Daniel Bee
VP Communications, The Colburn School
(+1) 213.621.1095 dbee@colburnschool.edu
[Date Here]
PRESS RELEASE: For Immediate Release
Colburn Gifted $250,000 grant
from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s
“Widening the Stage” Program
It was announced today (JAN 25th 2013) that The Colburn School has been awarded $250,000, from The Jack Kent
Cooke Foundation, as part of their “Widening the Stage for Musically Talented Youth” program. This generous gift
will allow the School to expand on the foundation of their scholarship program, giving 44 high-need students who
demonstrate an intermediate level of musicianship or higher a chance to benefit from the multitude of gifts an
education at Colburn has to offer. At present, the Colburn Community School for the Performing Arts gifts
$240,000 in financial aid to low-income students each year.
This new grant will serve as a gateway to excellence in education for children, aged 10-18, who would otherwise
have limited access to high quality performing arts teaching. Each of the successful participants will receive a
complete custom curriculum, based on a combination of applied lessons, chamber music, large ensembles
(orchestra, jazz ensemble, wind ensemble, vocal ensemble, etc) and music theory.
Students will be given the opportunity to experience the state-of-the-art downtown campus and immerse themselves
in Colburn’s culture of excellence, while directly benefiting from daily interactions with other musically talented
youth. At the completion of the program, each student will gain the knowledge, experience, confidence and
preparation needed to continue their studies.
Sel Kardan, President and CEO of The Colburn School said:
“The Colburn School is overjoyed to receive a grant from The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. This
generous gift will further support our work, and deepen our ability to provide access to excellence for
high-need, high-talent students interested in pursuing a lifelong relationship with, and appreciation
for the arts.”
The Colburn School welcomes new students to apply to apply from February 1st through March 22nd 2013.
Applications are available through the school’s website at www.colburnschool.edu .
ABOUT THE COLBURN SCHOOL
The Colburn School is a world-class performing arts school located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles,
neighboring the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Music Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Broad
Museum. Its acclaimed faculty provides students with the highest quality performing arts education, which
includes a multitude of performance opportunities in a state-of-the-art facility. More than 2000 students attend
classes in: the Conservatory of Music, the Community School of Performing Arts, Young Artist Academy, Adult
Studies and the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute.
HERBERT ZIPPER
Herbert Zipper joined The Colburn School as Artistic Advisor in the late 1970s. Zipper, who would later be known
as “the father of the community arts movement,” believed in making access to the performing arts available to all
who wished to learn, regardless of their socio-economic status or demographic. Today, his legacy still lives on
through his outreach programs, the Herbert Zipper Hall (which was named in his honor) and the Zipper Orchestra where 27 high quality orchestral performances are brought to thousands of inner-city elementary school children
throughout the Los Angeles area, annually. The Zipper Orchestra has been a beacon in the community, guiding and
spreading an appreciation for performing arts in, and around, downtown Los Angeles for six decades. It is through
the important work of sustaining Herbert Zipper’s legacy that artistic awareness throughout the community has
been heightened.
JACK KENT COOKE FOUNDATION
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is a private, independent foundation dedicated to advancing the education of
exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Because we believe that high-potential, low-income
students will excel educationally when given the resources to develop their talents, the Foundation supports
exceptional students from elementary school to graduate school through scholarships, grants, direct service, and
knowledge creation and dissemination. Founded in 2000 by the estate of Jack Kent Cooke, the Foundation has
awarded $100 million in scholarships to more than 1900 students, and $70 million in grants to organizations that
support our mission. www.jkcf.org .
Additional details about The Colburn School can be found at the school’s website:
www.colburnschool.edu , http://www.facebook.com/ColburnSchool and
https://twitter.com/colburnschool.
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For more information and images, please contact:
Daniel Bee: VP Communications, The Colburn School
(+1) 213.621.1095 dbee@colburnschool.edu