Creating a Lasting Legacy Through Music

Although he worked as an analytical, data-driven research scientist, Dr. Kenneth Trevorrow always had a love for music. “When we were first married and he was working on his post-doctorate in Munich, we’d go to the theatre and I could tell he really appreciated the arts,” said Dr. Isabela Sardas-Trevorrow. After Kenneth’s untimely death from cancer in fall 2017, Isabela and their sons, Zachary ’23 and Samuel ’24, wanted to memorialize his passion for music by naming the new Sardas-Trevorrow Band Room in his honor.

“Ken had a love for both music and technology, and the new band room is a perfect marriage of those two passions,” said Isabela. In addition to serving as the practice space for Middle School and Upper School students, the room will also function as a remote orchestra pit for musicals held in the Virginia Henes Young Theatre. Sound from the new room will be wired directly to a control booth in the theatre, where the sound engineer can accurately control the volume and sound as needed. Cameras and monitors in the band room and the theatre will allow the conductor to see what is happening on stage in real time.

Both Zachary and Samuel are active musicians; Zachary plays the clarinet and piano and Samuel plays the saxophone. Zachary was one of three Middle School students to represent USM at the 2017 UW-Milwaukee Middle Level Honors Band, which is an opportunity for select middle school musicians from around the state to work with nationally recognized band directors.

“Playing music and being part of band was so important to Ken, and to me,” said Isabela. “And it’s not just about playing an instrument, there are so many different aspects to it. You’re learning to play with others in harmony and to be part of the school in a different way, a non-academic way. It’s like a community, and Ken really valued that.”

“I had gotten to know Dr. Trevorrow when I first had Zachary as a 5th-grade student,” said Dain Shuler, band director. “We had many conversations about how much he loved music, and he felt strongly that it was important for his boys to get a good music education.” In addition to being active in his sons’ music education, Ken enjoyed playing tennis and cheering on the boys in their various athletic pursuits, including tennis, soccer, and hockey.

Zachary, Samuel, and Isabela recently toured the new space and saw it for the first time since construction had begun. “Before he passed, I had shown Ken pictures of the plan so he had some idea what it would look like,” Isabela said. “But I wish he was here standing by me to see it. He would have loved it.”