Rob Kindler ’76, P’04,’08,’12 remembers it like it was yesterday.
He was at his family’s home in Bayside, Queens, when his mother said there was a man on the phone who wanted to talk to him.
“I see you play the flute,” said Dexter Morrill ’60, a Colgate professor who was also known as a talented trumpeter and pioneering composer. “If you came to Colgate, would you commit to playing in the concert orchestra?”
For Kindler, who’d played the flute since the age of 7 and had once aspired to be a musician in his own right, the answer was clear: “Absolutely.”
Spending most of his collegiate career at the Dana Arts Center, Kindler explored his musical interests despite ultimately deciding to major in English. He took up the bassoon as part of an independent study course with Professor William Skelton, who founded the concert orchestra in 1965 and spearheaded Colgate’s first venture into electronic music with the installation of a Moog synthesizer in 1967.
A classically trained flutist, Kindler’s first experience with computer-generated harmonies came from Morrill. Best known for being among the nation’s earliest college professors to teach computerized music, Morrill developed a first-of-its-kind computer music studio during Kindler’s time on the Hill, and he composed an electronically accompanied piece specifically for the flutist he helped bring to Hamilton.
Now a trustee emeritus, Kindler has long been a champion for artistic innovation at Colgate, having previously endowed the Kindler Family Chair in Global Contemporary Art and the Kindler Family Music Room in Case Library. Then in February, the University announced a generous $5 million gift from Kindler and his wife, Sydney P’17,’20, in support of the Middle Campus Plan for Arts, Creativity, and Innovation.
“We want Colgate to be a destination for talented students interested in the arts, and I’m excited to invest in the facilities that will allow the University to support its outstanding arts programs.”
Rob Kindler ’76, P’04,’08,’12
“Music was a big part of my life at Colgate and the reason why I went there,” says Kindler. “We want Colgate to be a destination for talented students interested in the arts, and I’m excited to invest in the facilities that will allow the University to support its outstanding arts programs.”
A key component of the University’s ambitious and far-reaching Third-Century Plan, the reimagined Middle Campus will promote connections among the arts, sciences, and technology, and establish a central hub that links departments, curricula, and co-curricular interests that touch on creative processes and student expression.
Long-term planning for the Middle Campus calls for a series of projects, including construction of the new Benton Center for Creativity and Innovation; renovation of James C. Colgate Hall as a site for curricular music programs; creation of the Picker Pavilion and interconnected facilities to house Colgate’s museum collections; and the renovation of the Dana Center for Curricular and Co-Curricular Innovation as well as Brehmer Theater.
The Kindlers’ gift will support these efforts and will help bring the University one step closer to its vision of integrating arts and innovation into a wide range of programs across campus.
“It is clear from speaking with Rob and Sydney that their family shares passions for music, dance, and the visual arts and that they and their children are interested in technological and educational innovation,” says Lesleigh Cushing, senior adviser to the president for arts and innovation initiatives and the Murray W. and Mildred K. Finard Professor in Jewish studies and religion. “The Kindlers’ gift supporting the arts and innovation celebrates the intersection of these interests in their lives and recognizes the exciting potential of these areas intersecting in Colgate’s Middle Campus.