Lynn Conservatory Concerts – In the Beginning …

Many times thru the past 16 years people have stopped me to ask how these very special Lynn concerts at Aberdeen actually came to be. So – the explanation.

Upon moving to Aberdeen 21 years ago, Herb and I became active attendees of the Harid Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton. At that time there were 31 exceptional music students and a handful of professors in residence, all sponsored, along with a ballet school, by a single sponsor. The sponsor subsequently withdrew his support of the music division concentrating his sponsorship on only the ballet school.

Luckily, Lynn U. which abuts Harid, needed a music department and gladly took all 31 students and their teachers. Thus, the Conservatory of Music at Lynn U. was born. The need for scholarship money to help Lynn support the students was obvious. Herb and I looked for ways to assist.

Seventeen years ago, a number of Aberdeen residents desired more culture here at the Club. At that time Herb was an executive on the Board of the Aberdeen Golf and Country Club and at my request he asked the Board to allow us to bring a concert by Lynn musicians to the Club. It was approved as long as there would be no expense to the Club. Leslie and Lew Roth, Una and Sol Elman, Herb and myself sponsored the first concert paying all costs and charging $18 per ticket. We begged our friends, their friends and their friends – friends to buy tickets and attend. Then as now, all checks for tickets were made out to The Conservatory of Music to be used for their Scholarship Fund helping the school continue to educate these fine young people and allowing them, if they so desired, to make music their life’s work. There were about 90 attendees the first year.

This year we have a sold out house and 10 sponsors supporting the concert.

Due to the success at Aberdeen we have brought this concert to other Country Clubs and Communities and presently raise over $70 thousand dollars a year.

The most wonderful part of this adventure is working with the young, super-talented musicians. The most difficult part for Herb and myself is watching our students graduate and leave the fold. Though we are very much in touch with many of the students we mentored over the past 16 years we feel the loss. I’m sure you can understand.

This has been “give back” time for Herb and myself and it gives us great satisfaction to have watched the Conservatory of Music at Lynn U. grow to 113 young artists and 26 world class performers on their teaching staff. Truly a labor of love!