Michigan Muse Spring 2026 > Giving Update
Giving Update
Making an Impact: A New Era for the George Shirley Vocal Competition
Since it first began in 2011, the George Shirley Vocal Competition: African American Vocal Repertoire (GSVC) has grown and evolved in many ways, each year expanding the number of performers and composers competing, the number and value of the prizes, and the additional opportunities for entrants, including master classes, seminars, and panels with esteemed judges and guests. When the competition formally transitioned to being hosted by the School of Music, Theatre & Dance in 2024, it entered a new era.
George Shirley. Photo: Peter Smith
The GSVC focuses exclusively on teaching, promoting, and preserving the African American and African diasporic vocal repertoire – the only vocal competition in the nation to do so. The competition offers singers and composers the opportunity to work with and receive feedback from world-renowned judges, including the competition’s namesake – George Shirley, legendary operatic tenor and Joseph Edgar Maddy Distinguished University Emeritus Professor of Voice. Shirley cofounded the competition with Louise Toppin, coloratura soprano and professor of voice at SMTD since 2017. Toppin has been the competition’s director since its inception.
The competition awards more than $48,000 in prizes annually, with Toppin working to raise funds every year from among the competition’s many generous supporters. The GSVC is now working toward a new goal: to establish an endowed fund that would sustain it long into the future.
Recently, donors Carrie Brown and David J. Kiley took a vital step toward achieving this goal, initiating the endowment process with a generous gift. “We kicked off the endowment as a tribute to our friend and Carrie’s teacher, George Shirley, who has meant so much to the University of Michigan and the world,” they stated. “He has given so much to the arts through his talent and commitment that we wanted to give back to him and to young artists who have been as inspired by Dr. Shirley as we have been.”
To complete the establishment of the endowment, Toppin is hoping that a substantial number of benefactors of the competition will be willing to make recurring $100 monthly gifts, thereby making those donations eligible for the University of Michigan’s current matching gift program. Under this program, the university will match new monthly contributions up to $100 per month, thereby doubling the impact of each gift.
The GSVC, which attracts competitors from all over the United States and beyond, honors the history of African American vocal repertoire while also helping to ensure its relevance in the 21st century. The competition also serves to validate and raise the profile of young artists looking to establish their careers. Toppin notes that winners of the GSVC can be seen among the finalists of esteemed vocal competitions such as the Met’s Laffont Competition and Opera Ebony’s Benjamin Matthews Vocal Competition.
Toppin expressed great hope for the future of the competition, especially given its residence at SMTD, the academic home not only of George Shirley but of the recently deceased Willis Patterson. Former chair of the Department of Voice and SMTD’s first African American faculty member, Patterson devoted much of his career to the repertoire celebrated by the GSVC. Toppin noted, “Our commitment to offer this competition, the first in the nation focused solely on African American repertoire, solidifies our leadership as the vocal department that birthed the study of African American art song and has nurtured and continued this legacy into the present.”
Investing in Student Success
Building scholarship resources to support SMTD students remains our top priority, and we extend our sincere gratitude to the following individuals who have recently established new scholarships or made significant gifts to existing funds.
John Albright made a gift to the William Albright Scholarship for composition students.
Thomas Allen (BSE ’70, MSE ’72, MBA ’82) made a gift to the Music Education Enrichment Fund for music education scholarship support.
Lawrence Bell (BSE ’68, MSE ’69, MBA ’72) made a gift to the Merton J. and Gladys C. Bell Marching Band Scholarship.
Clifford (MD ’70) and Kathryn Cox (BA ’68, MA ’69) made a gift to the Bill Evans Jazz Piano Scholarship and Lawrence E. Quinn Memorial Scholarship for students in the Glee Clubs and Amazin’ Blue.
Robert (BA ’57, DDS ’61, MS ’66) and Renee Durbin Greenberger made a gift to establish the Robert and Renee Durbin Greenberger Scholarship in Jazz.
F. Gerard Errante (DMA ’70) and D. Gause made a gift to establish the F. Gerard Errante and D. Gause Scholarship for clarinet students.
Lynn Fireside (BA ’64) and James Anderson made a gift to the Fireside Scholarship for musical theatre students.
Perry Kasper Granoff (BA ’63) and Marty Granoff made a gift to the Perry Kasper Granoff Scholarship for dance students.
Cyrus Hopkins and Betty Blume made a gift to the Susan M. Hopkins Music, Theatre and Dance Fund for chamber music students.
Anita Kupriss and Richard Douglas (BS ’74) made a gift to the Anita Kupriss and Richard Douglas Scholarship for graduate sopranos and mezzo-sopranos.
Matt (BS ‘90) and Heidi Malden made a gift to the Matt Malden Scholarship for trumpet students in the Michigan Marching Band.
