Dear Friends –

When I came to the UC Davis campus in October of 1996, I was welcomed by a marvelous faculty, administration, and community that embraced the efforts of our arts programs. I found the legacy of my predecessors – Jerome Rosen, Albert J. McNeil, and Paul Hillier – to be rich, accomplished, and a challenge to follow. Since my appointment to the faculty, I have enjoyed the consistent improvement of the quality of our students, and the fantastic growth of the prominence of the arts on our campus and in our community.

Through a wonderfully productive affiliation with the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra conducted by my esteemed colleague Prof. D. Kern Holoman, the University Chorus provides an opportunity for our students to experience the great symphonic choral repertoire and even to participate in premieres of new works by some of UC Davis’ most accomplished student and faculty composers.

Since the opening of the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, our students have a hall that is not just worthy of their efforts; rather, it is an inspiration to them. Since last year, the University Chorus has grown in size by 50%. Prospective students who seek a campus that will nurture their talents and interests in music are turning to UCD. The word is out: this is the place where their artistic ambitions will be appreciated, honored, and cultivated.

There will always be financial challenges to any arts program that strives to meet the needs and demands of its students. But our challenges are even greater now that new standards of excellence have been achieved and continue to rise.

Whether the University Chorus Endowment is able to provide exciting and memorable tours for our students, enhancements to our annual concert seasons, voice lessons for talented individuals, or even bare-bones necessities like choral music, accompanists, or concert equipment, it will ensure that our program can continue to move ahead, and can continue to inspire, teach, and mold the artistic and aesthetic temperaments of our most important resource… our future generations.

Please join us through your commitment to our future.

Jeffrey Thomas, conductor