EUGENE--(Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005)--Until recently, the Berwicks--Andy and Phyllis, of Hillsborough, California--and David Katzin of Phoenix Arizona, didn’t know each other, but they had something in common. They all loved the Oregon Bach Festival.

Today the trio joined forces to support the music festival, which is a program of the University of Oregon. Dave Frohnmayer, University of Oregon president, announced that the Berwicks and Katzin have each pledged $1 million to the festival’s $10 million endowment drive. The gifts bring the festival's endowment total to $3.8 million raised since July 2004 toward the $10 million goal of establishing an operating budget that will secure the long term future of the festival.

These gifts also bring to $385 million the total raised by Campaign Oregon: Transforming Lives, the University of Oregon’s $600 million fund-raising initiative.

"On behalf of the University of Oregon, I accept these gifts with heartfelt gratitude," said Frohnmayer. "These donors' support of the Oregon Bach Festival endowment and the University of Oregon will help ensure that future generations will continue to experience the magic of the festival."

The Berwicks, both University of Oregon alumni, attended their first festival concert in June of 2004. "We were blown away with the quality of the music," said Andy Berwick, the founder of Berwick Pacific Corp. Phyllis Berwick taught for many years and currently directs a community choir.

Katzin, a Phoenix real estate developer and a college football fanatic, was in Eugene for a Duck football game five years ago when he heard about the festival. "I love classical music," said Katzin. "I made my way there the next summer."

The gifts will help to fund in perpetuity the operations of the Oregon Bach Festival, providing a solid base of funding while fueling artistic growth. The Grammy Award-winning festival was founded in 1970.

"Our endowment is so important to stabilize finances for the future," said Royce Saltzman, festival executive director. "We are indebted to both the Berwicks and Dave Katzin for building a foundation to grow both our concert and educational programs."

The Berwicks are deeply involved with the San Francisco Symphony. Andy is a lifetime member of the symphony board of governors. As a University of Oregon student in the 1950s, he served on the board of the Eugene Symphony.

Phyllis "Phyzz" Berwick graduated from the UO with an education degree in 1956. Programs that involve young people kindle a spark in her eyes. "It’s like growing angels," she says. "Because music is an international language, it can transform lives. When people sing together, it's something that can be shared with such a deep level of feeling."

This is the Berwicks' second gift to the university. In 2004 they donated $100,000 to establish the Richard C. Williams Endowed Student Leadership Fund.

Katzin, who currently cosponsors and underwrites the Oregon Bach Festival’s Youth Choral Academy high school program, has earmarked his gift for youth opportunities. "The future of the music lies with youth,” he said. At Arizona State University, he donated funds to name a concert hall in honor of his late father, Frank Katzin, the founder of Budget Rent a Car.

"I’m a big fan of classical music," Katzin added. "If you love it, and believe in it, and have the means, then you have an obligation to support it. This is my primary interest, to see what I can do in Eugene and Springfield to get solid youth programs started here."