Fund Supports the Arts for the Past Three-plus Decades

Look at the small type of 12-15 different printed programs or posters a year and you’ll notice this tagline... "This performance has been sponsored, in part, by the Alvin Edgar Fund for the Performing Arts."

The Alvin Edgar Fund for the Performing Arts sponsored Richard MacDowell’s appearance at the Big 12 Clarinet Day at Iowa State University’s department of music.

Thirty-five years after its establishment, the Edgar Fund is still a viable funding agent for performances in the department of music and the ISU Theatre and ISU Dance programs. The academic units use the fund, established at the ISU Foundation, to bring guest artists on campus for concerts, master classes, lectures, and other special presentations.

According to Michael Golemo, chair of the department of music, the Edgar Fund is an invaluable assistance to the performing arts.

"The fund brings in world-class artists and working professionals," he said. "These interactions are a wonderful opportunity for our students to see another perspective than they get in a classroom.

"For example, when the National Symphony Orchestra was on campus a few years ago, four principal players from that ensemble worked with our students. That experience wouldn’t have been possible for the students without the Edgar Fund."

The department of music works collaboratively with other Ames arts organizations to bring in special artists while utilizing the Edgar Fund. So a guest conductor for the Central Iowa Symphony also stops by the Music Hall to meet and work with Iowa State music students.

"Without this fund and the cooperation of other arts organizations in the community, many of these events absolutely wouldn’t happen. We just don’t have the budget to bring these type of world-class artists without private support like the Edgar Fund," Golemo said.

The Alvin Edgar Fund for the Performing Arts was established in 1973 by friends and associates of the long-time Iowa State music faculty member to assure that his name would continue to be identified with the campus’s cultural life. The fund continues to this day enhancing the performing arts by providing support beyond that which is available from department budgets, student fees and ticket sales.

Edgar was the head of the department of music for 13 years and a faculty member for 38. He director for the Symphony Orchestra for 30 of those years and was director of concerts for 25.

He was actively involved in a number of Ames cultural events including the Town and Gown Concert Series, the Ames International Orchestra Festival and the Celebrity Concert Series. He was the president of the Iowa Bandmasters Association, Iowa Music Teachers Association and the College Band Directors National Association.

Long-time contributor to the Edgar Fund, Doris Riehm (B.S., child development ’42) of Tucson, Ariz., says the continued support to performing arts on campus is a fitting tribute to Edgar. Riehm was a student of Edgar and worked as his assistant during her undergraduate days on campus.

"Dr. Edgar taught me a lot and he cared about me and other students," she said. "Giving back and allowing his name to be carried forward to future generations of musicians and performing artists is a small way we can honor him."

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