"Stangeland Family" welcome addition to name

October 11, 2006

Keeping classical music alive and transforming the lives of young people is being made possible with a special gift from The Roger and Lilah Stangeland Foundation.

In a ceremony on the day of the YCA's final concert, the group serenaded Lilah Stangeland as she announced her gift. Starting now, the program will be officailly known as the Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy to reflect her generous support.

The YCA, founded in 1998, brings 85 select high school students from around the country to Eugene every summer for ten days to live, work, and perform alongside the festival's internationally renowned choir, orchestra, soloists, and conductors. The gift will help defray the costs of bringing young musicians to Eugene each year.

"It is our hope that the gift will help sustain the academy into the distant future and leave a musical and educational legacy," said Brad Stangeland of Eugene, a board member of the Oregon Bach Festival. The Stangeland Foundation was started by Brad's parents, Roger and Lilah, for the purposes of furthering educational opportunities, especially for youth. Brad Stangeland owns a Eugene landscape architecture and design firm, and he and his wife Colleen own the stores New Twist and Toko Asia, both located in the Fifth Street Market.