Legendary rockers make a $300K gift to UNLV
Their Sphere residency was titled “U2 UV — Achtung Baby.”
Now we have “U2 — UNLV.”
In the wake of its trend-setting production, the superstar rockers have donated $300,000 to UNLV College of Fine Arts.
Ever sly, the band disclosed the gift strictly in the College of Fine Arts newsletter. No fanfare for this impressive, important donation.
The announcement is in a line of college highlights posted by College of Fine Arts Dean Nancy Uscher in her notes to CFA newsletter subscribers.
As Uscher specified, the U2: UV Music Scholarship and Experiential Fund is a one-time gift, designed to “provide support for access to a stellar music education as well as experiential learning and performance opportunities for School of Music music majors. These opportunities will include student travel and support for creative activities and performances at various international music events.”
Uscher said in a phone chat Tuesday the donation was the result of a many-monthslong process from a mystery donor. This was an effort by an unknown company that had contacted the university after researching the College of Fine Arts.
The more questions were asked, the more intrigued were school representatives.
“We had this very wonderful dialog with the people representing them, and at some point they were pretty sure that our goals were in alignment with the kind of work they like to do in in supporting education,” Uscher said. “Then we were told who they were, and we were thrilled. I feel they have cared about Las Vegas for a long time.”
Uscher said most of the money will be dedicated to CFA scholarships. Some funds will be spent on experiences for students to perform internationally, such as helping students attend the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer. The money will also support students in the UNLV Wind Orchestra, which has been invited to the June 29 “French Festival des Anches D’Azur,” in the city of La Croix Valmer in the south of France.
The impact and influence of the UNLV College of Fine Arts is felt across Las Vegas. The musicians who have attended the university or taught music have preformed for such superstars as Adele, Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Michael Buble and David Foster, among many others.
UNLV Jazz Studies department head Dave Loeb’s UNLV Jazz Ensemble bands have won more than 50 Downbeat Magazine awards, and are among the most respected collection of college musicians in the world.
Uscher said she is convinced the U2 camp learned of the school’s reputation in its extensive canvassing of the university. She has sent a handwritten thank-you note to band members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., all of whom signed off on the donation.
“It’s been so touching, really, how much they care about our students,” Uscher said. “They made it really clear to us that they’re very eager for the focus to be on the students.”
On the topic of UNLV …
The College of Fine Arts/Clark County partnership Arts in the Center resumes with “Waxing Lyrical” at 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Composers Room at Historic Commercial Center.
Grammy-nominated lyricist Pamela Phillips Oland talks of her craft, as Uscher moderates. Oland has written for Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Berlin, Whitney Houston, Peobo Bryson, The Whispers and Selena, among many other top artists. The event is free and open to the public, as are all of the Arts in the Center events running through June 4.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
