It is difficult to express how important Ernie and Mary Schoenfeld are to the success of Carolina Performing Arts. They will be the first to tell you that they have not made the largest gift, in dollar terms, to our program. Hailing from first and third generation immigrant families and with careers as a university administrator (Ernie) and a music teacher (Mary), they lead a stimulating and comfortable life but are hardly ranked among the world’s billionaire philanthropists. But the Schoenfelds’ passion for the arts, particularly music, is expressed in how they spend their time and the institutions they generously support.
Music has been not only a shared interest but part of the strong bond that began during courtship and has lasted for decades. Ernie says he knew he wanted to marry a pianist many years before he met Mary. Despite his love of music, he himself could not play the piano so he decided early on to marry that talent. Mary, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to be a musician, but her parents were concerned that she would not be able to support herself and urged her to go into something more practical. She followed that advice and concentrated on the sciences but never gave up music. She studied piano as a child, begging to start lessons at age 5 after watching the organist at church. Her parents allowed her to start at age 6. She still has the same piano on which she first practiced in Racine, Wisconsin.
Although she was headed for a career in laboratory work, Mary was working toward her master’s in piano at Juilliard when they met through Mary’s roommate, whose best friend Ernie was dating. During the best friend’s holiday visit with Mary and her room-mate in New York, Ernie came to the apartment to pick up his date on New Year’s Eve. Mary answered the door and Ernie thought, if I break up with my current girlfriend, I’m going to date Mary. When the relationship ended, he called Mary the following April 15 and asked what she was doing. “I’m celebrating my birthday and doing my taxes,” she told him. Not surprisingly, Ernie offered to help with both.
Ernie was born in Germany but grew up in New York City. Both his parents loved music and his introduction to the grandeur and power of the performing arts was a special treat for his Bar Mitzvah, a trip to City Center to see the New York City Opera’s production of Tales of Hoffman. He was hooked and throughout his school years, he stood in line all day until the doors opened at 7:00 PM for $2 tickets. He has always loved music and dance and discovered a passion for the visual arts in college.
The couple married and moved to the West Coast, then back east to Syracuse. They were there when Ernie got a call from the UNC School of Public Health to manage contract research. Thirty-eight years later, they are still in Chapel Hill and Ernie keeps retiring and un-retiring.
One constant, though, is their commitment to the arts and they’ve certainly witnessed a sea-change over their 38 years in this community. When they first arrived in Chapel Hill in 1972, the arts were not part of the fabric of the campus or community. Carolina sports dominated community life and the rhythms of the year. “We lived through those desert years,” says Ernie. “Everything closed at 9:00 PM!” They’d go to faculty concerts followed by a snack at Dunkin Donuts, the only place open at night.
Over the years, as the quantity and quality of arts offerings in the Triangle greatly expanded, Ernie and Mary have encouraged and supported their favorite cause. Faithful supporters of the North Carolina Symphony, they were thrilled with the renovation of Memorial Hall and the launch of Carolina Performing Arts. They’ve purchased 290 tickets in six seasons. They’ve loved the “headline” artists including Yo-Yo Ma, The New York Philharmonic, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, among others. But they also like to experiment. “We love the incredible quality,” says Ernie. “Because we can depend on that, we go to things we wouldn’t go to otherwise.” They don’t always like what they see at Memorial Hall, but are glad they were exposed to new artistic ideas. “We’ve tried to broaden our interests,” Mary adds. “Besides, where else could you see all this quality and variety? New York? D.C.? Memorial Hall is just 10 munities away!”
When asked what they would like to add, Ernie says “Just ‘thank you.’ We want to say ‘thank you’ to Emil, Priscilla and all the staff who do a wonderful job. We want to especially thank The Kenan Trust, Tom Kenan and Dick Krasno for what they’ve done for the arts in this community.” And we at Carolina Performing Arts add another thank you, to a couple who attends regularly, engages with performances, generously shares their reactions and supports what they love.