Why Classical Music?

The Foundation promotes the idea that the music of thinkers such as Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Verdi and many others, is the natural medium for developing the minds of young people. It is the cognitive self-development of those who do not merely listen, but reproduce, both the performance and the composition of music, that results in a natural elevation of the character of the student. The mastery of a complex instrument, such as the oboe, violin, trumpet, or, indeed, the human voice itself, fortifies the natural intelligence that lies in every child, enabling him or her to share creativity with several, or many others, in rehearsals and performances devoted to the most energetic and transparent presentation of that quality of thought-emotion which is the essence and the engine of classical composition.

Concerts such as the most recent performance at Carnegie Hall provide sponsored students an incentive to discover the inner life of music that may well otherwise remain inaccessible to them. We believe that it is possible to make a change in the lives of people, especially the young, for the better. This is done by demonstrating to hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands, in a relatively short period of time, that everyone, in principle, who knows how to speak a language, can also sing, and sing well.

By demonstrating that neither poverty, nor unfamiliarity with repertoire, nor lack of language skills, need be construed as an excuse not to become familiar with the musical thoughts of some of the greatest minds in history, we free the student to not merely dream, but to know, that "nothing is impossible".