Lexington's Proud Musical History
Please help us to build a Historical Marker at the Phoenix Park to celebrate the 200 anniversaries of Anthony Philip Heinrich conducting Beethoven’s First Symphony in Lexington!
The Phoenix Park, which was Sanford Keen’s Tavern, is the very place where Beethoven’s First Symphony was performed under the baton of the prominent American composer of classical music Anthony Philip Heinrich on November 12, 1817. This is THE FIRST Performance of a Beethoven Symphony west of Allegheny in history. Composer Anthony Heinrich, who was known as “American Beethoven”, lived in Lexington during that period.
With $1,000 pledged from the city as a Neighborhood Development Grant for the next fiscal year, there is still a $1,700 gap to cover the cost of the project. We sincerely ask Lexington community members, music lovers, scholars and professionals who are working to promote the importance of music and musical history to donate to this project and help us spread the word.
Your generous support will enable the community
- To build a Historical Marker at the Phoenix Park in front of the Lexington Public Library (central branch). A brief introduction about American composer Anthony Philip Heinrich and facts of the performance of Beethoven’s First Symphony will be carved on the marker.
- To promote the awareness of the under-recognized yet very important American composer Anthony Philip Heinrich. Anthony Philip Heinrich was the first "full-time" American composer, and the most prominent one before the American Civil War. He published the pathbreaking collection The Dawning of Music in Kentucky in 1820, and chaired the founding meeting of the New York Philharmonic Society in 1842.
- To enhance the significance of arts and music in Lexington community. People in Lexington have long been proud of horse, bourbon, and Ashland. By telling everyone the historical fact about Heinrich and Beethoven, our citizens will be more aware of and confident of our city’s significance in music and cultural history.
- To bring people a fuller picture of Lexington’s glorious history. The Kentucky History Society’s Historical Marker Program has been benefitting to Lexington by helping locals and tourists to recognize and share the sites, events and personalities which is important to the history. Currently, we have plenty of markers recognizing political figures or historical sites, but the stories of music and arts are still awaiting to be told. By adding the Heinrich conducts Beethoven marker, the missing piece on the puzzle will be put back into its place. (Please visit http://history.ky.gov/bring-khs-to-your-town/historical-marker-program/ for further information.)
Your donation is tax deductible! LexArts is our fiscal partner who helps us to manage all the funds and donations we have received. If you would like to receive a tax receipt for your donation, please send your name and your address to Yingchao Han.
For every $10 of your donation, approximately 10.9% will go to the GoFundMe platform and we will receive $8.91; for every $20 of your donation, approximately 9.4% will go to the GoFundMe platform and we will receive $18.12. For more information, please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/pricing.
Retired University of Kentucky (UK) musicology professor and director of John Jacob Niles Center for American Music, Ron Pen , and UK musicology doctoral student Yingchao Han are volunteering their time researching the historical facts about historically significant concerts in Lexington, Kentucky. Please feel free to contact us if you have any question about this project or if you are considering supporting us in another method.
We sincerely thank you for your generous support.