Allen Mehler made a gift to the Mehler, Schmidt, Sozener Marching Band Doctors Scholarship.
Santosh (MBA ’70) and Anita Mehra made a gift to the Mehra Expendable Dance Scholarship.
Fredrick (BS ’73, MS ’76) and Laurelie Metzger (AMLS ’78) made a gift to the Fred and Laurie Metzger Family Scholarship for Michigan Marching Band students.
Jerry (MS ’73, PhD ’75) and Emily Miller (MSW ’71) made a gift to the Jerry and Emily Miller Scholarship for musical theatre students.
Mary Morse (BA ’64) made gifts to the William Edward and Mary Cockram Morse Endowed Voice and Piano Scholarship and William Edward and Mary Cockram Morse Pipe Organ Replacement and Scholarship Fund and pledged additional support for organ scholarships.
Donald Ocker (MBA ’58) made a gift to the Donald A. and Jane T. Ocker Marching Band Scholarship.
Blair (BA ‘79) and Kate Person made a gift to the Andrea Person Voice Scholarship of the Tuesday Musicale.
Jeffrey Platt and Marilia Cascalho made a gift to the Shearwater Fund, which provides scholarship support for early music students.
Sara (BA ’98) and Howard Raber made an establishing gift and pledged additional support to the Raber Family Scholarship for need-based music scholarships.
Matthew (BFA ’92) and Joanna Rego made a gift to the Tim Millett Musical Theatre Scholarship.
William (BA ’69, JD ’72) and Joan Richards (BA ’69) made gifts to the Bill and Joan Richards Family Marching Band Scholarship.
Lee Rucker Keiser (BA ’80) and Matthew Keiser (BA ’84, MBA ’86) made a gift to the Lee Rucker Keiser Fund, which provides scholarship support for out-of-state viola, cello, and double bass students.
Amy and Kevin Sareen made a gift to the Sareen Family Endowed Scholarship for undergraduate trumpet students.
Patricia Schwarz (BSDes ’64) made a gift to the F. William Schwarz, Jr., Marching Band Scholarship.
Jeffrey Seller (BA ’86) made a gift to the Seller Scholarship for in-state SMTD students.
Donald Shepherd (BBA ’58) made gifts to the Donald R. Shepherd Michigan Marching Band Fellowship Award Fund, Donald R. Shepherd MMB Scholarships Fund, and Graduate Student Instructor – Marching Band Fund.
The Sigurd I. and Jarmila H. Rislov Foundation made a gift to the Sigurd I. and Jarmila H. Rislov Foundation Endowed Scholarship.
Susan Smith (BS ’63) made a gift to the Susan M. Smith and Robert H. Gray Endowed Scholarship in Musical Theatre.
Gail Stout (BA ’81) made a gift to the Stout Family Scholarship for Michigan Marching Band students.
Mark Sullivan (BA ’87) and Jim St. George made a gift to the Mark Sullivan and Jim St. George Scholarship.
Michael (BBA ’82, MBA ’92) and Marcia Torrey made a gift to the Michael Torrey Theatre Scholarship for musical theatre and theatre & drama students.
Alveris Van Fleet-Corson (BM ’60) made gifts to the Alveris B. Van Fleet-Corson Scholarship for out-of-state SMTD students.
David (BA ’86, MD ’90) and Bernadine Wu (BS ’89, MD ’92) made a gift to the David and Bernadine Wu Scholarship for violin and musical theatre students.
Programmatic Support
We are grateful to the following individuals for their support of various programs throughout the school.
An anonymous donor made a gift to establish the Joan Noble Pruett Color Guard Fund.
Anonymous donors made a gift to support Nancy Ambrose King’s oboe studio.
Lawrence Bell (BSE ’68, MSE ’69, MBA ’72) made a gift to support the Michigan Marching Band.
Carrie Brown and David Kiley made a gift to establish the George Shirley Vocal Competition Fund.
Bruce Buerk and Radha Reddy made a gift to the Jazz Guitar Programmatic Fund.
Betty Chisholm (BA ’56, MA ’60) made a gift to the U-M Jazz Ambassadors Fund, which supports a high school jazz recruitment program.
Jan Deur made a gift to support the Michigan Marching Band.
Dean Eisner (MBA ’82) made a gift to establish the Eisner Family Fund for International Experiences for musical theatre students.
David Feldman (BA ’91) and Roni Jacobson made an establishing gift and pledged additional support to the EXCEL Internship Fund.
Kristi (BA ’88) and Joseph Foster (BA ’89) made a gift to support the Michigan Marching Band.
Adam and Amy Gershwin made a gift to the Gershwin Operating Fund.
Jonathan and Laura Ginns made a gift to support the Michigan Marching Band.
