President's Message
In 1997, Jim Paul, Dee Wells and Dorothy Klotzman established the Academy of Music Northwest to provide intensive music studies for gifted young musicians. By 2011, their mission was conducted in five different locations, which were quickly outgrown by increasing enrollments. Our present location, excellently located near the I-90 and State Route 405 corridor, is now unable to facilitate our continuing pattern of growth beyond 2011-12.
With a strong enrollment averaging 120 students, and many more waiting to get in, the academy’s work is complimented by eight fine concert pianos, six electronic keyboards, an estimable music score library, and array of children’s instruments, recording and listening electronics and a large library of music texts, reference works, CD’s, videos and music anthologies. Every classroom is equipped with an excellent piano and expensive staff-lined music white-boards. By now, we have used up the space made available to us in our current year-by-year lease.
We are eager to find our own Academy home at last. But where will we find our major donors? It is my hope and expectation that they live here among us, and that the Academy will eventually be the beneficiaries of those who care about classical music performance and music education, and who want to invest in the future of Americas’ next generation of teachers and seasoned performers, composers and conductors .
Let me tell you about the City of Edmonds renaissance.
Rick Steves, Edmonds based travel writer and public broadcasting host, announced he will donate $1million to the Edmonds Center for the Arts. By his own admission, he is giving the tax cuts he received from the Bush Tax Cuts back to his community, and he challenges the wealthy to do the same. “We’re in a wealthy community, but where’s the money?” he asks. Steves wants his donation to be a challenge to others in the area to consider investing in the cultural events of the community. He describes it as a civic duty for businessmen like himself, who’ve directly benefitted from our vibrant communities, to do our fair share.
At our numerous concerts, benefits and recitals presented by Academy students, alumni and guests, audiences are very often amazed at the maturity and elegance of performances presented by our young artist-musicians. Such enrichment is priceless. Help us celebrate the uniqueness of our vibrant student community of performers, composers and conductors. Help us to grow. Sustain us in our period of wider service to our beloved northwest.
Our hope is that the community which we serve with distinction will find it appropriate to give something back in return. Support of the arts and music education is good business.
President