A Passion for Art and Music: Gene and George Rochberg
George and Gene Rochberg
The world-renowned composer George Rochberg (1918-2005) and his wife Gene began their 50-year friendship with the Philadelphia Museum of Art as neighbors. In 1945, the young couple moved to Philadelphia so the late Mr. Rochberg could continue his musical studies at the Curtis Institute of Music. Their tiny first apartment was just blocks from the Museum, and Mrs. Rochberg has fond memories of pulling her son Paul's carriage up the front steps. She explains that, "While we were very poor, we felt we were very rich because of our proximity to the Museum." In 1996, the Rochbergs decided to give back to the Museum through a
Charitable Gift Annuity, providing them with guaranteed, lifelong income while establishing funds for endowed concerts to be held in the Museum galleries and auditorium.
The Gene and George Rochberg Music Series explores and reinforces the intrinsic connection between the visual arts and music, something very important to the couple and long celebrated at the Museum. "We want the contemporary art of our time to be encouraged, and at the same time we want to ensure that what is good from the past is preserved," Mr. Rochberg explained when the gift was made.
“For us, the absence of art would be dreadful. We wanted to do something significant ... ”
— The Rochbergs
With more than 100 compositions to his credit, Mr. Rochberg was one of America's most distinguished and frequently performed composers. Beginning with the first performances of his
Night Music by the New York Philharmonic in 1953, many of his compositions achieved international recognition. Mrs. Rochberg wrote the libretto for her husband's opera
The Confidence Man (1982), based on Herman Melville's novel of the same name, and she studied acting at the Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania, where she first met the master woodworker Wharton Esherick. The enduring effects of that friendship can be seen in the music stand, banister, and sculpture shelf Esherick created for his friends, which are still in their home.
The Rochbergs made their gift to the Museum, they said, because "for us, the absence of art would be dreadful. We wanted to do something significant to ensure that others would be able to enjoy and appreciate what has been so important to our lives."
Learn more about Charitable Gift Annuities and other Planned Gifts >>
For more information, please contact Development by phone at (215) 684-7750, by fax at (215) 236-0796, or by e-mail at .
