Crescendo Raises More Than $650,000 for Student Scholarships

Annual benefit performance is the Conservatory’s largest fundraising event

The 2022 Crescendo event raised more than $650,000 to support Conservatory student scholarships. Approximately 1,000 people attended the gala and performance Friday evening.

Crescendo is a collage-style show, with performances from musicians, dancers and actors. Each piece flows into the next as a continuous performance. This year’s Crescendo included jazz, a strings solo, a piano solo, opera, dance, singers, various ensembles, a scene from the film “The 39 Steps” and more.

“The Crescendo performance is the ultimate exercise in team effort,” said James Snell, Ph.D., associate dean for performance. “We start planning about one year out. In August, we establish the program repertoire and students begin to work on their pieces.”

More than 250 students, faculty members and alumni performed in the show, held in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. This was the 26^th annual Crescendo event.

Alumni performers this year included trumpeter Hermon Mehari, operatic bass Scott Conner, operatic tenor Ben Gulley, pianist Crystal Jiang and dancer Caroline Dahm. Two opera singers perform in front of an orchestra on a lit stage Two dancers perform in front of a string ensemble on a lit stage Two students act out a scene on stage - on is sitting in an armchair and one is standing next to it and pointing at her. A side table with a lamp is beside the arm chair. A conductor has his back toward the camera; in front of him is an orchestra performing onstage. Seven dancers perform in a row, each with a leg lifted behind them. They are onstage with dramatic lighting. An orchestra performs onstage.