Anonymous CIM donor commits $1M to Kulas Hall renovation project

CIM’s vision for a revitalized Kulas Hall has received a significant endorsement in the form of a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor.  

The new commitment, announced Dec. 11, nearly doubles the lifetime giving from a 20-plus-year patron who shares CIM’s admiration of its students and resolve to provide a world-class teaching and learning environment for generations to come. 

“For this donor, the reward in giving isn’t grand public recognition but rather seeing how their gift empowers our students to fully develop their talents and potential,” said Paul W. Hogle, CIM’s President & CEO.  

“We are deeply grateful for this donor’s generosity – which already has resulted in a permanent CIM scholarship – and inspired by their genuine and continuing commitment to the future of classical music. Rare is the CIM student recital or concert at which this donor isn’t in attendance.” 

More than a concert hall, Kulas is CIM’s largest classroom and a vital training tool for the next generation of classical musicians, who come to CIM to train for careers in the world’s top venues.    

In addition, the 500-seat hall is a landmark in Greater Cleveland, an historic space synonymous with musical excellence and in wide use by artists and ensembles all over the region.   

The anonymous donor behind the new $1 million gift was moved to make the exceptional gift, which pushes CIM’s ongoing Second Century campaign past $26 million, after being briefed on the project by Kulas Hall Renovation Task Force Chair Bonnie Cook (BM ’77) and shown the design and acoustical engineering model by President Hogle. 

The project has a 15-month timeline and is budgeted at $21 million. It entails raising the ceiling to the roof deck, rerouting a complex network of ductwork, installing acoustical panels above the stage and acoustical banners throughout the hall, reshaping the sidewalls, and constructing an enhanced stage and orchestra pit. In addition, new seats will be installed, along with new state-of-the-art theater lighting and technology.  

At its core, the renovation project’s primary goal is to create a professional-grade, acoustically-healthy training environment for CIM’s students, faculty, visiting artists, and community partners.  

Groundbreaking is projected for summer 2024, with a grand re-opening slated for fall 2025. 

“Thanks in part to this exceptional donor, Kulas Hall will soon be reborn,” Hogle said. “For that, we, along with every student and music lover at CIM for decades to come, are in their debt.”