Overture Magazine: 2017-2018 Season March - April 2018 | Page 52
BA LT I M O R E SY M P H O N Y O R C H E S T R A
Nicholas Klise
“I am fortunate to be called an old man, and as such, I
have many stories to tell. Each one will help explain,
bit by bit, why the BSO has meant so much to me.”
Nicholas Klise started attending BSO
concerts in 1963, walking to the Lyric
from Bolton Hill with his new partner,
Morris West. Right away they became
subscribers, although neither had a prior
connection to music. Nick was an art
student at MICA and became an architect
and artist, noted for his architectural
illustrations. Morris taught high school
ecology and later joined Becton Dickinson
as a microbiologist. They were together
fifty-four years and celebrated their
marriage two months before Morris
passed away in 2014.
Nick and Morris had many professional
and avocational interests, sharing a passion
for horticulture and a wide range of
creative endeavors. They designed, built
and landscaped Rocky Hollow Gardens, a
weekend house in York County PA, which
became their retirement home and a
renowned tour destination. Through the
years, BSO concert nights remained a
priority for them, regardless of the
commute and weather.
Nick declares that he knows “absolutely
nothing about music,” although he can
identify composers within a few bars of
hearing a piece. “I don’t know how to read
music, and I don’t know how to make music.
I do, however, know how to listen to
music.” His appreciation is self-taught,
through avid listening to library recordings
and dedicated concert attendance. Nick
is deeply moved by live performance and
often brought to tears. The BSO’s
performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s
Capriccio Espagnol is a favorite memory.
Nick chose to honor the life he and
Morris shared through a legacy gift to the
BSO. As they had no children or
family, “What is a guy like me going to
do? I am going to think about what was
the most important thread woven into all
of those little life stories.”
Thus, in support of the BSO’s
Resounding Campaign, Nick made an
endowment gift through his trust. “The BSO
has been a part of my history — but my
memory of music should not exonerate me
from foresight. I want the BSO to live way
beyond me.” For Nick, being a music lover
means “giving a legacy to that love.”
YOUR MUSICAL LEGACY
Please let us know if you have named the BSO in your estate plans—we would like to thank you!
To learn more, please contact Sara Krusenstjerna, Director of Philanthropic Planning,
at 410.783.8087 or [email protected]. Please visit BSOmusic.giftplans.org.
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OV E R T U R E / BSOmusic.org