EVANSVILLE — A $2 million donation to the University of Southern Indiana from composer and Posey County native Philip Hagemann will move the school closer to developing a full music degree program.
The university's music program offers three minors — general music, vocal music performance, vocal music education — but not a major.
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The gift to the University of Southern Indiana Foundation will establish the Philip H. Hagemann Music Program Fund to support and develop music programs at USI. It was announced Tuesday night before a concert honoring Hagemann's works and career.
Donations to it will be used to develop courses and ensembles, add music laboratories and classroom space and scholarships for music students. It also will continue the composer's sponsorship of the Philip H. Hagemann Award for Musical Performance. The annual competition for Posey County high school students culminates with a public concert at Thrall's Opera House in New Harmony.
The university is renaming its performing arts department in its College of Liberal Arts to the Philip H. Hagemann Performing Arts Department.
"I love music and I think everybody should have the opportunity to experience it," he said.
The new fund will support USI's current music ensembles and classes, said Ben Luttrull, a university spokesman, but it will also help support a longer-range goal of developing a full degree music program at the school, including adding faculty.
Hagemann was born and raised in Mount Vernon, where his love of music began with piano and saxophone lessons.
He has been a musician, teacher, theatrical producer and composer. His compositions include two full-length operas, 10 one-act chamber operas and 75 choral works. Two of his compositions premiered in September at the London Royal Academy of Music.
His compositions will be archived at USI. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from the school in 2016.