A Composition Written on the Heart

Deborah Kavasch has written two operas for a professional company and was commissioned to create a piece for the London Symphony Orchestra featuring a professional violin soloist playing a Stradivarius.

The Stanislaus State professor of music theory and composition has never forgotten those who helped her reach such professional heights, and she wants to enable the next generation of promising musicians.

Now teaching part-time after 45 years at the University, Kavasch has established the Dr. Deborah Kavasch Music Scholarship with a $50,000 donation.

"I think mostly it's out of gratitude for the help I received when I was a student," Kavasch said. "And, since I've been here for so many years, I do want my name to be remembered. I don't mean to sound egotistical. Given the fact I've dedicated my life to this institution, that this is my only job, I want to be remembered not only for my teaching, but for my ability to aid students in achieving their higher education goals."

Kavasch, who will always be remembered as the composer of Stan State's alma mater, envisions up to $1,500 a year being awarded to a music student, preferably one studying in the areas of composition, voice or strings.

The Department of Music awards its own scholarships, typically for four years to first-year students and two years to transfers. At any time, there may be 15 to 20 students receiving scholarships.

Kavasch follows several former colleagues who also gave back to students through scholarship opportunities - notably Sylvia Ghiglieri, David Goedecke, Gene Wisler and Robert Danzinger - who established named scholarships. Not all remain in existence, but Kavasch expects to continue contributing to the endowment fund that will support hers in perpetuity.

"I guess I've thought about this for 10 years or so," said Kavasch, who arrived in 1979 after earning a doctorate from UC San Diego. "I've been a full professor since 1990. I've dedicated my life to teaching students, especially teaching students here, and I've seen the Music Department grow in different ways. My hope is to help the department expand with qualified students who are prepared enough to contribute to the department, even as they are learning from us."

"If I can assist students coming to college to not have to spend so much of their time working outside jobs, I would be happy to know they could focus their time and energy on their academics and their performance opportunities as a music student."

-Deborah Kavasch, Professor of Music

During her tenure, and even dating back to her own college experience as an undergraduate and master's student at Bowling Green State University, Kavasch has seen the challenges for students grow.

"My parents scrimped and saved to make sure my sister and I got college educations," she said. "Whether or not we got scholarships, they were ready to assist us, with never any thought that we would need to have outside jobs. When I went to college, nobody had outside jobs that I was aware of.

"If I can assist students coming to college to not have to spend so much of their time working, I would be happy to know they could focus their time and energy on their academics and their performance opportunities as music students."

Kavasch was talented enough to earn scholarships throughout her educational journey. Additionally, she was paid for work within the music departments at Bowling Green and UC San Diego to support herself.

She turned that financial assistance into a career teaching others, all the while sharing her own talents with the world - whether singing, composing or playing violin, which she still does for Opera Modesto, the company for which she wrote two operas. She and Stan State colleague Linda Bunney-Sarhad, a writer and librettist, wrote "The Race," a humorous combination of five Aesop's Fables, and "Annabel," based on Edgar Allen Poe's "Annabel Lee."

As she sat in her office before leaving to teach one of her classes, Kavasch said it felt odd not writing anything at the moment. Requests have been made, though, and the possibilities are endless.

She's also helping to make that true for current and future Stan State students.

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