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Robert Kohl (left) and husband Clark Pellett (not seen here) hosted a reception in Palm Springs during the CSO’s recent U.S. West Coast Tour. Here, Kohl talks with Concertmaster Robert Chen against a backdrop of vintage black-and-white photos.
Todd Rosenberg Photography
The Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra annually holds a showcase of its life-changing educational and community programs, which reach more than 200,000 people each year.
Presented in Orchestra Hall, IMPACT: Showcasing Education & Community Programs of the CSO, this year on March 15, will feature performances by musicians from the CSO and Civic Orchestra of Chicago; students from the Percussion Scholarship Program and Chicago Public Schools; participants in the Notes for Peace program; members of the Chicago Refugee Coalition; the 2025 Crain-Maling CSO Young Artists Competition winner Jeremy Liu and more.
After the concert, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association will honor Robert Kohl for his steadfast support and leadership of the CSO’s educational and community-engagement programs.
A longtime member of the CSOA family, Kohl has been a ticket holder, a subscriber and an impactful donor — in addition to his affiliations with the Governing Members, the Theodore Thomas Society, the Board of Trustees and the Negaunee Music Institute Board. Through his efforts, the Negaunee Music Institute’s core values are thriving today.
Kohl still remembers his early exposure to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. “It was amazingly exciting to go downtown to the performing arts center in Milwaukee to hear the Chicago Symphony play,” he said. “It was something very special.”
Upon moving to Chicago, Kohl bought season tickets to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has been a subscriber since 1988, attributing his philanthropy with the CSO to his experience as a subscriber. From his early days as a ticket holder, he was a dedicated supporter of the CSOA’s Annual Fund. Kohl was eventually asked by a close friend to make a gift to the Governing Members, the CSOA’s first established philanthropic society. He became a member of that group in 2001; then, in 2005, he became a member of the CSOA’s Board of Trustees. In 2017, he became a Life Trustee, and his service has continued since.
Kohl also grew more involved with the educational and community-engagement programming of the CSO through the Negaunee Music Institute — then called the Institute for Learning, Access and Training. In 2010, he became the chair of the Institute Board. That year marked a new era of leadership for the CSO: Riccardo Muti was named as the 10th music director, and star cellist Yo-Yo Ma took on the role of creative consultant. Among his responsibilities as chair of the board, Kohl worked with Ma to form the Citizen Musician Initiative, which would build the framework for the Institute’s ongoing work.
Jonathan McCormick, managing director of the Negaunee Music Institute, remembers the early days of the initiative. McCormick was a secretary to the NMI Board in 2010, which was how he first met Ma and Kohl. “Yo-Yo was calling attention to this idea that musicians are first and foremost human beings. He emphasized that the life of musician is a life of service.
"Embedded in that idea was this desire for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to become more connected to communities around the city, and for those communities to be more connected to what was happening at Symphony Center. The Citizen Musician Initiative invited more partnerships, more collaborations, more access and also more ideas from musicians of both the CSO and Civic.”
Kohl’s embrace of Ma’s artistic vision built the foundation for many of the NMI’s newer initiatives that have now become signature programs: the Civic Fellowship for members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago; Once Upon a Symphony concerts, which provide opportunities for pre-K audiences to learn about classical music; an annual community concert, championed by Maestro Muti, and eventually, Civic’s Bach Marathon tradition. The spirit of that tradition, according to McCormick, is exploring the city and getting to know the people in various places and neighborhoods. That spirit endures through the entirety of the Negaunee Music Institute’s work, exemplified by Kohl’s guidance and leadership.
Robert Kohl speaks at a celebration of the first anniversary of the Chicago Public Schools arts program.
Todd Rosenberg Photography
Kohl has been a champion of community engagement on countless fronts, including his contributions to the SEMPRE ALWAYS campaign. SEMPRE ALWAYS: The Campaign for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was established to support four main priorities: achieving financial sustainability, sustaining musical excellence, expanding education and community engagement and strengthening Chicago’s cultural fabric. Kohl and his husband, Clark Pellett, established an endowed fund in 2021 to support the Civic Orchestra of Chicago’s principal conductor position. Ken-David Masur currently holds the Robert Kohl and Clark Pellett Principal Conductor Chair.
“Having loved and worked at supporting the organization for such a length of time, it felt essential to support the SEMPRE ALWAYS campaign, and I was happy to do it,” Kohl said. The consistent guidance of the principal conductor provides a strong foundation of musical leadership for members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
“After playing an essential role in creating transformational programming within the Negaunee Music Institute and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Robert understood how critical endowment funding is to ensure the long-term sustainability of these programs, said Helen Zell, chair of SEMPRE ALWAYS and vice chair of the Board of Trustees. "The early leadership gift he and Clark made also motivated others to participate in the campaign, which ultimately led to its success.”
Kohl and Pellett also sponsored several Civic musicians. “It was a very rewarding way to engage philanthropically, because we would have a very tangible connection to the performances we were going to," Kohl said.
Among Kohl’s many admirable qualities, McCormick emphasizes, is an undeniable presence. “When I think of Robert, I think of someone who is always looking to maximize resources, to ask the big ‘why?’ questions and to be a role model for his peers in terms of his philanthropy,” McCormick said. “And he shows up, too. I don’t think that we celebrate that enough. Not only giving one’s money and one’s opinion, but to attend concerts, to love the music, to love the orchestras. I’m super lucky to have him as one of my first role models.”
Kohl is held in high regard among his peers. Leslie Burns, the current chair of the NMI Board, fondly remembers meeting Robert and Clark in Russia on the CSO’s European tour in 2012. “I met some of my very best friends on that tour,” she recalled fondly.
When Burns joined the NMI Board, Kohl was the chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee. She remembers meeting Kohl and Helen Zell for lunch one day, as they discussed Burns’ interest in the various committees. Within a year, Kohl suggested that Burns take over and lead the Nominating and Governance Committee.
One of Kohl’s best qualities, Burns said, is his thoughtfulness, both in the way he communicates with other people and how he approaches problem-solving. He leads with an “openness about his feelings, which can be very motivational,” Burns said. She also highlights his inclusiveness, warmth, sense of humor and generosity.
“Robert is a fine musician — a talented pianist,” Zell said. “He has translated his personal passion for performative music into a societal mission to preserve the art form. And he understands that this work must focus on young people if it is to succeed.”
“He clearly cares so much about the work that the Negaunee Music Institute does,” Burns said, “and has shown that in so many different ways.”
Kohl’s own statements echo the sentiment, reflecting his dedication to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association. “I’m very proud of the long commitment that this organization has made to cultivating future audience members and artists,” Kohl said. “This work is, in my opinion, as important as the performances themselves. I think arts organizations, more than ever, really have to invest time and energy in cultivating and maintaining the art form.”
The CSOA and NMI encourage CSO and Civic patrons to attend IMPACT on March 15, to celebrate the many life-changing programs of the Negaunee Music Institute. Funds raised for the event go toward the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s educational and community programs — the very same ones showcased on stage, made possible by the dedication and leadership of supporters like Robert Kohl.
