Donor Stories
The Cal State Fullerton School of Music is extremely grateful to each and every one of our supporters, including all who are members of our support organizations, and the individuals, businesses, and foundations who give directly toward the support of our students and programs.
Our donors and the beneficiaries of their generosity have stories to share. We invite you to read their stories to discover the amazing impact that giving to the Cal State Fullerton School of Music has on CSUF music majors.
If you are interested in contributing in a similar way, please feel free to contact Senior Director of Development Patricia Falzon at (657) 278-7695; Or click here
to donate online.
We hope you enjoy our extraordinary donor stories!
Frank Raymond and recipient Marta Xavier
Q. Can you tell us about your career path and how you got to where you are now?
A. When I started, I founded a company at 22 years old which designed a more cost-efficient electric actuator for ball valves. I went around selling my ideas to larger companies. My current company, Bray International, Inc., deals in the production and sales of ball valves, butterfly valves, and actuators.
Q. Tell us about your musical background, experience, and interest in music?
A. My father was an artist, photographer, and a musician (clarinet and saxophone), so I grew up with a love for classical music. When I was old enough, I started lessons on the clarinet. Even though my interests shifted in high school, I still maintained my interest for music.
Q. What inspired you to begin donating to support music students at Cal State Fullerton?
A. I met Håkan Rosengren at an auction in Texas and I began a musical relationship with him. This led to me to donate to clarinet students in need of financial support at Cal State Fullerton.
Q. You have a record of ongoing contributions to these music students; what has caused you to continue giving?
A. I get a great satisfaction in interviewing students and learning what they would like to do and where they would like to go with their careers. As a result, I will continue supporting clarinet students at Cal State Fullerton many years into the future.
Q. Most of the students you are supporting are between ages 18 to 23. What were you doing at that age? A. At that age, I had $1500, I founded my first company, and I had a wife and baby boy.
Scholarship recipient Marta Xavier
As an international student in the US, Xavier has experienced diverse cultural and humanistic contexts both academically and personally. It was only natural for her to comprehend and adapt to such a contrasting reality. However, one small detail was about to make an immense difference: the living expenses. Therefore, the Frank and Jean Raymond's Foundation Scholarship is of incredible importance for the completion of her degree at CSUF and she is tremendously grateful for their support.
Jeffrey Sward and recipient Brandon Smart
Q. Can you tell us about your career path and how you got to where you are now?
A. Earning a living has always been accomplished through software development and software architecture.
Q. Tell us about your musical background, experience, and interest in music?
A. I was educated at California State University, Fullerton, and earned a B.M. Music in 1975 and a M.M. Music in 1978, both in oboe performance. My Master of Music thesis, "Schoenberg's 'Pierrot Lunaire' and Walton's 'Façade' from a Conductor's Viewpoint" is viewable at California State University Fullerton, the Indiana University School of Music, and the Arnold Schoenberg Center in Vienna, Austria.
Q. What motivated you to begin donating to support music students at Cal State Fullerton?
A. Financial aid to music students is a worthwhile way to support the arts. Music students often have devoted much of their life to music before college begins. Music students deserve personal and financial support to continue their education at the college level. Music curriculum requires a much greater commitment of student hours than most other fields of study. A greater commitment of time for studies exacerbates financial stress. The college level is the first exposure of most music students to first-rate ensembles, professional level performance practices, music theory, and music history. Most music school graduates pursue occupations outside of the arts. Even careers outside of the arts benefit greatly from skills learned in music school, such as critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, project management, and research.
Q. You have a record of ongoing contributions to these music students; what has caused you to continue giving?
A. The California State University, Fullerton School of Music is particularly exemplary. The California State University, Fullerton Music School is fully accredited, technically sound, and offers both professional and liberal arts degrees through the masters level. The most distinctive and meritorious aspect of the California State University, Fullerton music program is the positive and supportive manner in which the faculty and students interact. Learning and performing music with a group of equally passionate individuals in this supportive environment is an experience unequalled in most lifetimes. The total value of the California State University, Fullerton music program greatly exceeds the sum of its parts.
Q. Most of the students you are supporting are between ages 18 to 23. What were you doing at that age?
A. I was earning a degree in music (oboe performance) and mathematics at California State University. Fullerton.
Scholarship recipient Brandon Smart
Receiving a scholarship to attend CSUF as a transfer student last year offered me an amazing opportunity. I have worked with some great musicians in many different ensembles, and had the opportunity to learn from some incredible instructors. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow as a music performance major (bassoon) in this program.
Alan Mannason and recipient Craig Davis
Q. Can you tell us about your career path and how you got to where you are now?
A. I was in the liquor business for 51 years. Now that have I retired, I volunteer at SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), which is a program in the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics."
Q. Tell us about your musical background, experience, and interest in music?
A. I don’t have a musical background, but I did grow up in the days of Glenn Miller. My partner, Patricia Nyborg, brought me into classical music several years ago.
Q. What inspired you to begin donating to support music students at Cal State Fullerton?
A. I was originally giving money to marketing students at Cal State Fullerton. However, at Patricia’s suggestion, I began to give to students studying music composition because of their professionalism in the art.
Q. You have a record of ongoing contributions to these music students; what has caused you to continue giving?
A. If I can help one student out of thirty, I am satisfied. The Mannason Scholarships have been given to thirty-three students over 8 years, so I am obviously very satisfied. The contributions are also greatly appreciated by the students and faculty. You get to see the results of the contribution as they produce music.
Q. Most of the students you are supporting are between ages 18 to 23. What were you doing at that age?
A. Hustling to make a living. I was married at 21 and my first child was born when I was 23.
Scholarship recipient Craig Davis
I compose the majority of my music in my private studio a few miles outside of Los Angeles. My primary instrument is the piano, which I've been playing for over 15 years. Classically trained, I perform locally with “The White Noise” Contemporary Music Ensemble that was founded in 2012. I am currently seeking a BM in Composition and a BA in Piano Pedagogy from California State University, Fullerton. Upon graduation, I plan to attend The New York University where I have been awarded a scholarship to pursue graduate studies in composition. I have been awarded a number of scholarships while at CSUF, including the Henriquez Scholarship for Composition in 2012, the Alan A. Mannason Scholarship for Composition in 2013, and a special CSU Summer Arts Program Scholarship during the summer of 2012 that allowed me to attend the CSU Summer Arts program. These scholarships have helped me to further my composition goals and find new ways to express my musicality to the local community, as well as abroad.
