Chicago Symphony nets $10m gift
OrchestrasInvestor Jennifer Pritzker’s Tawani Foundation has just given ten mill to her local band.
Half of it goes into a chellenge fund to secure matching grants.
Ms Pritzker retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Illinois Army National Guard in 2001. Ms Pritzker is a cousin of Illinois governor J. B. Pritzker and former US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.
No city has been dominated by a single family as the Pritzkers dominate Chicago since the Medicis dominated Florence.
Must never have heard of anyone named Daley.
… Or Harris
I don’t know, I think the Madigan clan may like a word….
All gifts come with a price tag, but if I was a Chicogoan, I might be inclined to accept this burden of generosity.
The crown family too. very mafioso.
Is that a complaint or a back-handed attempt at gratitude?
Without knowing how much the Pritzker family has donated specifically to the arts, they must surely be followed by Oscar Tang and his wife in New York who have given US$164 million to the Met. Museum of Art (including its largest ever donation of $125 million). Most recently they donated the largest single gift of $40 million to the New York Philharmonic’s Endowment. Tang’s total philanthropic donations which include educational institutions are said to be more than $300 million.
The Pritzkers are one of the richest families in the USA, having founded the Hyatt hotel chain but are now into Pharma/tech companies. Jennifer is a man having fathered 3 children but James decided he wanted to be a woman.
Read here what Jennifer and others are up to, quite terrifying.
https://jbilek.substack.com/p/big-pharma-big-tech-and-synthetic
The name “Hillsdale” should provoke a high degree of skepticism.
In any case, her money is as good as anyone’s.
Can you share a link on instructions on how to make a tin foil hat?
So, she went trans to make money? Sounds like a great plan.
Gus, there’s nothing like a little transphobia to help win an argument. And for what it’s worth, just about anything from Hillsdale College, ground zero for those so right-wing that they’ve completely left Planet Earth altogether, is self-discrediting for anyone who is interested in dispassionate examinations of facts, data, and evidence. So kudos to you for so clearly showing us your biases upfront.
I am old enough to remember the Hillsdale scandal a quarter century ago.
The Pritzkers did not found the company, J.B. Pritzker’s uncle Jay bought it in the late 50s. It’s named after one of the founders.
thanks. they are weirdos for sure. JB lives in Wisconsin while governing Illinois
Hope the $10 million goes towards music rather than the CSO’s DEI department.
The orchestra earned over $75 million in revenue in ’22-’23; I don’t think it’s hurting for money regarding musical ventures.
Wonderful! Great orchestra that is deserving of such a generous gift! Bravo tutti!
I have not seen any arts donations from the newly minted trillionaire CEO of NVidia…or any other wealthy tech billionaires for that matter.
A generous gift, indeed. Her cousin-in-law, Margot, helped fund the project of translating the Zohar into English. Philanthropic work in general knowledge, childhood education, and music is something the billionaire Donald J. Trump will never understand, setting aside the unfair, phoney lawfare lodged against him.
God Bless Ms. Pritzker. Thank you.
Dear CSO Patrons,
We inform you that we no longer have a Zell Music Director.
Please welcome our new Pritzker Music Director, Klaus.
Of course, if we receive a donation of more than $10M, we will inform you of the name change of the MD title.
Thank you
The Management
When may we expect a position named for your generosity?
– The Management
LOL I bet $10M isn’t enough to pay him for even 3 years — what an asset it was for him to have an (ex-)partner who hated the party that was trying to negotiate his salary.
what some of us seem to forget, or choose to forget, is that in the usa, wealthy families help keep the arts afloat, unlike european countries where the arts are subsidized. so next time some of you wealth-despising folk step into carnegie hall or david geffen hall or the disney center (the list goes on) perhaps offer a word of gratitude for the private individuals who generously gave millions to allow you and countless others to enjoy the gift of music.
you mean wealthy “old money” families. The rich Hollyweird celebs and Silicone Valley billionaires don’t care for the arts at all.
How much did Bill Gates and Tim Cook give to the opera?
$10 million, while generous isn’t that much money these days. Add a zero and it would be impressive. Sadly, all of you seem to have a lower bar of generosity. The new rich of the past 20 years definitely aren’t interested in giving to the arts.Mabye acquiring a lot of contemporary artwork that they shelter away in private storage facilties.