Cincinnati Boychoir Receives Gift to Endow Scholarships

Artistic Director Christopher Eanes announces the endowment with Mr. & Mrs. Addison Clipson.

The Board of Trustees of the Cincinnati Boychoir is thrilled to announce the establishment of an endowed scholarship fund, founded by a generous gift from Mrs. Jean Clipson and her husband Addison Clipson, Jr. The endowment will fund two full scholarships for boys just entering the choir who wouldn’t otherwise be able to participate in the program. The Maxwell Scholarship Fund is named for the great-grandfather of Mrs. Clipson, who was a president of the Cincinnati May Festival, and a lifelong supporter of vocal music in Cincinnati.

At a private event before the Boychoir’s appearance with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on Saturday (October 6), Artistic Director Christopher Eanes announced the news to a gathering of supporters, friends, and parents: “We are thrilled with the generosity displayed by Mr. & Mrs. Clipson; not just because this scholarship fund will support those boys who wouldn’t otherwise be able to participate in the Boychoir, but also because it will serve as a foundation for others to contribute in a significant way, thereby ensuring our ability to reach out to all

Jim Huizenga, Nate Bick, and Patrick Quigley enjoy the reception.

communities throughout Cincinnati for years to come.”

About the Maxwell Scholarship Fund

Lawrence and Emily Maxwell were prominent Cincinnatians.  He was an accomplished lawyer and civic leader, she a steadfast companion and hostess extraordinaire. Their eternal bond was music and singing. They met at a Methodist church in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she was a chorister and he the organist (the Boychoir performed at this very church in 2007).

After marriage, they settled in Cincinnati and forged a lasting tradition through their support of the May Music Festival where he was President and she a determined fundraiser. Their beautiful stone home, Maxwelton, still stands at Edgecliff in Walnut Hills. In order to appreciate the fullness of vocal arts, they had a dance hall with clerestory and pipe organ installed for entertaining purposes. They supported the vocal arts their entire lives.

The Maxwell’s legacy of caring and compassion for the vocal arts lives on in through the Maxwell Scholarship, a grant provided to boys to enable them to participate in Cincinnati Boychoir.  Founded by Lawrence Maxwell’s great granddaughter, Jean Maxwell Schmidlapp Clipson and her husband Addison H. Clipson, Jr., the fund is the first endowment established in support of the Cincinnati Boychoir. Jean’s grandson, Robert Maxwell Pauly, is a Boychoir alumnus and her son Lawrence Pauly is a member of the Men’s Glee Club and former member of the Boychoir’s Board of Trustees.

The Maxwell Scholarship fund at the Cincinnati Boychoir will accept further contributions to help build this endowment, while continuing to fund annual scholarships. For information about how to help ensure the future of the Boychoir, please contact the Cincinnati Boychoir at (513) 396-7664.