St. Paul’s School Receives Second Major Gift for Performing Arts

A gift of $5 million from the Ho family names the performance hall in the future Coleman P. Burke ’59 Music Center.

BY KRISTIN DUISBERG

A generous $5 million gift from St. Paul’s School Trustee Henry Ho ’90, P’21,’22, his wife Rosalind Wang Ho P’21,’22, and his brother George Ho ’86 is an exciting step forward for the performing arts at SPS. Their gift of the Ho Family Performance Hall in the future Coleman P. Burke ’59 Music Center follows closely on the heels of a foundational $10 million gift from The Coleman and Susan Burke Foundation to name the new center — a priority project for the School in its Worthy of the Centuries capital campaign.

The proposed music center will be built on the footprint of the Crumpacker Gallery — site of the former Tuck Shop — and will transform what is possible for student artistic exploration and expression by renewing a key location for arts programming on Halcyon Way. Crumpacker Gallery will move to a newly renovated space in the Central Heating Plant similar in size to its current location with the added benefit of increased flexibility for installations with moveable walls and exhibit space all on one floor. The gallery will be connected to the music center by a pavilion, contributing to a cohesive, modern arts corridor on campus.

Designed by a William Rawn Architects team led by Form of 1979 alumnus Cliff Gayley, the Ho Family Performance Hall will be an elegant venue with a floor-to-ceiling wall of glass overlooking Turkey River and a newly revitalized meadow, with expansive views toward Library and Rectory Roads. In describing the design thinking behind the project, Gayley notes the hall’s connection to its surroundings is an essential element. “It’s about how we think about managing the scale of these buildings,” he says, “that allows for the sense of the landscape to flow into and through them.” The hall’s design also provides greater visibility of the music program to members of the campus community, as passersby will be able to see the rehearsals and performances happening inside.

The Ho Family Performance Hall echoes several of the architectural firm’s projects, including venues at Duke, Haverford, and Phillips Exeter Academy, as well as the Boston Symphony Orchestra Linde Center at Tanglewood and other arts organizations. With seating for 100, the hall will be the centerpiece of the music center, which also will include teaching and rehearsal studios, a practice room, a recording studio, and a music technology lab. Nearly a quarter of St. Paul’s student body currently participates in music programs and many more are supportive audience members during performances. Building a performance hall that can support the musical excellence of the School’s orchestra, chamber ensembles, jazz band, choirs and a cappella groups has been a huge priority for the music program and will help guarantee that there is always space for every student to discover something new through the performing arts here.

The chairman of Taiwan-based Tung Ho Steel, Henry Ho says the family gift reflects three generations’ love of and connection to music. George played cello at St. Paul’s, as did Henry’s younger son, Sanders ’22. His son William ’21 came to the School as a pianist who also learned to play the Aeolian-Skinner organ in the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul and several brass instruments — including the French horn under the instruction of Arts Department Head Orlando Pandolfi P’19. A squash player himself, Henry was the only one of the four family members to attend St. Paul’s who did not play an instrument — but he, like his brother, absorbed from their father a deep appreciation both for music and for the importance of supporting school initiatives, and their family was drawn to the educational and community aspects of the new music center project.

“My father very much insisted that we appreciate music and learn about music,” Ho says. “And St. Paul’s School means a great deal to him — he loves the School so much. It was important to me that this gift come from our whole family as part of our long-term legacy with the School.”

That legacy includes more than 20 years of generous gifts from the Ho family for financial aid, faculty development and annual unrestricted support, as well as a 1989 Library Fund gift from the elder Hos, Earle and Suzie, whose names are carved above the Ohrstrom Library circulation desk. A member of the Board of Trustees since 2021, Ho previously served on the Asia Council Executive Committee and as a regional representative.

“We are deeply grateful for the Ho family’s generosity and vision in making this performance hall inspirational for upcoming generations of students,” says Fourteenth Rector Kathy Giles. “Bringing a superb music program to full visibility within our community can only motivate students to learn more and to do more in their creative pursuits. What an incredible gift to St. Paul’s School!”

Ho says he hopes that, in addition to creating opportunities for St. Paul’s students to perform and appreciate the music created by their classmates, his family’s gift for the performance hall will inspire others to come forward and support the vision Rector Giles and the board have for the future of the School.

“Our love is for the music project, but there are many opportunities for others to step in and support projects for squash, dance, dining, a new assembly space, and more,” he says. “St. Paul’s is a great institution, and I hope St. Paul’s alums, parents, and families will all join in on this effort.”

Worthy of the Centuries, The Campaign for St. Paul’s School, takes its inspiration from the visionary work of School founder Dr. George Cheyne Shattuck and Fourth Rector Rev. Dr. Samuel Drury to steward the School not for their own time but for what it could and should be for generations to come. Guided by these predecessors, the School’s 2022 Strategic Plan, the 2025 Comprehensive Campus Plan, and a shared commitment to a thriving student experience, Fourteenth Rector Kathy Giles and the School Board of Trustees lead an ambitious program to reinvest in the excellence of St. Paul’s School by strengthening financial aid and faculty support and by renovating, modernizing, and building new facilities for arts, athletics, and community life.