Yale School of Music Receives $7 Million Gift to Create Two New Professorships

The donation, which was made by the Dunard Fund USA, will create a new viola faculty position and a visiting professorship

The Dunard Fund USA has made a donation of $7 million to the Yale School of Music, which will allow the school to establish two new professorships.

One of these positions has been specifically endowed for a viola professor, while the other will be for a "visiting professor in the practice" — which allows the school some flexibility in determining the purpose of the appointment.

The viola professorship will be named in memory of Richard D. Colburn, who was an amateur violist alongside his work in building supplies. Colburn's philanthropic legacy has been felt across the music industry: among the organizations he gifted money to are The Colburn School, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

His daughter, Carol Colburn Grigor, studied piano performance at Yale and became a concert pianist, often playing chamber music. Grigor made the donation, under the auspices of the Dunard Fund USA, because of her personal connection to Yale.

The fund also supports a number of Scottish arts organizations, including the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Edinburgh Festival, since Grigor is based in Scotland.

"It goes to our mission and the core of what we do, while at the same time allowing for experimentation," said José García León, Dean of the Music School. "It's a brilliant way to allow us to have world-class faculty depending on the needs of the moment."