Marty Coffin Evans is honored on stage during a Faculty Tuesday concert earlier this year. With her is Patrick Mason, chair of the voice and opera department and Berton Coffin Faculty Fellow. Photo courtesy Jeni M. Webster.
She grew up roller skating on the terrace outside Macky Auditorium鈥攚hile her parents worked on a choral repertoire book鈥攁nd listening in on Festival Chorus rehearsals鈥攖he ones led by her dad. Now, after years working and teaching in Southern California, Marty Coffin Evans is living in Boulder, devoting herself to the community and the preservation of her parents鈥� legacy.
And in doing so, perhaps inadvertently, she鈥檚 building one for herself as well.
鈥淢y dad鈥檚 legacy is really important to me,鈥� Evans says. 鈥淗e had such an impact on so many students, and while his name has longevity in this community, I want people to remember him and not just his name.鈥�
Under Evans鈥� watch, the Berton Coffin Graduate Voice Scholarship Fund became fully endowed, and the Faculty Fellowship Fund and Applied Voice Faculty Research and Professional Development Endowment Fund were established. Each of these gifts has helped students and faculty in the voice department reach new levels of excellence and grow the reputation of the department that Coffin himself was so instrumental in building.
鈥淏erton Coffin is a legend in the world of vocal pedagogy,鈥� says Patti Peterson, Berton Coffin Faculty Fellow at the College of Music. 鈥淚 was lucky to be in his studio a lot in the early 70s, as I was a pianist in those days. I took classes with him when I switched to voice as my emphasis, so I know how amazing his work was.鈥�
Peterson studied with Coffin鈥檚 successor, Barbara Doscher, and eventually took over leadership of the vocal pedagogy herself.
鈥淲hen I came here for my doctorate I came here for the reputation of the pedagogy program,鈥� says Eklund Opera Director Leigh Holman. 鈥淭he program that was spearheaded by Berton Coffin had been passed down to Barbara and then Patti.鈥�
Though she wasn鈥檛 a professional musician herself, music has always been a part of Evans鈥� life. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see how you can live without music,鈥� she muses. Her father, after all, was Berton Coffin, the man who literally wrote the book鈥�11 of them to be exact鈥攐n vocal repertoire and pedagogy. He led the voice area for 30 years and was an early president of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
Evans鈥� mother, Mildred Coffin, was an early director of the Artist Series. As a girl, Evans got to rub shoulders with the likes of Van Cliburn and George London as they came through town and ate post-show dinners with her family.
鈥淚 grew up on campus. Running around Macky or skating on Varsity Lake when it was frozen. But I also went through University Hill Elementary in the days when the College of Music was where the west side of the UMC is now,鈥� Evans remembers. 鈥淎 few years ago, I connected with an alum who told me she used to pick me up at Uni Hill and walk me back to my dad鈥檚 studio.鈥�
When she herself was a student at CU, Evans decided not to pursue a career in music, rather majoring in English literature and minoring in history. But she says music was never far from her heart. 鈥淚 sang in the women鈥檚 glee club and the university choir, which was great fun. That鈥檚 where I met a lot of my friends. It鈥檚 important for students to have a support group, and that happens naturally with music.鈥�
After graduating in 1964, Evans took a job in Southern California. What was supposed to be a one-year sabbatical replacement for a high school English and journalism teacher turned into more than 30 years of teaching and administration in nearby districts and even a stint doing school accreditations overseas.
Along the way, she and her late husband, Reverend Ray Smith, always lived by the philosophy that you have to make connections wherever you go. 鈥淲hen I was chairing school accreditations, I traveled to Hawaii and Japan鈥攚here I was the only member of the team from the mainland. During those visits, I worked with educators from Manila, Hong Kong, Spain and Ireland鈥攁nd still see some of them,鈥� Evans says.
鈥淢y husband always thought that it was smart to make connections wherever we live, so when I returned to Boulder in 2001, he and I immediately got connected in the community. It always helps to know people where you鈥檙e living.鈥�
That philosophy guides Evans now as a freelance writer, former member of the Alumni Association Board and a member of the Music Advisory Board, alumni Director鈥檚 Club, School of Education Development Board and the CU Foundation Board of Trustees. She鈥檚 also a CU Advocate.
鈥淚 keep all the thank you notes I receive from students. No matter how much you can give, I think it鈥檚 those 鈥楾hank yous鈥� that count. Every digit matters, and when a student tells you exactly what your help meant to them, that makes it special.鈥�
Now, the little girl who went to Uni Hill鈥攖he CU student who would peek into her dad鈥檚 studio window as she walked to class鈥攚ill touch the lives of even more students, and no doubt receive even more thank you notes. Evans recently endowed yet another gift in the Coffin name: a fund geared toward student success.
Evans says the pillars of the 鈥淐ollege of Music Advantage鈥� got her thinking. 鈥淚 wanted to do something with the student success aspect,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚f I could help students participate in a competition or in a special program abroad, then that would bring it all full circle.鈥�
And though this new endowment is in her father鈥檚 name, Peterson says through her support, Evans鈥� name will be remembered as well.
鈥淢arty has done a great deal for the voice area financially, but more than that, she is a driving force behind all we do,鈥� Peterson says. 鈥淪he served on the Vocal Advisory Board for many years, pushing funding for voice projects, raising scholarship funds and supporting voice faculty with her own money and moral support. She attends all our faculty听concerts and听the operas. I can't think of anyone else who has contributed as much as Marty has.鈥�
鈥淚 think of the Boulder music community as one big family, and this is how I鈥檓 helping that family,鈥� Evans says. 鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful that my folks brought me here. I can鈥檛 think of a better college town to grow up in.鈥�
To that end, she says she鈥檒l always be involved in continuing the tradition of music at CU Boulder.
鈥淚 hope I can always stay involved in supporting the college. I鈥檇 like to remain a part of the Music Advisory Board, because that鈥檚 the best way to stay informed鈥攁nd the more informed you are, the better advocate you can be.鈥�
Marty Coffin Evans and dozens of other supporters will be honored at the College of Music鈥檚 annual scholarship celebration and dinner this weekend at the Glenn Miller Ballroom.
