Strategic Priorities

Dean Holland’s primary goal is to maintain consistently high levels of Artistic Excellence and Academic Rigor throughout all programs in the Bienen School. In support of this goal, the dean has identified several strategic priorities:

  • Financial Aid is critical to attract the most qualified, talented undergraduate and graduate students from around the world. Increased aid will allow the school to adequately compete with peer institutions for top applicants and ensure that the cost of a Northwestern education is not a barrier to any student wishing to enroll.
  • While practicing and studying are important, it is equally important for students to take time away from music and academics to reset, refocus, and build social bonds. An endowment in the area of Student Well-being will fund programming to encourage students to maintain this balance and prioritize their mental and emotional health.
  • Endowed Professorships bring prestige to the most deserving faculty, strengthen the school’s reputation, and ensure support for faculty positions in perpetuity. Increasing endowed professorships is crucial to recruiting and retaining top-tier faculty and attracting outstanding music students.
  • Building on several ongoing research initiatives at the school and throughout the University, the Bienen School is poised to make tremendous contributions to Music and Health Research to benefit society as a whole. New funding will help expand the school’s footprint in this important area of discovery.
  • As Technology evolves quickly, securing an endowed fund for technology will allow the school to provide the most advanced technology available for students and faculty to utilize in their pursuit of academic and musical excellence.
  • A commitment to fostering Engagement with Alumni and the Community will provide students with real-world experience and leverage the school’s broad alumni network. Funding will support areas such as career development programming, student-alumni networking, and student performances beyond campus.

Ways to Give

Online
Give to Bienen Online

By Phone

Call Northwestern University's Department of Annual Giving at 800-222-5603 and direct your gift to the Bienen School of Music.

By Mail

Send your gift to the Bienen School of Music at the following address:
Bienen School of Music
70 Arts Circle Drive
Evanston, IL 60208-2405

Stock

If you are interested in making a gift of stock, please contact Kemper Florin at kemper.florin@northwestern.edu.

Recordings, Sheet Music, Signed Photos

The Bienen School is unable to accept most donations of sheet music, recording collections, or signed photographs due to space limitations. You may want to reach out to your local library, senior center, or assisted living facility, as these organizations sometimes accept these items.

Instrument Donations

The Bienen School accepts donations of musical instruments, including pianos, string instruments, wind and brass instruments, and percussion equipment to use by our students and in the classroom.

If you have a high-quality musical instrument in good condition that you would like to donate to the Bienen School, please send an email to bienen@northwestern.edu. In your message, please include photographs, maker, serial number, a recent appraisal (if available), and any other information that you think would be helpful. We will review the information and may reach out to request more details in order to determine if the school can accept the instrument. 

If the Bienen School is able to accept your donation, we will be in touch with more information about the donation process. Donors are responsible for the cost of transporting the instrument to the school. If you are interested in a tax donation and your instrument is valued at more than $4,999.00, you will be responsible for obtaining an independent appraisal of the instrument.

A note on piano donations: in some cases, if the Bienen School is unable to accept a donated piano, there may be an opportunity for the piano to be donated to the University for use in venues across campus and/or in residence halls. 

Thank you for thinking of the Bienen School as a home for your instrument!

“Without the merit aid I received, I would not have had access to the highest caliber professors, rigorous and rewarding musical training, and the opportunity to practice in a world-class facility.”

Brannon Cho ’17

Rogers Society

The Henry and Emma Rogers Society honors and recognizes alumni and friends who have included Northwestern in their estate plans. We are grateful to members who have designated their gifts to benefit the Bienen School of Music.

