Cristo Rey Boston High School, a Catholic high school in Savin Hill that exclusively serves students from under-resourced communities across Greater Boston, has established a new music and choral program thanks to a generous $300,000 donation from Phill Gross, co-founder and managing director of Adage Capital Management, and his wife, Elizabeth Cochary Gross, PhD. 

The new program will be both an academic subject and a signature choral program. It will also support the school’s campus ministry program, integrating music into prayer services and Masses.

The Gross’s generous donation will offset the cost of the program, with the $300,000 split over three years. Expenses for the program include a new hire of one teacher who will serve as both a music teacher and choral director, as well as supplies.

“Phill and Liz’s generous and thoughtful donation will grant our students greater opportunities for self-expression, something that is crucial to a well-rounded education,” said Rosemary J. Powers, President of Cristo Rey. 

“Creating extracurricular opportunities for students is of the utmost importance in today’s world. Liz and I understand firsthand the power of music in an individual’s life,” said Phill Gross. “Being able to play a part in providing that opportunity to the students of Cristo Rey Boston is incredibly meaningful to us.”

Said Elizabeth, a board member of The Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, and the College Light Opera Company in Falmouth on the Cape: “As someone who has been involved with music my entire life, I understand the need for – and the difference – a musical education can make for young people. Phill and I are excited to share this gift with the students and create another space for creative expression at Cristo Rey Boston.”