Stephen W. King to donate $50,000 to Ipswich Education Foundation’s String Society

The Ipswich Education Foundation’s (IEF) String Society announced today that it will receive a $50,000 donation from Ipswich resident Stephen W. King. This transformational gift will fund the Stephen W. King Heritage Collection, a group of professional-quality string instruments that will stay within the Ipswich Public Schools to be played by the principal musicians of each section of the orchestra. The remaining portion of the gift will be earmarked for lesson scholarships for Ipswich string players at all grade levels, elementary through high school.

King’s gift, which honors Ipswich Middle and High School Orchestra Director Michael Coelho and Elementary Orchestra Director Marissa Scarano, is the largest gift by an individual since IEF’s founding. The Stephen W. King Heritage Collection will initially include a professional level violin, viola, cello and bass, which will each will be passed down yearly to deserving Ipswich student musicians.

“I believe music has such a positive, near transformative, impact on a child’s development and academic pursuits,” King said. “The town of Ipswich, and Michael Coelho in particular, has done a truly remarkable job with this. Every student has the ability to rise to true musical excellence behind Michael’s vision. I’m honored to provide a gift that will last many generations, so that now, in addition to having the ability to rise to music excellence, our students will have the ability to play instruments that can carry them as far as they want to reach.”

“A beautiful aspect of this incredibly generous gift is that it is a legacy that will be passed to multiple generations of student string players in Ipswich,” Coelho said. “If cared for properly, string instruments can last well beyond 100 years and will create a consistent sound for the Ipswich High School Orchestra.”

The first instrument in the Stephen W. King Heritage Collection, a violin, was purchased in early March and is now being played by senior violinist Avi Gahm-Diaz. Gahm-Diaz plans to study music in college and will be able to play the King Heritage Collection Violin during her studies at Ipswich High School as well as at concerts and auditions this spring.

The King Heritage Collection Violin, acquired from Carriage House Violins in Newton, MA, is a Germanic violin estimated to have been built in the 1850’s.

“Students work hard for many years to become excellent players,” Coelho said. “At some point, a student's skill may exceed the ability of the instrument. I was turned away at auditions and told by the panel that I was an excellent player and well prepared but their main concern was the quality of my instrument. I was limited in my performance pursuit because of the instrument I was playing at that time in my life.”

“It is amazing the difference of sound that a high quality instrument can bring to an ensemble,” Scarano said. “Quality instruments sing, project and lead their section in a different way than a typical student instrument. Put into the hands of skilled players, the orchestra will be raised to a higher sonic level.”

In accepting King’s gift, IEF String Society co-chairs Amy Farr Borgman and Kimberly Mavroides said, “We are honored to accept Mr. King’s incredibly generous gift. These beautiful instruments will inspire many future generations of young musicians in Ipswich, encouraging the mastery of their art. We as the IEF board are committed to ideas that serve to enhance our children's education, and this donation is a perfect example how members of our community can have a lasting, tangible impact.”