Anonymous
Jeanne Maxant Blanchet
Timothy Broege
David and Barbara Brubaker
Gwen Brubaker
Michael P. Buckley and Joellen Brassfield
Raymond E. Carnes
Christine Casey
Brenda Born Conklin
Joanne (Kriege) Cruickshank and Ian Cruickshank
Sally S. Dobroski
Nancy Dussault and William Valentine Mayer
Rebecca Erlenbach
Sheran K. Fiedler
Margee Filstrup and Scott H. Filstrup
Shaun and Selme Finnie
Michelle M. Gerhard
Alan Gibson
Scott G. Golinkin
Martin J. Koldyke
David Landis and Sean Dowdall
Barbara Leibundguth
Janet Tuggle Leigh
Donald V. Lincoln
Kenneth D. Lowenberg
Eric A. Lutkin
Barbara Wood Marsh
Sharon Foster Martin and R. Eden Martin
Nancy L. Meendsen
Toni-Marie Montgomery
William Allen Murdock
Lynn M. Nothdurft
Nancy P. Orbison
Catherine White O'Rourke
Doris (Nielsen) Payne
Rollin R. Potter and Joanne McDade
Carolyn M. Pruyne
Dr. James Daniel Redmond and Cheryl Ann Redmond
Carole M. and Jerry N. Ringer, MD
Elizabeth B. Roghair and James E. Roghair
William E. Rosner and Linda M. Rosner
Jeannette J. Segel
Mallory B. Thompson
Anne Sautebin Tomlinson
Sharon Mohrfeld Werner
Kiki L. F. Wilson

Donor Honor Roll

The Bienen School is grateful to all who have made donations. The following donors are members of our Lutkin Society and have generously given $1,000 or more to the school from January 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.

1 Music Advisory Board
2 Rogers Society
3 Deceased
4 Current Bienen School Faculty
5 ​​​​​​​Emeriti Bienen School Faculty

A-C

Anonymous
Benjamin C. Adams
Jennifer G. Adams
Paul Aliapoulios (’85, ’88, ’90 P) ⁵
Stephen W. Alltop ’96 DMA ⁴
Joan Philbrick Anderson ’45 ³
John L. Anderson ’76, ’77 MBA (’03 P)
Megan Paynter Anderson ’76 (’03 P) ¹
Courtney D. Armstrong ’93, ’96 JD, ’97 MBA, Trustee
Lori B. Armstrong
Mary M. Ashley ’82
Nick Atkins
Felix Baker (’29 P)
Heather Bogdanoff Baker ’92 (’29 P), Trustee
David Yorke Bannard ’82 MMus
Elizabeth Phelps Barber ’01, ’08 MMus, ’12 DMA
Adrienne Chagares Barris (’11, ’18 P) ¹
Peter J. Barris ’73 (’11, ’18 P), Trustee
Thomas Hughes Bell ³
Gail J. Berenson ’67, ’68 MMus
Patricia A. Berglund ’79, ’84 MBA
Claire Bienen (’19 P)
Henry S. Bienen ’09 H (’19, ’25, ’28 GP), Trustee
Leigh Buchanan Bienen (’19, ’25 GP)
Shirley Borloz (’22 P)
Carol Rice Bowditch
James Bowditch
Christine E. Brennan ’80, ’81 MS, Trustee
Richard O. Briggs ’69, ’77 JD ²
Sara Schulz Briggs ²
James B. Bronk ’77
Suzanne Becker Bronk
Gwen L. Brubaker ’82 PhD ²
Judy Iwata Bundra ’76, ’80 MMus, ’93 PhD (’19 P) ¹
Stephen J. Bundra ’76, ’85 GMER (’19 P)
Jill E. Bunney ’97
Duane L. Burnham (’93, ’94 P), Trustee
Susan Klinner Burnham (’93, ’94 P)
Gary W. Burns
Michelle Miller Burns ’90 ¹
Ross David Cahn
James M. Caldwell ’81 MMus, ’84 DMA
Nancy J. Caldwell
Marion Cameron-Gray ²
Du H. Chai ’94, ’01 MBA (’27, ’29 P), Trustee
Sarah Yun Chai ’96, ’03 MBA (’27, ’29 P)
Debra A. Chapman
Donald L. Chapman
Fernando Chico ’76 MBA (’13 P), Trustee
Ellie Y. Choi ’94, ’94 ¹
Kendrick Chow
Claib L. Cook IV ’82
Leila Holmes Cook
Linda Tatman Crisafulli ’68, ’69 MMus
Peter P. Crisafulli ’68, ’70 MMus
John W. Croghan (’12, ’24 GP), Trustee
Rosemary Croghan (’12, ’24 GP)
The Crown Family ’46 (’93, ’21 P) (’11, ’20 GP), Trustee
Renee Schine Crown (’93, ’21 P) (’11, ’20 GP) ²
Joanne Kriege Cruickshank ’57, ’58 MMus ²
Stefanie Crumbley ’91 MMus
Patricia J. Cunningham
Chie Curley
Robert E. Curley ’56
James Nixon Curry ’99 MMus, ’06 DMA

