Endowment for Commissioning New Music

With the renovation and reinstallation of the majestic E. M. Skinner Organ at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, the University of Chicago is poised to make a unique and innovative contribution to organ-choral music. With your help, we hope to create a $100,000 endowment that will allow for ongoing commissions of new works to be used at the Chapel and beyond—for convocations, memorial services, and celebrations throughout the seasons. Our wish is to see all campus choirs and organists participate in the performance of the new works, fostering a new area of collaboration and collective pride. Commissioning these new compositions for voice and organ will provide a unique opportunity for Rockefeller Chapel and the University of Chicago to gain a prominent position in the music world. Because the collegiate chapel tradition is relatively weak in the United States, and those that have strong music programs often adopt the literature of a certain denomination or era, we would be part of an entirely new endeavor, creating works that both add to the traditional organ-choir repertoire, but also many that will be unique to the repertoire currently available to musicians worldwide. They will be signatures for our ensembles, a continuing source of pride for the University, and our ambassadors to the musical world.

We Need You

While this project presents an exciting opportunity for Rockefeller Chapel and the University, it also poses a financial challenge. To initiate an exhilarating new era of music at Rockefeller Chapel and the University of Chicago, your help is needed. Your contribution to the organ-choral music commissioning program is more than just a gift to the Chapel or the University: it is a singular opportunity to shape musical history. With your support, the organ’s great sound and the voices of the University’s distinctive choirs will reverberate for generations to come. For more information on making a gift to the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel endowment for commissioning new music, please contact Elisa Harkness at (773) 702-9290 or eharkness@uchicago.edu, or click here to make an online gift.