VPA to host memorial concert Oct. 6 in celebration of the late Rose Setnor ’33

VPA to host memorial concert Oct. 6 in celebration of the late Rose Setnor ’33September 26, 2006Jaime Winne Alvarezjlwinne@syr.edu

Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) will host a memorial concert in celebration of the late Rose Setnor ’33 Friday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. in the Rose and Jules R. Setnor Auditorium, Crouse College. In 1997, Rose and her husband, Dr. Jules R. Setnor ’32 M.D.’35, donated $3.2 million to the University to name VPA’s School of Music and historic Crouse College Auditorium. Rose Setnor (right) passed away Oct. 7, 2005. Dr. Setnor will be in attendance at the concert.

One of the events of the 2006 Homecoming festivities, the memorial concert will feature performances by students and faculty of the Rose, Jules R. and Stanford S. Setnor School of Music, including VPA Dean Carole Brzozowski. It is free and open to the public; free parking is available in Irving Garage. Following the concert, a free reception will take place on the second floor of Crouse College, in the Winged Victory lobby. The public is invited to attend.

“It’s an honor for us to perform this concert,” says Brzozowski. “The Setnors’ gift was truly remarkable, and this evening of music allows us to show our appreciation to Dr. Setnor and to celebrate the life of Rose Setnor. For me, it is particularly special because I have the chance to perform along with faculty and students of the Setnor School.”

The Setnors’ gift also supports merit-based scholarships for undergraduate students in the Setnor School, named for the couple and for Rose’s late brother Stanford ’42. Jules and Stanford both earned medical degrees from SU’s then-College of Medicine.

Rose and Jules Setnor, who met at a dance at SU in Sept. 1929, were married for 72 years. Longtime residents of the Springfield, Mass., area, together they held a lifelong mutual love of music. In 1997, they expressed hope that their gift to the University would give young people an opportunity so that others could enjoy the benefits: “Fulfill someone’s dreams, and the whole world will gain,” the Setnors said.