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D-G

Nancy Dadigan
Sandra Schubert Dagon ’62 (’96 P)
Bonnie Swanson Daniels ’69, Trustee ²
J. Gregory Davis (’18, ’21 P)
Jane Stowers Dean ’70 (’96 P)
Richard H. Dean ’69 (’96 P), Trustee
Barbara Varsik Deboer ’83 MMus, ’83 PhD ²
Lisa Dhar (’25 P)
Paul Joseph Dickinson ’88 MMus, ’95 DMA
Stephan Clark Dimos
Sally Seibert Dobroski ²
Samuel Noah Dorf ’09 PhD
Diane S. Douglas (’98, ’03 P) ¹
Emily Rice Douglass ’66
Sean P. Dowdall ²
Barbara Seablom Edwards ’55
Bruce J. Edwards
Roberta Buffett Elliott ’54 (’09, ’13, ’17, ’21, ’24 GP)
Julius E. Erlenbach ’72 PhD, ’72 MMus ² ³
Rebecca Jane Erlenbach ²
Gary M. Esayian (’19 P)
Xuan Fang
Stephen E. Farinelli ’84 (’22 P)
Julie Ferrell Farrell ’01
Timothy R. Farrell ’02
Sheran K. Fiedler ’74 MMus, ’82 PhD ²
Margee Filstrup ¹ ²
Scott H. Filstrup ’65, ’67 MBA ¹ ²
Stacey L. Fineburg ’86
Selme Finnie (’16 P) ²
Shaun Finnie ’95 MBA (’16 P) ¹ ²
Christopher B. Galvin ’73, ’77 MBA (’11 P), Trustee ²
Cynthia Bardes Galvin ’78 (’11 P) ²
Felicia Lynn Gerber Perlman ’92 JD (’23 P)
Michelle M. Gerhard ’82 ²
Alan Glen Gibson ’82 ²
Martha Schmaling Gilmer ’78 ¹
William White Gilmer ’80 MMus
Eric Jay Gleacher ’63 (’91, ’12 P) (’28 GP), Trustee
Paula Moskwik Gleacher
Mrs. Jerry Borchers Glennie ’53
Scott G. Golinkin ’74, ’75 MMus ²
Yijia Gong (’28, ’29 P)
Donald N. Gray ’67 MMus, ’72 DMA
J. Douglas Gray (’12 P), Trustee ²
Scott M. Green ’77
Alan C. Gregory ’71
Byron L. Gregory ’66, ’69 JD ²
Susan Gregory
Kay Griffel ’60
Giancarlo Guerrero ’92 MMus (’22 P)
Anne Klinedinst Gullquist ’59 (’13 GP) ²
Herbert W. Gullquist ’59 (’13 GP), Trustee ²

