Choral
Music at Mount Holyoke College
Choral
Music Fund
NEW Catharine Melhorn Travel Fund
Established on the occasion of Catharine
Melhorn’s
retirement from the Mount Holyoke College Music Department after
36 years
of service.
Purpose:
To support travel of the student vocal and instrumental ensembles
The Mount Holyoke
College student music ensembles, numbering more than a dozen choral
and instrumental groups,
often are
presented with the opportunity to tour, particularly during
January Term.
However, the costs of mounting a tour of the larger ensembles,
including the Glee Club and Symphony Orchestra, are increasingly
prohibitive. Specifically, individual students often cannot
afford the associated travel costs such as airfare, hotel accommodations
and meals. Although the ensembles engage in fundraising projects
in advance of a tour, the funds raised are never sufficient
to
cover individual students’ expenses. Too frequently,
the high fees associated with touring make the experience out
of
reach for many of our best students. With fewer participants,
we often must choose between taking weakened versions of our
ensembles on tour or canceling the opportunity altogether.
The benefits of going on tour with a college music ensemble are
great, both personally and educationally. A group tour not only
offers students a rich musical experience but myriad opportunities
for personal growth from planning and participating in projects
beyond the Mount Holyoke College gates. Students have the chance
to travel to locales they might not have the opportunity to visit,
to expand their musical and academic horizons, and to forge life-long
friendships. Touring domestically and abroad also raises the
profile of Mount Holyoke College through the presentation of
exceptional musical performances. Reviews of these performances
are often far-reaching, and serve both to recruit prospective
students as well as to provide outreach and stewardship to our
alumnae around the world.
To offer more students the opportunity to travel with the College’s
musical ensembles, the Catharine Melhorn Travel Fund is being
established with the primary purpose of providing individual
scholarships for students on tour. Scholarships will be awarded
on the basis of students’ financial need, in accordance
with College financial aid policies. A portion of the fund
also may be designated for overall tour expenses or towards
large-scale
musical projects such as commissions of compositions written
specifically for the Mount Holyoke College groups to present
on tour.
Tax-deductible
donations—by
check payable to MHC Melhorn Travel Fund—are welcome at any time,
but especially before Catharine Melhorn's final Mount Holyoke concert
(April 29, 2006) - mailed to the Development Office, Mount Holyoke
College, South Hadley, MA
01075.
Choral
Music Fund
Established by gifts from MHC parents and alumnae in the early
1970’s,
and sustained by student fundraising and “outside” donations,
this fund supports special choral projects such as commissions, festivals,
and particularly scholarships for tours away from campus. Tax-deductible
donations—by check payable to MHC Choral Music Fund—are welcome
at any time, mailed to the Development Office, Mount Holyoke College,
South Hadley, MA 01075. We very much appreciate your contribution to the
continued excellence of Mount Holyoke’s choral program.