Staff Report
Published Jan. 30, 2012

The University of South Carolina School of Music announced its largest gift ever on Thursday, receiving $1 million from James K. Copenhaver, the university’s director of bands for 34 years.

The gift by Copenhaver, who is now retired, will endow scholarships for USC band students, and is expected to generate as much as $50,000 per year for undergraduate scholarships for students enrolled in a USC band program.

"Philanthropy is essential to the success of our school, and we are deeply appreciative of every gift,” said dean Tayloe Harding. "However, some gifts have the potential to be transformative, and this is one of those gifts. Jim Copenhaver’s generosity will ensure that more students have the opportunity to pursue a college education with band music at its heart and also will establish a means for perpetuating excellence in band music performance in a way that matters most to Jim.”

Copenhaver, who was director of bands at USC from 1976-2010, said having the opportunity to work with students and develop USC’s band program has been inspirational and rewarding.

“I owe thanks to the many talented and dedicated band students through the years that enabled a representative university band program to be established and maintained at USC,” Copenhaver said. “With the ever-increasing cost of higher education, additional scholarship funding is needed to assure that students will continue to give service to the university through band participation.”

At USC, Copenhaver also was co-conductor of the Palmetto Concert Band. His university concert bands performed at conventions of the National Music Educators National Conference, the College Band Directors National Association and the American Bandmasters Association. He was invited to join the prestigious American Bandmasters Association and also is a member the S.C. Band Directors Association Hall of Fame. He is a past president of the National Band Association and the Southern division of the College Band Directors National Association.

Copenhaver said the band students are his family and he hopes his gift will inspire others to support student scholarships.

“I owe a lot to USC, and I hope that my estate gift will inspire my former students and friends of the Carolina Band to join this mission in the endowment of band scholarships.”