GENEROUS GIFT TO SUPPORT BEETHOVEN HOUSE RENOVATION

Landmark Grant: A Chicago-based music school gives back on an international stage

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The Lincoln Park Music Center was founded over thirty years ago with one goal in mind-- to instill a love of classical music in the hearts of children. Whe Do Kim, a pianist and extraordinary teacher, works with children from pre-K to high school, instructing them in far more than scales, clefs, and proper technique. She teaches them discipline, bravery, and fortitude along with a deep appreciation for culture and classical music. With this in mind, Ms. Kim established the Lincoln Park Music Center Foundation in 2015. The Foundation's mission is simple: support projects and programs in Chicago and around the world that expose children to the power and beauty of classical music.

In 1802, having realized he was going deaf, Beethoven wrote a letter to his brothers outlining his despair. While writing, his words shifted from regret and grief to hope and anticipation. Within the next few years, Beethoven would write some of his most powerful compositions, and in doing so, cemented his legacy as one of the greatest visionaries of all time. The letter, now known as the Heiligenstadt Testament, is housed within the room it was written. 

With that in mind, the LPMCF made a leadership gift to the Vienna Museum to support the renovation Ludwig van Beethoven's home located on the outskirts of Vienna.  In addition to renovating the home the Vienna Museum has also constructed a performance space in the facility.  Music students from Vienna and around the world will have the opportunity to listen to and perform in this new space.  The letter represents some of the traits Ms. Kim instills in her students: perseverance, hope, and self-acceptance. This partnership will allow those from around the globe to learn more about this time in the famed composer's life and allow the music Beethoven inspired to ring through the rooms in which he despaired.