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After 27 years of distinguished service to LMU, Director of Choral Activities Mary Breden, D.M.A., retired in 2019 at the age of 70. Her rigorous direction of the world-renowned LMU Choruses and her palpable passion for the art of choral singing influenced generations of Lions who, in many ways, were shaped by their time in the LMU choirs.
Now, adding to her considerable legacy as a conductor and a mentor, Breden is establishing the Mary C. Breden Choral Scholarship. Breden is a longtime donor to LMU who has a history of making annual gifts to the College of Communication and Fine Arts. This new major gift is a step up for her, and she achieved it by simply naming LMU as the beneficiary of her IRA — the easiest way to make a planned gift. Her generosity is recognized through membership in the Casassa Legacy Society, a group of individuals who have supported LMU through their estate plans or a life income arrangement.
The scholarship will support non-music majors with awards based on talent and potential, not financial need. “We always depended on non-music majors to fill our ranks,” Breden explains. “At any given time, only about 20% of our choruses were composed of music majors. I also didn’t want financial need to be a driving force because, as we all know, actual need can differ greatly from the need that is determined by the government.”
The Breden scholarship reflects LMU’s Jesuit and Marymount commitment to a liberal arts education, with a particular focus on supporting the growth of the whole person. “So many lives have been changed by participating in our choruses,” says Breden. “Regardless of whether they pursue a career in music, it’s the life lessons they learn that truly bring them joy and quality.”
“The crafted intent of this gift matches Dr. Breden’s commitment for students in any major to continue their joy of choral singing while they pursue their LMU education,” said Bryant Keith Alexander, dean of LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts. “Mary’s critical passion remains at the heart of the LMU Choral Program. I am so happy to see that the legacy of her care and commitment to our students will go on in perpetuity.”
A passionate believer in the value of the arts, Breden majored in music at Mount St. Mary’s University (then Mount St. Mary’s College). When she arrived there in 1970, the legendary conductor Paul Salamunovich, credited with establishing the foundation for the LMU choral program as it is known today, was directing the men’s chorus at Loyola University as well as the women’s chorus at Mount St. Mary’s. For the next nine years, Breden took on the role of rehearsal accompanist at both institutions, during which time Loyola University merged with Marymount College to create Loyola Marymount University.
In 1991, Salamunovich was appointed music director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale. As his protégée, Breden was a natural choice to be his successor, and in 1992, she joined the faculty of the LMU Music Department as associate professor of music and director of choral activities. In addition to presenting regular events such as the Spring Chorale and the Gala Christmas Concert, the choral program has also traveled extensively, performing in venues throughout the United States and Europe, including the Vatican in 2010.
In the 2018–19 school year, to celebrate Breden’s imminent retirement, alumni were invited back to sing with the LMU Choruses at events of their choosing throughout the year. Gabrielle Poma ’21, who earned her B.A. in music, wrote about her experience on the summer European Choral Tour, sharing the visceral thrill of performing live for different audiences as well as the pleasures of bonding with a diverse cohort that included students of various majors as well as alums going back 40 years.
Both Breden and Poma speak passionately about the power of music, and of the voice in particular. Poma concludes her essay with a meditation on how a piece of music is so much more than the sum of its parts, how it is “a gift that gives of itself over and over.” Breden likes to point out that orchestras may travel with some very beautiful and expensive instruments, but singers have the best instrument of all because “our instrument comes from God. We use it to share beauty with others. You don’t have to be a polished soloist to experience the intense artistic excellence that is the gift of ensemble singing.”
To join Mary Breden in igniting a brighter world through the joy of choral music, you can make a gift here or contact Alina Garza, director of development, at 310.338.5981 or alina.garza@lmu.edu.
People: Bryant Keith Alexander, Gabrielle Poma, Mary Breden
Category: Campus News College: College of Communication and Fine Arts
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