The UHM Department of Music is the recipient of a major gift in the form of a bequest of over $633,000 from the estate of the late Carmen S. Yamada of Silver Spring, Maryland, one of the largest gifts the department has received. The funds will be used to support the Department of Music as a whole, for purposes of student and faculty educational and research support, scholarships, and various department initiatives.
Ms. Yamada was connected to the Department of Music through her sister-in-law Chie Yamada, a faculty member who taught shamisen (Japanese three-stringed lute) in the department from 1966 until her death in 1992. After her death, her family established an endowment in her name, which has benefited the ethnomusicology program of the Department of Music for more than three decades.
Inspired by her sister-in-law’s love of the UHM Department of Music, Carmen Yamada decided to name the department a beneficiary of her estate, and upon her recent passing the funds were gifted.
Department of Music Chairperson Donald Womack said “We are incredibly grateful to receive this generous gift, even more so since Ms. Yamada did not make her intentions known to us, making it a complete surprise. Her family had already given to the department in honor of Chie Yamada many years ago, so we are even more honored and appreciative that she felt us worthy of additional support. This gift will have a profound impact, enabling us to expand our work, to the benefit of even more students as well as the community.”
The music department is housed in the UH Mānoa College of Arts, Languages & Letters