Couple’s Endowment Expands Their Impact

Thomas Vanden Eynden plays a little bass himself, but that alone was not the reason he chose to endow a bassist chair at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops and Cincinnati Pops. Instead, a love of J. S. Bach and a friendship formed through conversation laid the groundwork for this momentous event.

Tom and his wife Judith Beiting have been CSO subscribers for over 20 years. They are also generous supporters of the CSO and Pops Fund and members of the Thomas Schippers Legacy Society. In 2020, Tom, a retired professor at Thomas More University, and Judith, a public health nurse, contacted the CSO with questions about naming a chair. Together, they worked with the CSO to create the Thomas Vanden Eynden Chair for Associate Principal Bass, currently held by James Lambert, who joined the CSO and Pops in 1987.

“Since I play bass myself, it is a pleasure to endow a chair for an exceptional bassist like Jim Lambert,” says Tom. He met James Lambert at meetings of the Cincinnati Musicians Association, to which both men belong. Despite having an instrument in common, they actually bonded over their mutual admiration for J. S. Bach.

As the endowers of this chair, Tom and Judith get exclusive invitations to members-only Thomas Schippers events, recognition in concert programs and best of all, they get to experience the CSO’s gratitude for their generosity during their lifetime.

Over the past 125 years, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops has had the honor of receiving more than 50 gifts to endow a musician position. These generous and visionary legacy gifts of $1 million or more ensure the organization’s financial security both today and for years to come. To learn more about endowing a chair at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops and Cincinnati Pops, contact Kate Farinacci at 513.744.3202 or kfarinacci@cincinnatisymphony.org.