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Dear friends and admirers of Gunther Schuller,

 

We are brought together by Gunther’s artistic integrity and inclusiveness of all cultures and genres of music in performance and through his writing, composing, arranging, conducting, teaching and transcribing.  Gunther gave so much of his mind, heart and soul with the truest and deepest possible devotion.

 

Gunther accomplished so much in his time.  Now it is our time to work together to secure his legacy and countless contributions.  This letter is an invitation for you to become a Charter Member of Friends of The Gunther Schuller Society.

 

The Gunther Schuller Society coalesced a year after Gunther’s death, primarily through the work of John Heiss, Kenneth Radnofsky, George Schuller and Charles Peltz.  Since then, we have co-produced the Legacy/Memorial Concerts with New England Conservatory. These concerts have highlighted Gunther’s large late work for Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Bands, Percussion Ensemble, Symphonic and Wind Ensembles, Chamber music and the Jazz Departments 50th Anniversary celebration.  Also produced was a highly successful reunion concert of the Grammy Award winning original New England (Conservatory) Ragtime Ensemble. This group became the centerpiece of the 1970s Ragtime Revival, and insured the music’s permanent place in American culture. All these events reflect some of Gunther’s expansive vision and are ongoing enterprises with NEC.

 

Currently, The Gunther Schuller Society is in the midst of an Oral History Project with musical luminaries who knew Gunther. We are also completing major transcriptions: the Organ Symphony for Wind Ensemble, a piano reduction of the Saxophone Concerto and a version of the concerto’s deeply reflective Arioso movement for saxophone soloist and saxophone ensemble that premiered in 2020 on Gunther’s birthday, November 22 in Jordan Hall. We are also researching and posting Gunther’s writings, videos and developing facsimile scores for viewing on the Society’s website.

 

There is so much more to do, and all awaits funding.  Most important is digitizing the entire private Schuller collection at the Library of Congress of his music, compositions, recordings and writings including finishing his auto-biography, post 1960. 

 

Please join us. 

 

Your tax deductible gift from one dollar to one million plus, allows us to sustain and build upon Gunther’s expansive vision.  All Charter Members will be recognized by the Society online and receive the yearly report in addition to gifts of appreciation such as Gunther’s recordings, writings, website research and manuscripts.

 

In Gunther’s spirit we are thinking big and aspiring to more. He wouldn’t want it any other way.

 

What is possible with a gift from you or a group of Gunther’s friends?  

 

• $2,000 funds the engraving of a Gunther Schuller score currently in manuscript.

• $250 funds the editing of three oral history videos.

• $100 funds the transcription of an oral history.

 

A single legacy/estate gift could conceivably pay for all of the below:

• $100,000 gift will fund digitization of the Schuller Collection at the Library of Congress.

• $50,000 gift will fund a researcher/editor for the Schuller biography.

• A five year $50,000 yearly recurring gift can fund commissions from several emerging composers or a number of Schuller College Scholarship Grants for musicians seeking to be “complete musicians”.

• $25,000 will fund cataloguing, editing and transcription of the entire oral history.

• $25,000 recurring for 3 years will fund “The Ragtime Project” creating a comprehensive repository of music, recordings, videos, writings – an entire catalog of all things Schuller and ragtime.

 

We all try to inch culture along.  Together we can move that boulder.  Let’s do some incredible work for our musical society, and civilization in general, as we ‘band’ together with a common legacy, as FRIENDS OF THE GUNTHER SCHULLER SOCIETY.

 

Contributions can be made through The Gunther Schuller Society website, GuntherSchullerSociety.org   For more personal discussion and specific dialogue regarding larger gifts, please directly contact the President of The Gunther Schuller Society Charles Peltz, Vice-President John Heiss, and Secretary Ken Radnofsky. 

 

Thank you for sharing a passion for Gunther’s countless contributions and a vision for all we can accomplish together.

 

With sincere gratitude,

​

Patrick Keating

President, Friends of The Gunther Schuller Society

schuller.society.friends@gmail.com