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H-L

Kathleen M. Hagerty (’16 P)
Elizabeth R. Hayward (’24 P)
Robert M. Hayward ’94, ’97 JD (’24 P), Trustee
Barry S. Herbert ’74
Elizabeth Ames Herbert ’74
Veronica Hernandez (’13 P)
Emilee Griffin Hervey ’76, ’77 MMus
Richard L. Hervey ’74 MA
Lisa K. Hightower ’78, ’79 ²
Jane S. Hoffman ’86 (’21 P), Trustee
Michael B. Hoffman ’72, ’73 MA/MS (’12, ’21 P)
Jackie Holland
James M. Holland ’58 MD (’86 P)
A. John Holstad ’62 MMus, ’74 DMA ³
Lynn Hopton Davis ’82, ’86 MBA (’18, ’21 P), Trustee
Elizabeth Schroeder Hough ’94 MBA (’21 P)
Stephen C. Hough ’99 MBA (’21 P)
James E. Houston ² ³
Mary Lunz Houston ’70 MA/MS, ’74 PhD ²
Yie-Hsin Hung ’84 (’22 P), Trustee
Edward C. Hutcheson Jr. ’68, Trustee
Ethel Emerson Hutcheson (’23 GP)
Michael R. Jacobson (’13 P)
Elaine Kondelis Jaharis ’81 (’17, ’18 P)
Steven M. Jaharis (’17, ’18 P)
Erik Johnson (’27 P)
Elizabeth Kain (’27 P)
Dolores Kohl Kaplan ²
Adam R. Karr ’93 (’25, ’27 P), Trustee
Tonia Gladney Karr (’25, ’27 P)
Ellen Philips Katz ’70, Trustee ²
Jay Kennedy ’73, ’74 MMus ²
Melih Keyman (’07 P), Trustee
Zeynep Yasemin Keyman (’07 P)
Hyun Seoung Kim (’27 P)
Sarah Kim ’04 MMus
Jennifer Sulyun Kim-Matsuzawa ’97
Emmy H. King (’00 P)
Robert E. King ’57 (’00 P)
Kip Kirkpatrick ’94, ’97 MBA, Trustee
Sara Kirkpatrick
Maria Isabel Kisel ’04 MA, ’08 PhD
Lester B. Knight (’10, ’23 P), Trustee
Rebecca W. Knight (’10, ’23 P)
Charlie Weaver Kobida
Daniel Kobida ’63
Karen Koronkowski
Michael Koronkowski
Soad Kousheshi (’25 P)
Debra K. Krauskopf
Timothy K. Krauskopf ’84, ’99 MBA, Trustee
Kelly L. Kuhn ’87
John Z. Kukral ’82 (’13, ’17 P), Trustee
Karin Bain Kukral (’13, ’17 P)
Laimonis A. Laimins ²
David L. Landis ’78 ²
Katharine Lockwood Lang
Ron Lang
Nix Lauridsen
Virginia Croskery Lauridsen ’82, ’87 MMus
Marc D. Levy ’82
Elmer E. Lewis (’92 P) (’21 GP)
Rubin Kate Li
Chengpin Lin (’26 P)
Ethan Hanyi Lin ’26
Donald V. Lincoln ’57 ²
David Loebel ’72, ’74 MMus
Sheryl Loyd Long ’81
Elizabeth Souder Louis
John Jeffry Louis ’89 MBA, Trustee
Weidi Lu (’16 P)
Eric A. Lutkin ²

