This spring, the University Choir will travel to Ireland to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience: a presentation of George Frideric Handel’s masterpiece, “Messiah.” The oratorio, performed in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death, will unite choirs from throughout the United States — all of which will gather in Dublin, the site of the first performance of “Messiah” on April 16, 1742.

The opportunity to be among them is a rare gift for a vocalist, one forwarded by a generous $52,800 donation from the Stutzman Family Foundation. The gift will underwrite a portion of the travel and participation costs for members of the Southern choir who are taking part in the June 2009 performance.

“There are 24 Southern students and recent graduates who are going,” says Professor of Music Terese Gemme, who directs the choir. “I don’t think any of them would have been able to participate had it not been for this exceptionally generous gift.

“They will be performing in a choir of several hundred people, something most would not otherwise have the opportunity to do,” Gemme continues, noting the historical significance of the location and timing of the event. “This is also a tremendous opportunity to experience the culture of Ireland. It will be an experience they will never forget.”

This gift builds on a previous transforming contribution from the foundation, one that promises to enrich Southern’s musical and cultural programs for decades to come. In 2008, the Stutzman Family Foundation, represented by Walter J. Stutzman, ’09, made a gift in memory of Mr. Stutzman’s parents, Geraldine and Jacob Stutzman, to establish and support the Southern Applied Music Program.

The program provides free weekly private voice or instrument lessons to all declared music majors who maintain a C- or better average in music courses. Previously, students were required to pay for lessons. The Foundation has agreed to fund the program with initial grants of $80,000 a year for the first four years and additional necessary funding in the years following. Stutzman, who retired in 2005 from a career in software consulting, graduated from Southern in January 2009 and plans to teach music at the secondary-school level. He points to the encouragement and openness of the music faculty as having sparked the idea of making such a gift. While he did not take lessons under the new program, Stutzman’s wish is that other students will fulfill their dreams.

The gift has three intentions, he says: “to honor my parents, who supported me; the Music Department faculty, who have helped me; and my fellow students, who have inspired me.” According to Stutzman, one of the unique strengths of the Southern music program is its ability to include and develop a wide variety of musical backgrounds. “It is the Stutzman Family Foundation’s intent to continue this spirit of inclusive development of musical talent and to provide a chance for aspiring musicians, as well as more advanced students, to explore the joys — and the rigors — of becoming proficient performers,” he says.

Addressing Stutzman, President Cheryl J. Norton acknowledged the importance of the gift at the university’s fall convocation. “[The gift] shows that you want to be a part of our future and not just a graduate of our past,” she said.

Stutzman’s familiarity with Southern’s music program evolved from his own distinct experience. During his undergraduate days as a mathematics major at Pomona College, Stutzman spent most of his time making music and exploring computers. After earning a master’s degree in linguistics at Yale University, he worked on the Yale Artificial Intelligence Project and later for the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) for 16 years. In 1996, he joined a small consulting firm, Information Design, Inc., where he was responsible for resolving critical problems with clients’ computer systems.

Throughout his career, Stutzman maintained his involvement with music, sitting in on keyboard and flute with three jazz bands. Since 1985, he has been the accompanist for the cantor and choir at Temple Beth Tikvah in Madison, Conn., where he and his family have lived for 23 years. As he approached the time when most people begin their retirement plans, Stutzman realized that music was more important to him than fixing the next “mission-critical” computer problem. Consequently, he retired in July 2005 with the intent of becoming a secondary school music teacher. “I realize that my teaching career will necessarily be shorter than my first career,” says Stutzman, “but I will have succeeded if I can help some students hear ‘with new ears’ and discover the joy of ensemble music making.” Stutzman capitalized on his time at Southern, excelling in his studies and earning a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average and departmental honors in music. He was one of four outstanding seniors to receive the Henry Barnard Foundation Distinguished Student Award, which recognizes high academic achievement and commitment to the campus and the greater community. Stutzman’s mother encouraged him to pursue a second career as a secondary music teacher, and although she did not live to see her son begin his studies at Southern, his father was able to follow his first two years in the music program. “He was very appreciative of the guidance and encouragement I received from the music faculty, and agreed with my suggestion that a major gift to support Southern’s music program would be an appropriate project for our family’s Foundation,” says Stutzman.

He and his wife, Esther, have passed along a passion for education to their children. Their son, Michael, has taught high school English and is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in writing at Sarah Lawrence College, and their daughter, Anne, is enrolled in Southern’s master’s degree program in special education.