The Neal Cruz Fund

History and Purpose

Members of the Pacific Mozart Ensemble (PME) established the Neal Cruz Fund in 2004 to honor the memory of fellow singer and PME arranger Neal Cruz, who passed away in June of that year at the age of 33. PME is a choral ensemble with a 25-year history of performing material from the classical and popular genres in the San Francisco Bay Area.

During his two-year tenure with PME, Neal made a profound impact on the group. He was a rising star among the arrangers for PME’s annual jazz and pop a cappella concerts. He also made a concerted effort to welcome the newest members to the ensemble, going out of his way to make others feel a part of something that had become of great musical and personal value to him. His mentoring spirit was pervasive and made his passing that much more profound.

This memorial to Neal Cruz supports the development and implementation of programs that speak to his talent, musical passions and great sensitivity to his fellow artists. The primary purpose of the fund is to support the development of emerging vocal arrangers, through the establishment of The Neal Cruz Workshop. A secondary goal of the fund is to ease the transition of new members into PME. By carrying forth his memory in this way, we hope to create a legacy that makes it possible for others to realize their dreams and musical ambitions.
 

The Neal Cruz Workshop

The Neal Cruz Workshop will focus on arranging technique and provide an opportunity for arrangers to test their abilities and improve their craft. Experienced arrangers will critique and offer suggestions to improve workshop participants’ arrangements. Participants will also have an opportunity to hear their work performed by PME singers during the workshop. The workshop will be specifically targeted towards students of arranging outside of PME.

The Neal Cruz Fund will cover the costs of promoting the workshop to schools and community organizations (publicity and advertising), providing a stipend to the clinicians, renting the workshop space and any other related expenses.

Easing the transition of new members into PME

This aspect of the fund will support new members of PME and will be at the discretion of the fund trustees. The fund may be used to support new member mentoring or to offset music fees, retreat costs and concert attire. Funds may also be used to underwrite scholarships for PME members to attend external workshops (e.g., A Cappella Summit) and to pay for arranging resources within PME.

Management of the Fund

At its inception, the Neal Cruz Fund accumulated over $2,000. Initial funding came from members of the Pacific Mozart Ensemble and the friends and family of Neal Cruz. External sources of funding are being sought to increase its resources and outreach capability.

The funds will be held in the PME market rate account under a special designation as the Neal Cruz Fund and will be distributed at the discretion of the Neal Cruz Fund Board of Trustees, a group of PME singers and members of Neal’s immediate family. Board members include: Annette Cayot, Noreen Cruz, Eric Freeman (Chair), Gene Hern, Kim Keeton and Mimi Kwan.

Contributions to the Fund

The Pacific Mozart Ensemble is a 501(c)3 corporation (tax id 94-2783909), and all gifts are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law. Donations may be given in several different ways:

  • Donate on your VISA, MasterCard or American Express. Download and complete our Donor Form )requires Acrobat reader). Mail the completed form to:

The Neal Cruz Fund
c/o The Pacific Mozart Ensemble
PO Box 5635
Berkeley, CA 94705

. . . or fax it to us at 510.848.8022.
 
  • Call PME’s Ticket & Information line at 510.848.8022 and leave a message.
  • Send a check to:

    The Neal Cruz Fund
    c/o The Pacific Mozart Ensemble
    PO Box 5635
    Berkeley, CA 94705

  • Corporate matching gifts:

    Many corporations match donations to arts organizations such as The Pacific Mozart Ensemble. If your employer offers corporate matching gifts, please send any company instructions and forms with your gift.

For additional information, please contact: Eric Freeman, Chair of the Neal Cruz Fund Board of Trustees, (510) 601-6676, freemaneric@sbcglobal.net.