THE RESOUNDING CAMPAIGN
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
Thomas and Barbara Bozzuto
T
hrough a lifelong commitment
to civic leadership, Thomas S.
and Barbara M. Bozzuto
exemplify the best of Charm
City. Over the last several decades, they’ve
built more than a real-estate business and
a family; they’ve created communities,
enhancing the quality of life throughout
the region. As Chairman, Co-Founder
and Chief Culture Officer at The Bozzuto
Group, a diversified and full-service real
estate company, Tom Bozzuto has been
a longtime supporter and champion
of Baltimore. As former President
of Bozzuto-Lowenstein Marketing,
Executive Director for the Maryland
Sports Corporation, Director of the
Baltimore Office of Promotion, Executive
Director of Baltimore Operation Sail and
Public Relations Director of the Pride of
Baltimore, Barbara Bozzuto has spent
the majority of her professional career
promoting Baltimore.
Through their time, talents and
philanthropy, they have led by example,
giving back to the city that gave them
their start. “Barbara and I were raised
to believe that you have a responsibility
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to your community. Baltimore has been
incredibly good to us. We came here with
literally nothing and over the years have
managed to successfully raise our children
and grow our business,” says Tom.
“The BSO is very special to us. We
have been subscribers for many years,
attending concerts at the Lyric long
before the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony
Hall opened,” says Barbara. She vividly
recalls the excitement they felt on the
hall’s opening night concert with Leon
Fleisher, “the energy and enthusiasm in
the air that night was palpable.”
“Tom and I are passionate about
music—classical, jazz and opera. As
children of immigrants, growing up,
our homes were filled with music. It
was deeply ingrained into our cultural
identity,” says Barbara. She fondly
recalls her grandmother taking her to
the theater twice a week to see movie
adaptations of operas like Aida and to
watch Met broadcasts.
“Music has always been an avocation
for me. When I was 8 years old, my
grandmother bought me a piano and
paid for lessons. As a child, I was a bit
of a nerd, so music became my escape
and my happy place. After Tom and I
had children, I became certified and
taught the Yamaha method to students.
As our children grew, practicing became
more challenging with work and family
responsibilities. It wasn’t until I sold my
business and began searching for more
fulfilling opportunities outside of the
home, that I began to play again more
regularly. It was during this time that
Tom surprised me for Christmas with
piano lessons at Peabody. The instructor
was former BSO Principal Pianist,
Arno Drucker and for 12 years, up until
his passing, I was in his studio every
Thursday. It was my weekly hour of
abject humility,” says Barbara.
“Tom and I are invested in the BSO
because we believe that the Symphony
is critically important to the City and to
the State. Much like others who came
before us, we feel a sincere obligation to
preserve this cultural gem. It is the job
we have chosen to do and for the sake
of future generations of music lovers
across the State of Maryland, we must be
successful,” explains Barbara.
It is with this mindset that the family
recently made a significant gift to establish
the Bozzuto Family Distinguished Guest
Pianist Fund, providing support to
prominent guest pianists performing
with the BSO.
“As Campaign Co-chairs, we
wanted to stress the importance of the
endowment as a lasting safeguard. A
robust endowment is vital to the BSO’s
future and long-term health. Many
orchestras have realized this as the
pathway to success. We were also inspired
by Joseph Meyerhoff II’s entreaty to
get the endowment up to $100 million
and by the many individuals who have
generously stepped forward to do so,” says
Barbara. “The family wanted to do this for
Barbara. She has given so much of her time
and energy that this felt like the appropriate
way to honor her passion and the many
sacrifices that she has made over the years,
for the Symphony,” says Tom.