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32 n e w h a v e n B I Z | N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 8 n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m Pennies from Heaven Thirteen years after a (then-) anonymous $100 million gift rocked the academic music world, Yale's School of Music is transformed for students, faculty — and New Haven By Michael C. Bingham A R T S & C U LT U R E T he thing people found most perplexing about Stephen Adams, when it was revealed in 2008 that he and his wife Denise had been the authors of the $100 million gi to the Yale School of Music three years earlier, was that Mr. Adams, Yale College Class of '59, was not himself a musician. Denise Adams is an artist. Stephen Adams is a music lover, for sure. But not a practitioner. Well, he had begun taking piano lessons at the relatively ripe age of 55. Why he didn't start sooner is unknown, but it seems likely he simply lacked the time to practice his lessons. Aer all, who has time to prac- tice when you're busy building a business empire? Adams became a billionaire across an array of successful ventures in banking, media and retail. He is regarded by many as a pioneer in the commu- nity-banking movement, and also built a company that made recre- ational vehicles. He built successful franchises in endeavors ranging from banking to the wine business (the Adams are noted oenophiles). It would be elucidating to be able to ask Stephen and Denise Adams the "why" question. Elucidating, but not very practical. Because the couple unquestionably still walk among us, they do not speak to the media, at least not about their philanthropy. e gi simply must speak for itself. And $100 million can do a lot of talking. And singing. And playing. And conducting, and composing. But there are other things it can do, too. Like building new performance spaces and practice facilities. Like attracting top-rank music faculty who would other- wise have ended up at Juilliard or Eastman or Curtis. Like making a world-class professional music education at a school like Yale accessible to a young musician who hitherto would never have seen the inside of Sprague Hall or the New Haven Green. irteen years later, the Yale School of Music has been pro- foundly transformed in ways the Adams themselves might not have foreseen. Transformed in the talent and academic preparation of its student body. Transformed in the physical surrounding in which they and their faculty mentors pursue their artistic journey. And trans- formed even in the way the larger world views what is taking place on the concert stages, rehearsal halls Continued on next page Yale School of Music students pictured outside Sprague Memorial Hall. PHOTO: BOB HANDELMAN

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