Endowments

Providing long-term financial security for the festival means creating a strong endowment. We need festival patrons to step forward by making a current gift, or a planned gift, to ensure the continuation of programming our audience values. Gifts may be specifically targeted to the area of programming you wish to support, and can also carry the name of the donor(s), or be designated in honor of or in memory of a friend or family member.

To learn more about endowment opportunities, please call Hannah Bennett at 828-262-4973.

An Appalachian Summer Festival Endowment Fund

A strong endowment will generate critically needed annual interest income, which will enable the festival to continue maintaining the highest standards of artistic excellence, as well as a continued commitment to affordable ticket pricing. Additionally, the endowment will generate critically valuable interest income on an annual basis, which will directly support the festival’s annual programming expenses.

The commitment of the generous donors, shown below, has made it possible for the festival to reach its $5 million endowment goal, and ensures that it will survive and thrive, enriching lives of residents across our region for generations to come!

We wish to thank all of our generous donors, whose passion for the arts led them to make a commitment that has led to the fulfillment of our endowment goal.

Special thanks to our lead donors

• Nancy and Neil Schaffel
  Nancy Schaffel’s parents, Arnold and Muriel Rosen, were festival founders who worked with university administrators in the early 1980s to establish An Appalachian Summer Festival. Nancy and Neil have “carried the torch” for the festival ever since, and have established two major endowment funds to date — one of which supports the festival’s classical music programming, with the most recent gift focused on general program support, and framed as a $1 million challenge that “matches” gifts from other festival donors. The Schaffels are passionate about the festival’s mission and ensuring that it continues in perpetuity. They also support the annual Rosen-Schaffel Competition for Young and Emerging Artists, a source of pride for the festival over the past 10 years.
• Barbara Freiman
  Barbara Freiman, a long-standing festival supporter and a deeply admired member of the arts community in both Watauga and Caldwell counties, has joined with members of her family to donate more than $1 million to the endowment fund. These commitments have enabled the festival to reach its ultimate fundraising target of $5 million. Made in memory of Barbara’s husband, Larry, these gifts by Barbara, their children and grandchildren represent the family’s desire to ensure arts access and quality of life for our entire region. Barbara and her family members made a comparable gift to the University Libraries. She has served as a valued advisory board member for both the University Libraries and An Appalachian Summer Festival.
• Christine Petti
  In October of 2020, the challenge campaign received a major boost, when festival supporter Christine Petti stepped forward with a pledge of $500,000 to be applied toward the endowment challenge. Chris is a Florida native who came to the High Country in 1979 with her late husband, Dr. Alfonso Petti. Over the past 40 years she has become involved with Appalachian State and a variety of community organizations across the High Country. Chris’s spirit of philanthropy in the fields of healthcare and the arts has made a profound difference in the lives of residents across our region and beyond.