The Bess Hieronymus Faculty Endowment

Dr. Bess Hieronymus,
Professor of Organ

The Bess Hieronymus Faculty Endowment will honor Bess Hieronymus' twenty-nine years of outstanding service to The University of Texas at San Antonio and will acknowledge her countless contributions to the field of organ studies and performance. This fund will help UTSA fund a position of teaching in the areas of private instruction on organ, organ literature, organ pedagogy, and other related courses. It will continue the excellent reputation that UTSA has attained in the area of organ performance, benefiting the university and community at large. The Bess Hieronymus Faculty Endowment will complement the student scholarship fund that was established in her name in 1989 for the study of organ.

Dr. Hieronymus has been the only organ professor at UTSA. She was one of the first faculty members at UTSA. She was also the first woman appointed full professor. She developed the organ studies program within the Department of Music. In addition, Dr. Hieronymus supervised the installation of the exceptional 1982 Casavant organ in the UTSA Recital Hall. In January 2004, UTSA President Ricardo Romo approved that the organ be named the Bess Hieronymus Pipe Organ at UTSA.

The impact of Dr. Hieronymus on organ students, organists, audiences, and church congregations extends beyond South Texas. Internationally, Dr. Hieronymus brought attention to UTSA with her multiple performances throughout Europe. In 1992 she performed in the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory Hall. At that time she was the third non-Russian, first American and first woman to be awarded membership in the National Russian Musical Society which was established in 1861. In the 1990’s, Dr. Hieronymus took her UTSA organ students to France and the Czech Republic to perform on historic organs and study with eminent organists.

In addition to her service to UTSA, Dr. Hieronymus was the Organist-Choir Director at Temple Beth-El and Alamo Heights Methodist Church simultaneously and then at First Presbyterian Church for twenty-seven years. She is remembered for performances of the highest musical quality. For seventeen years, she organized the William C. Hall Organ Competition for undergraduate and graduate organ students in Texas universities. The competition gives recognition to young organists who frequently proceed to major careers.

Dr. Hieronymus received a Bachelor of Music degree from The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. She completed a Master of Arts in Music from Smith College where she wrote her thesis under one of the greatest authorities on Mozart, Dr. Alfred Einstein. She was the first person to receive a Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance and Musicology from The University of Texas at Austin. In 1995, Dr. Hieronymus was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities from The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Our goal is to raise $100,000 for the Bess Hieronymus Faculty Endowment through the support of friends, colleagues, and others interested in promoting the study of the organ. The faculty position supported by this endowment will encourage future generations of UTSA music students to follow the example and legacy that Dr. Hieronymus created as a teacher, performer, and scholar.

For more information, please contact Dr. Eugene Dowdy, Chair of the UTSA Department of Music at (210) 458-4357 or eugene.dowdy@utsa.edu.

If you wish to make a gift in support of the Bess Hieronymus Faculty Endowment, you may click here for a printable gift form and mailing information (Adobe PDF reader required.) You can also make a donation online by visiting the UTSA Development website and clicking on the "Make a gift now!" link on the main page. Please mention the Bess Hieronymus Faculty Endowment on the space labeled "Designation" on the online donation form.

 

The University of Texas at San Antonio Department of Music
One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249
210.458.4354
Questions & Comments
©2003-2004 University of Texas at San Antonio