Vienna Boys Choir booked for Marylhurst concerts
CLIFF NEWELL / lake oswego review
Good teamwork made it possible to bring the Vienna Boys Choir to Lake Oswego. From the left, David Dickson of Marylhurst University and Juanita Struble and Jeff Pentecost of Music For The Heart.
Everyone knows that music is good for the heart.
Especially when it comes from Music For The Heart.
People of this area can find out for themselves when the world-famous Vienna Boys Choir performs at Marylhurst University on March 3 and 4.
Attracting such a renowned and historic choir to Lake Oswego is a remarkable achievement, but Jeff Pentecost has made remarkable achievements commonplace since he started Music For The Heart five years ago.
“We’re having our fifth anniversary, and each year we’re getting bigger and bigger,” Pentecost said. “Having the Vienna Boys Choir here is an event that has tremendous synergy with Marylhurst University.
“From my point of view it’s magic.”
Pentecost does heart research as a profession and loves music as his avocation. As federal funding for heart research began dwindling a decade ago, he came up with a new idea of how to raise public awareness of heart disease.
The result was Music For the Heart, which brings in outstanding musical performers for benefit concerts to raise money for heart research.
“I thought it was a good time for it,” Pentecost said.
It was. The venture was a success from the start, raising $10,000 in its first concert. But after partnering with OHSU for two years, Pentecost decided to start his own foundation.
He then made a very wise move by calling Juanita Struble. She enthusiastically offered financial support with the Struble Foundation, and the wheels of success started spinning.
As it turned out, Struble had a interest in music and a great interest in heart research. Her late husband, Glenn, had severe heart problems, suffering four aneurisms over 13 years.
“Helping Jeff with Music For The Heart has been a beautiful retirement for me,” Struble said. “I’m busier than I’ve ever been. Basically, I can’t quit.
“It was important that I kept my promise to my husband about raising awareness of heart disease.”
The connection with Marylhurst came about simply because Struble was trying to rent St. Anne’s Chapel.
“I was told, ‘We’re pretty choosey about who we let perform there. Who do you have coming?’ “ Struble said. “I told them the Vienna Boys Choir.”
Enough said.
David Dickson, Marylhurst’s vice president for development, had huge enthusiasm for the project; not only for renting the chapel but forming a partnership with Music For The Heart on the event. And beyond
After all, music is one of the foundations for Marylhurst University. One of the miracles performed by the founding Sisters of the Holy Names was bringing a piano all the way from Canada when they first came here in the 19th century.
“This is a partnership we hope goes on to bigger and better things,” Dickson said. “I hope we eventually have an annual campuswide music festival. Judi Johansen (Marylhurst president) is very excited about our collaboration.”
Marylhurst and Music For The Heart figure to make sweet music together, and it all starts with the Vienna Boys Choir. Tickets for the event, priced at $95, are available through Ticketmaster.com starting Dec. 5.
“Having the Vienna Boys Choir here fits our goal of becoming a center for arts and culture in this community. This is the type of quality we want to showcase,” Dickson said.
For more about Music For The Heart, see its Web site at www.musicfortheheart.org .