Keston Named to Music Academy
Board of Directors
For Immediate Release February 11, 2009
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA – Michael Keston, an investment company executive with an extensive record of civic involvement, has been named to the Board of Directors for the Music Academy of the West.
Born in New York City, Mr. Keston earned bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering before receiving an M.B.A. from the Wharton Graduate School at the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves as chairman and CEO of KFG Investment Company, which manages a portfolio of real estate and financial investments. Mr. Keston is a member of the Board of Councilors for the School of Policy, Planning, and Development at the University of Southern California, and is chairman of USC's Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure. He has been an adjunct professor in the master's degree program in real estate development at USC since 1990, and has served on the Policy Advisory Board for the Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently chairman of the Southern California Council of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a research institution and think tank based in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Keston has served on the Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles/Ventura Region. He is a past director of both the Los Angeles Conservancy and the California State Chamber of Commerce, and previously served on the Board of Governors for the Western Los Angeles County Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the Advisory Board of Brentwood Middle and High School. He is currently a member of Heal the Bay.
"I've been an enthusiastic attendee of Summer Festival events at the Music Academy for several years, so this appointment is especially meaningful for me," said Mr. Keston. "I am looking forward to furthering the Academy's unique mission in the months and years ahead."
Founded in 1947, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and frequent performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, guest conductors, and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and Fellows receive full scholarships (tuition, room, and board). Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many enjoy careers as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 200 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and Fellows; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. The Music Academy began broadcasting live performances by the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera at Hahn Hall in October 2008. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
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