Carnegie Hall News: Goldman Sachs Makes Major Gift Supporting The Academy

GOLDMAN SACHS GIVES MAKES MAJOR GIFT OF MORE THAN $950,000 SUPPORTING THE ACADEMY    

Carnegie Hall today announced that Goldman Sachs Gives has made a major gift totaling $951,000 in support of The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. A two-year fellowship program, The Academy supports some of the country’s finest young professional musicians in developing careers as top-quality performers and dedicated teachers who are fully engaged with the communities in which they live and work. As an integral part of the program, each Academy fellow partners with a New York City public school, providing support, inspiration, and artistry to students in all five boroughs. This donation from Goldman Sachs Gives, a donor-advised fund, is the largest single-season corporate gift that Carnegie Hall has ever received and was made at the recommendation of Edward C. Forst, Carnegie Hall's treasurer and member of its board of trustees, and Global Co-Head of the Investment Management Division at Goldman Sachs.

“On behalf of The Academy, I would like to thank Goldman Sachs Gives for its generosity,” said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director. “We are especially grateful to Ed Forst, whose own generosity inspired this gift. With The Academy, we are redefining what it means to be a musician in the twenty-first century. We feel, more than ever, that this now requires leadership, a dedication to music education, and a commitment to giving back to the community in addition to being a performer of the highest quality. Service to community is a value that we deeply share with Goldman Sachs and we are thrilled to have the support of Goldman Sachs Gives.”

“Art education in New York’s public schools is vital to fostering students’ appreciation of the arts,” said Forst. “We hope this gift from Goldman Sachs Gives will allow The Academy to continue to provide support for young professional musicians and their communities.”

About The Academy
Exemplary performers, dedicated teachers, and advocates for music, the fellows of The Academy are redefining what it means to be a musician today. Fellows of the program—chosen for their musicianship, but also for their leadership qualities and commitment to music education—come from some of the best music schools in the country, including the Curtis Institute of Music, Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School, Mannes College The New School for Music, New England Conservatory, and Yale School of Music.

As Ensemble ACJW, the fellows are an inspirational musical collective that has earned accolades from critics and audiences alike, not only for the quality of the ensemble’s performances, but also for their fresh and open-minded approach, performing a wide range of music—from centuries past to works written days before an event—in its own series at Carnegie Hall, at Paul Hall at The Juilliard School, and venues throughout New York City.

As a key element of the program, all Academy fellows partner one-on-one with a New York City public school to share their artistry with—and become central resources for—music classrooms in the five boroughs. In the program’s second year, the fellows also take part in community-based performances through Musical Connections, a program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, which presents concerts and musical projects serving audiences dealing with challenging situations in New York City correctional facilities, homeless shelters, healthcare settings, and senior service organizations.

As part of a twice-annual partnership with Skidmore College that began in 2007, Ensemble ACJW gives master classes to university students and performs for the Saratoga Springs community in both concert halls and in informal settings around town. Alumni of The Academy have continued to utilize skills developed in the program, both in their own professional work and in presenting residencies as Ensemble ACJW both nationally and internationally, in such locations as Mexico, India, Abu Dhabi, Spain, and Germany. All of these activities make The Academy a dynamic program that is fostering musicians dedicated to making music central to all of our cultural lives. Visit acjw.org to learn more.

About Goldman Sachs Gives
Goldman Sachs Gives is a donor-advised fund—a public charity that maintains individual accounts for donors who recommend grants to qualified non-profit organizations from their accounts. Established in 2007, Goldman Sachs Gives enables Goldman Sachs and its people to leverage their donations to charities in the communities where they live and work, or elsewhere around the globe. The focus of this contribution is on those areas that have been proven to be fundamental to creating jobs and economic growth, building and stabilizing communities, honoring service and veterans and increasing educational opportunities.