Strengthening music education and performance
The Jeanne R. Johnson Foundation has announced a gift for SMU to establish a permanent fund that supports adjunct music faculty within the Division of Music at SMU Meadows School of the Arts.
The Jeanne R. Johnson Endowed Music Faculty Excellence Fund combines endowment and operational support to strengthen Meadows’ long-established relationship with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO). This gift will ensure that the school can secure and retain renowned music faculty who are current or past members of the DSO.
“During her lifetime, Jeanne tremendously admired the SMU Meadows Division of Music,” said Ken Holden, board member of the Jeanne R. Johnson Foundation. “We are thrilled to continue her legacy of supporting great music and those who create it.”
The relationship with the DSO is one of the most prized at SMU Meadows. Several alumni work at the orchestra as musicians and administrative leaders. The organizations collaborate on annual concerts at the Meyerson Symphony Center that benefit SMU Meadows. Currently, 25 members of the Meadows music faculty also hold positions in DSO, cementing that SMU Meadows students learn from some of the best performers in Dallas.
“We take great pride in the extraordinary talent of our faculty members at SMU Meadows,” said Samuel S. Holland, Algur H. Meadows Dean of SMU Meadows School of the Arts. “With this generous gift from the Jeanne R. Johnson Foundation, we can ensure that our students in the Division of Music continue to learn from an exceptional group of performers and educators.”
In recognition of the Johnson Foundation’s generosity and continued support, SMU Meadows will both name the Jeanne R. Johnson Endowed Music Faculty Excellence Fund that is established and endowed through the gift, and rename the school’s existing music student recital program as the Jeanne R. Johnson Student Recital Series.
“Jeanne often attended student recitals,” Holland added. “She loved watching young talent perform, and I can think of no better way to commemorate this remarkable gift than by renaming our student recital series in her honor.”
The Johnson Foundation gift supports the University’s $1.5 billion campaign, SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow, particularly the goal to through support for leading educators who provide dynamic instruction.
