Yvonne Lui, a 90s Kinhaven alumna and former activities staff member, recently made a generous gift towards the Concert Hall addition at Kinhaven through her family’s foundation. Though she hasn’t been directly involved with Kinhaven since her time as a student and staff, Yvonne’s passion for music, ignited during her formative years at camp, has remained a constant in her life.
Yvonne fondly recalls her time as a flute player at Kinhaven under the Bidlacks’ leadership. “My time there was formative,” she shares. “I learned to love music and saw how music can bring people together. I have incredible admiration for my peers – my friends. I was humbled by their creativity and desire to express ideas through music.”
Her Kinhaven experience instilled in her a lifelong love of music that continues to this day. Although she is not playing the flute as much as she’d like, she does occasionally play with her husband, David, accompanying her. They dream of attending the Adult Chamber Music Workshop one day. She is currently learning to play guitar, admitting with a chuckle that she plays “moderately badly.” She enjoys playing music and singing with her children, accompanying them on guitar.
Yvonne has passed her love of music down to her children. Her 14-year-old son plays piano and is attending the Sonatina Piano Camp in Bennington, Vt. Her 10-year-old daughter has embraced the unique challenge of playing the double bass. Yvonne humorously recalls trying to steer her daughter towards the cello, a smaller and seemingly more manageable instrument for a then 8-year old, but the budding bassist was adamant about her choice. The littlest family member, who is 4 years old, loves to sing along.
Yvonne’s connection to Kinhaven has remained through the friendships she retains with several of her former bunkmates, who have all retained active connections to creating music into adulthood.
When Yvonne learned about the plans for the Concert Hall addition, she felt compelled to reach out and offer her support. “I knew how important the Concert Hall renovation was for future generations of students. Then the pandemic happened and I learned it wasn’t certain that it could move forward,” she explains. “So I reached out to see how we might help to ensure it would be realized.”
Yvonne, a radiologist working in New York City, hopes that her family’s gift will inspire others to contribute to this exciting project. She is thrilled that the Concert Hall will retain its charm and history while being modernized and enhanced to accommodate Kinhaven’s current and future needs. Her story is a testament to the power of Kinhaven to ignite a lifelong passion for music and create lasting connections between individuals who share a love for the arts.