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M-R

Nancy Tims Magill ’86 MMus
R. Hugh Magill
Mary Crawford Mark ’73 (’08 P)
Michael S. Mark ’72, ’73 MMus (’08 P)
Barbara Wood Marsh ’57 ²
Rosemaria Martinelli ’82, ’82 MMus
Takumi Matsuzawa ’96
Howard M. McCue III
Judith W. McCue
John McDonnell (’21, ’23, ’25 P) ²
Kristin Asleson McDonnell ’85 (’21, ’23, ’25 P), Trustee ²
Alicia M. McGinnis ’87 (’26 P)
Victoria McGinnis (’26 P)
Jill E. McGovern ’66
Dawn Galvin Meiners (’96 P)
John W. Meriwether ’69
Parinaz Mirfakhraie (’26 P)
Chad A. Mirkin
Elizabeth Michaels Mirkin
Barbara Anderson Mitchell (’97, ’97 P)
Lee M. Mitchell (’97, ’97 P), Trustee
Thomas K. Montag ’82 MBA, Trustee
Toni-Marie Montgomery ² ⁵
Joseph R. Moskal ²
Milan Mrksich (’26 P) ²
George C. Mulacek ’48 MMus ³
Elizabeth Schlecht Murrill ’71 (’08 P)
Stephen R. Murrill (’08 P)
Dorla Bushnell Nary ’52 MMus ³
Eric G. Neilson
Linda A. Neilson
Robin Chemers Neustein ’79 MBA, ’79 JD, Trustee
Pin Ni (’16 P), Trustee
Elizabeth R. Nowicki
William I. Nowicki ’79
Joonhee Oh (’27 P)
Nancy P. Orbison ’75, ’81 MMus ²
Catharine White O'Rourke ’73 MMus ²
Cathleen McCurdy Osborn ’72 ²
William A. Osborn ’69, ’73 MBA, ’18 H, Trustee ²
Bonita Berning Paynter ’72, ’74 MBA (’08 P)
Barbara Katz Pearlman ’65 (’85, ’93, ’93, ’95 P) (’17, ’20 GP)
Jerry K. Pearlman (’85, ’93, ’93, ’95 P) (’17, ’20 GP), Trustee
Jon K. Peck
Michael A. Perlman ’00 MBA (’23 P)
Linda Wagoner Perry ’62, ’64 MMus
Frederick Pierce
Julia Chung Pierce ’84, ’85 MMus
Paula B. Pretlow ’77, ’78 MBA, Trustee ²
Rod Priestley ’04 MS, ’08 PhD, Trustee
Alan B. Rafferty ’02 MMus
Guy J. Raymaker
Helen Jang Raymaker ’86, ’90 MBA
Jerry M. Reinsdorf ’60 JD (’95 P) (’17, ’19 GP), Trustee
Jack H. Reiske ’56, ’57 MS, ’62 PhD
Carole Merrick Ringer ’61 MMus, ’61 ¹ ²
Jerry Ringer ²
Annette Nicosia Rippert ’86, ’94 MBA, Trustee
Stephen Roche ²
John A. Rogers Sr. (’25 P)
William P. Rogerson (’16 P)
Elizabeth B. Roghair ²
James E. Roghair ²
Mark Anthony Rometty
Virginia Nicosia Rometty ’79, ’15 H, Trustee
Alexander I. Rorke ’75, ’75 MA ¹
Elizabeth Sturgeon Rorke ¹
Russ W. Rosenzweig ’93
Linda Rosner (’05, ’07, ’10 P) ²
William E. Rosner ’75, ’76 MBA (’05, ’07, ’10 P) ²
Patrick G. Ryan ’59, ’09 H (’97, ’00 P), Trustee ²
Shirley Welsh Ryan ’61, ’19 H (’97, ’00 P) ²

