More good fundraising news! The James M. Cox Foundation announced yesterday that it gave $5 million towards the Woodruff Arts Center's $100 million Transformation Campaign. (The ASO's Musicians' Endowment Fund is part of this larger campaign). This brings the grand total to $94.8 million raised by the WAC towards its goal. Thank you to the Cox Foundation for your support!

Cox Foundation donates $5 million to Woodruff Arts Center 7:47 a.m. Jan. 20 by Bo Emerson / The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Woodruff Arts Center announced Wednesday it has received a $5 million gift from the James M. Cox Foundation.

The gift is part of the Transformation Campaign, begun last year to increase endowments, renovate the Alliance Memorial Arts Building and provide greater access to the arts for families.

Virginia Hepner, president and chief executive officer of the center, said, in a statement, “The generosity of the Cox Foundation and the Cox family has been instrumental in the success of the Woodruff Arts Center, the High Museum of Art and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for decades.”

Alex Taylor, executive vice president at Cox Enterprises, said, in a statement,”This grant builds upon our family’s passionate commitment to Atlanta, including my grandmother’s unwavering support of the High.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is part of Cox Media Group, a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises.

The gift was announced Wednesday but confirmed earlier this month; it brings the Transformation Campaign to $94.8 million of its $100 million goal.

Funds raised during the campaign have already expanded the number of low-cost events at the center, bringing 32,000 visitors to the center for free activities at the High Museum, the Alliance Theatre and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since mid-2015.

The campaign will also pay for a top-to-bottom remake of the Alliance theater space.

The James M. Cox Foundation is named in honor of Cox Enterprises’ founder. James M. Cox was Ohio’s first three-term governor and the 1920 Democratic nominee for president of the United States.

Pierre Boulez, the French composer and conductor who helped blaze a radical new path for classical music in the 20th century, becoming one of its dominant figures in the decades after World War II, died on Tuesday at his home in Baden-Baden, Germany. He was 90.

His family confirmed his death in a statement to the Philharmonie de Paris. Prime Minister Manuel Valls, also in a statement, said, “Audacity, innovation, creativity — that is what Pierre Boulez was for French music, which he helped shine everywhere in the world.”

We stand with the Musicians of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in their fight for ‪#‎GrowthNotCuts‬! Sign the petition here, and be sure to follow their page for updates.

January 4, 20162:00 PM ET (npr.org)

by Tom Huizenga

Although 2015 produced arguably fewer big headlines in classical music than its predecessors, there were still surprising stories. The Minnesota Orchestra played Havana, Alan Gilbert announced his departure from the New York Philharmonic and pianist Valentina Lisitsa's politically volatile tweets boiled up a lot of hot water. Here's a look back at some of the notable stories, birthdays, anniversaries, recordings, awards and farewells that made 2015 unique.