Mari’s Fund

Background:

Mari Taniguchi passed away February 13, 2012 at her home in Appleton. She was born July 28, 1919 to Takezo and Sumie Taniguchi. A native of San Diego, CA, Mari joined the Lawrence Conservatory of Music in 1961 as a voice teacher, mentoring scores of aspiring young singers during a 39-year teaching career and retiring in 2000 as Professor Emerita. She was a graduate of Eastman School of Music in 1941, earning a bachelor's degree in both voice and piano, and a master’s degree in music literature in 1960. Mari enjoyed a distinguished performance career before arriving at Lawrence. She made her operatic debut in the title role in Madame Butterfly in Turin, Italy, and later performed this role in Milan, Rome, Venice and Malta. She also was a member of Robert Shaw's Chorale for broadcasts on NBC and CBS and performed on many of Toscanini's legendary recording-broadcasts of operas and orchestral/choral works. As a teacher and vocal coach, Mari was both exceptional and exceptionally demanding, establishing a well-earned reputation for excellence of diction and musical phrasing. The high standards she set for her students were rewarded with distinguished careers for many of them, most notably Grammy Award-winning baritone Dale Duesing '67, American Song Contest winner William Sharp '73, and Metropolitan Opera Audition winner Mark Uhlemann '96. Numerous other students under her tutelage in the US and Europe won awards and fellowships from the National Federation of Music, the Watson Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, to name a few. For many years, she also served as conductor of the Downer Chorus for Women. Mari’s generosity and friendship knew no bounds, which can be witnessed through her gift that was used to establish this fund, which supports talented and young professionals in their pursuit of musical careers.

Eligibility: To be eligible for this award to achieve a specific objective, an individual must:

• Exhibit outstanding musical talent and aptitude • Demonstrate the desire to improve and enhance their musical talent • Offer the potential for that talent to be enhanced through educational or professional activities, or the award of a prize • This award is NOT for college tuition

Award:

The number and dollar amount of these non-renewable awards vary, and may be applied to assistance with costs, fees, travel, food, lodging, and other expenses for activities including but not limited to summer festivals, auditions, and other musical projects.

Selection:

Recipients are recommended each spring by the Mari’s Fund Selection Committee within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.

Compliance Requirements:

Recipients must fill out and submit all requested documentation (including W9, grant agreement) through the Scholarship Portal (https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=cffvrscholar). The recipient, or if appropriate, the organization supervising the recipient’s work, will be required to provide one or more written reports to the Foundation about their activities and use of the funds. Any funds not expended for the purpose of the award must be returned to the Foundation. The Community Foundation communicates with students via email; it is the student’s responsibility to keep their Scholarship Portal account updated with their current email address.

Loss of Eligibility:

Failure to comply with the terms of the award granted to achieve a specific objective.

Further Information: • Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region o Website www.cffoxvalley.org/scholarships/ o Email scholarships@cffoxvalley.org o Phone 920.702.7629