the Negaunee Music Institute.

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