UCLA acquires $1.5 million from the Lowell Milken Family Foundation to promote Jewish music in the American context
UCLA's Lowell Milken Fund for American Jewish Music Enhances Cultural Landscape
The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music has received a significant boost in its commitment to the field of Jewish music, with the establishment of the Lowell Milken Fund for American Jewish Music. This fund, made possible by a generous donation from the Lowell Milken Family Foundation, aims to advance cutting-edge research, artistic creativity, and interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of American Jewish music.
Mark Kligman, who holds the school's Mickey Katz Endowed Chair in Jewish Music, has been appointed as the academic director of the Lowell Milken Fund. The fund's purpose is to enable research, education, and performance projects that deepen understanding of Jewish musical traditions in America, ranging from liturgical to folk and contemporary expressions.
The fund's inaugural program, "American Culture and the Jewish Experience in Music," will be held in November. This three-day conference, co-presented with the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies, will feature performances of new compositions, panel discussions, and lectures on heritage, innovation, and interactivity.
The Lowell Milken Fund for American Jewish Music is part of the broader Herb Alpert School of Music’s commitment to cultural diversity and interdisciplinary research. It acts as a resource hub for the stories, traditions, and evolving nature of Jewish music in America, elevating its cultural footprint and ensuring its legacy and contemporary relevance within the American musical landscape.
The Milken Archive of Jewish Music, founded in 1990 by Lowell Milken, is a collection of recordings, scores, historical materials, oral history recordings, videos, photographs, and scholarship documenting Jewish music in America over the past 350 years. The archive has earned ASCAP and Grammy awards and is considered the most comprehensive documentation of music reflecting Jewish life and culture in America.
In addition to the Lowell Milken Fund, Milken made a transformative $10 million gift in 2011 to the UCLA School of Law, which established the Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law and Policy, the largest single gift in the law school's history. Milken, a UCLA School of Law graduate from 1973, is among UCLA's most generous supporters.
The $4.2 billion UCLA Centennial Campaign, which is scheduled to conclude in December 2019 during UCLA's 100th anniversary year, has been impacted by Milken's gifts. Judith Smith, dean of the Herb Alpert School of Music, stated that the fund's gift substantially advances their commitment to the field of Jewish music.
The school will also present concerts and symposia to engage and educate the community about American Jewish music. By doing so, it aids in both preserving and revitalizing Jewish musical practices for broader academic and public engagement. The Lowell Milken Fund for American Jewish Music seeks to further the impact of the Milken Archive on current and future generations.
- The Lowell Milken Fund for American Jewish Music, a resource hub at UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music, focuses on interdisciplinary collaboration and research, particularly in the areas of science (through innovative compositions) and education-and-self-development (through lectures and panel discussions).
- The School's commitment to health-and-wellness is reflected in its support of fitness-and-exercise, as the Lowell Milken Fund's inaugural program, "American Culture and the Jewish Experience in Music," includes performances of new compositions, which could potentially serve as motivational or therapeutic music.
- In terms of nutrition, the fund promotes learning about Jewish culinary traditions through the exploration of folk and contemporary expressions of Jewish music, providing insight into the cultural and historical context of certain dishes and food practices.
- The Lowell Milken Fund for American Jewish Music also delves into entertainment, as it presents concerts and symposia that engage the community, fostering an appreciation for American Jewish music and ensuring its contemporary relevance within the American musical landscape, similar to how music can entertain and educate in the broader context.