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S-Z

Mary Ann Novak Sadilek ’61, ’62 MMus ²
Joan Bainbridge Safford ’76 JD
Ann Sagan (’09 P)
Paul L. Sagan ’81 (’09 P), Trustee
Diane M. Saltzman (’91, ’94 P)
Robert P. Saltzman ’64 (’91, ’94 P), Trustee
Dolores Simmons Salzbrunn ³
Ernest Scott Santi ’94 MBA, Trustee
Nancy S. Santi
Dean H. Sayles ’60 MMus, ’60 (’85 P)
Martha Stickney Sayles ’60 (’85 P)
Elizabeth Runnette Schroeder ’59 (’89, ’94 P) (’21 GP)
Kingsley G. Sears Jr. ’49
Lurline Willis Sears ³
Carole Browe Segal ’60 (’93 P) ²
Gordon I. Segal ’60 (’93 P), Trustee ²
Jeannette Junk Segel ’70 ¹ ²
William S. Selonick ’86 MBA (’18 P)
Mary Sue Shannon (’10, ’15 P)
Michael Scott Shannon ’83 MBA (’10, ’15 P), Trustee
Marjorie F. Shansky ’70
Christina Conway Shaver ’97 (’28 P)
Jonathan F. Shaver ’98 MBA (’28 P)
Ellen Shaw
Lowell E. Shaw ’51, ’56 MMus ³
David A. Sheldon ’61, ’62 MMus
Ali Shilatifard (’20, ’22 P)
Laura Ann Shilatifard (’20, ’22 P)
Kristina Simanis-Laimins ²
Trine J. Sorensen-Jacobson (’13 P) ¹
Farzaneh A. Sorond (’25 P)
Gary Steinbaum (’24 P)
Trang Steinbaum (’24 P)
Aric L. Stock ’90
Karen Mellow Stock ’91, ’91
Michael Stodd ’85 MMus
Josefien Stoppelenburg
Denny Xinrong Sun (’28 P)
Pengfei Sun (’28, ’29 P)
Cara S. Tasher ’97
Andrea Amdahl Taylor ’95 MMus
Mark Amdahl Taylor ’95 MMus
Jacalyn Thompson (’08 P)
Mallory Beth Thompson ’79, ’80 MMus ² ⁵
William Thompson (’08 P)
Alice Welch Tolley ’60 MMus (’03 P)
Thomas J. Tropp Jr. ’14 DMA
Deanne Tucker ²
Julia Aring Uihlein ’72 (’02, ’03 P), Trustee
Elizabeth Kirkpatrick Vrenios ’63 MMus
Catherine Marlette Waddell (’12, ’14 P)
Frederick Heinz Waddell ’79 MBA (’12, ’14 P), Trustee
Adair L. Waldenberg ’72
Michael B. Wallace ’91, ’91
Eugene Walters (’26 P)
Jennifer P. Wang ’95
Sona Wang ’86 MBA (’18 P), Trustee
Christina Ching-Yin Poon Wee ’07 DMA
Lawrence Wee
Janice Schroeder Weiland ’79 MBA
David B. Weinberg Trustee
Lynne Mesirow Weinberg
Jon D. Wenberg ’90, ’92 MMus
Barbara K. White
William J. White ’60 (’84 P) (’17, ’19, ’19 GP), Trustee
Stephen R. Wilson ’70, ’74 MBA (’08 P), Trustee
Susan Condon Wilson ’70 (’08 P)
Angie Xue
Peter Xue ’12 ¹
Jonathan Blake Yarbrough ’06
Weilin Yih (’26 P)
Carl K. Yorita ’69 (’03 P)
Patricia Jane Yorita (’03 P)
Jianming Yu ’00 MBA, Trustee
Jane Xueqiong Zhu (’28 P)
Charlene Johnson Zimmerman ’72

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Foundations & Organizations

Alumnae of Northwestern University
Association of American Railroads
Ayco Charitable Foundation
Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund
Barbara & Jerry Pearlman Foundation., Inc.
BC Philanthropic Foundation Limited
Bessemer Giving Fund
Boston Foundation
Chicago Community Trust
Community Foundation for Monterey Cty
Crown Family Philanthropies
Cyrus Tang Foundation
David and Lynne Weinberg Family Foundation
Dolores Kohl Education Foundation
Elizabeth & Jeff Louis Foundation
Eric Gleacher Foundation
Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund
Frank H. Philbrick Foundation
Future Wanxiang Foundation Inc.
Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund
Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund
H & F Baker Foundation
Helen Clay Frick Foundation
Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation
Jaharis Family Foundation Inc
James M. and Nancy J. Caldwell Revocable Trust
Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco
JMR Charities, Inc.
Jonathan Shaver Revocable Trust
JP Morgan Charitable Giving Fund
Karin Bain And John Kukral Foundation
Keyman Foundation
Lauridsen Family Foundation
Lester CAIT Trust
Mary Lunz Houston Revocable Trust
Megan P. Anderson Declaration of Trust
Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc.
National Christian Foundation Tampa Bay
National Philanthropic Trust DAF
Negaunee Foundation
Orchard Alliance
P G & S W Ryan Foundation
Presser Foundation
Princeton Area Community Foundation, Inc.
Renaissance Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Rice Family Foundation
Saint Paul Foundation
Schmidt Vocal Arts
Schroeder Foundation
Schwab Charitable Fund
Segal Family Foundation
State Street Foundation
Vanguard Charitable Endow. Program
Winning Ways Foundation

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