Jeffrey and Susan Goldenberg made a gift to the Carole Caplan Lonner Endowed Program Fund for musical theatre writing.
Derek (BGS ’97) and Erica Groendyk made a gift to support the Michigan Marching Band.
Jeffrey Hoffman made a gift supporting the Friends of Musical Theatre.
Caryn Mamrack Hsu (BA ’95) and Matthew Hsu made a gift to support the Friends of Theatre & Drama.
The Joseph and Karen Krantz Family Charitable Foundation made a gift to support the Michigan Marching Band.
Alan Kalter (attended ’64, College of Engineering) and Christine Lezotte made gifts to support the Friends of Musical Theatre and Friends of Theatre & Drama.
Kathleen Kress (BSE ’82, MBA ’88) and Simone Pisciotta made a gift to support the Michigan Marching Band.
Letitia Marth made a gift to support the Michigan Marching Band.
Patricia Matusky-Yamaguchi (BM ’66, AMLS ’69, PhD ’80) and Howard Yamaguchi made a gift to the William P. Malm Stearns Collection Concert Series and Instrument Preservation Fund.
Jerry (MS ’73, PhD ’75) and Emily Miller (MSW ’71) pledged support to the Jerry and Emily Miller Student Needs Fund for musical theatre students.
Mike Mosallam (BFA ’01) made a gift to the Friends of Musical Theatre to support Senior Showcase.
Allan (BA ’60, JD ’63) and Joy Nachman (BA ’68) made gifts to the Allan and Joy Nachman Musical Theatre Senior Showcase Fund.
Jeffrey Lutz (BA ’77) and Cathy Nowosielski (BS ’77, MD ’80) made a gift in support of the Michigan Marching Band.
Robert and Catherine Poulin made a gift to support the Michigan Marching Band.
Sandra Reisman made a gift to support the Michigan Marching Band.
Donald Shepherd (BBA ’58) made a gift to the MMB Instrument Fund.
Gail (BA ’78) and James Straith made a gift to the Gail Straith Commissioning Fund for Saxophone.
Jeoffrey (BSPharm ’62, MD ’67) and Ellen Stross (BA ’64, AMLS ’65) made a gift to the Musical Theatre Enrichment Fund.
Mark Sullivan (BA ’87) and Jim St. George made a gift to the Mark Sullivan and Jim St. George International Fund.
William and Janelle Sykes made a gift to support the Michigan Marching Band.
The DuBose and Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund made a gift to the Gershwin Operating Fund.
Carrie and Peter Throm made gifts to the William E. Root Engagement & Outreach Fund and the Throm Family Student Innovation Fund in support of the EXCEL Lab.
Stanley (BM ’65, MM ’66) and Carolyle Towers (BA ’63) made a gift to the Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments Fund.
Marylou Witz (BM ’61) made a gift to the Dr. Marylou Witz Charitable Violin Fund.
Susan Wooley made gifts supporting the Friends of Musical Theatre and Friends of University Orchestras.
Planned Gifts
The following individuals have very generously included the School of Music, Theatre & Dance in their estate plans.
Anonymous donors increased their planned gift to the Gustave Rosseels Endowed Prize for String Quartet Fund.
Anonymous donors set a bequest intention to establish endowed bassoon scholarship and studio funds.
The estate of Gavin Creel (BFA ’98) made a gift to the Celia Keenan-Bolger and Gavin Creel Activist Artist Endowed Scholarship for musical theatre students.
The estate of Peter Faber (BBA ’61, MBA ’62) made a gift to support the Michigan Marching Band.
The estate of Robert Gray made a gift to the Susan M. Smith and Robert H. Gray Endowed Scholarship in Musical Theatre.
The estate of Lyle Hecklinger (BM ’66, MM ’68, DMA ’75) made gifts to the Dean’s Discretionary Fund.
Andrés Holder (BFA ’10) and Charles Goelz (BA ’10) set a bequest intention to establish the Goelz-Holder Scholarship for SMTD students.
Gary and Christine Johnson increased their planned gift to the Gary R. and Christine H. Johnson Marching Band Scholarship.
James (BS ’62) and Shirley McLean set a bequest intention to establish the James and Shirley McLean Marching Band Scholarship.
The estate of Susan Meyer (MAcc ’89, BBA ’89) made a gift to the Susan Meyer Michigan Marching Band Enrichment Fund.
The estate of James Wilkes (MSE ’56, PhD ’63) made gifts to the Dean’s Discretionary Fund.
Please consider supporting the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Your support will have a significant impact on our students’ ability to forge ahead on their educational paths and share their many gifts with the world. To contribute, call 734-647-2035 or visit smtd.umich.edu/giving. Thank you!