Family sets up foundation to honor son

The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music has received multi-year funding from the Theodore W. Batterman Family Foundation to support the Conservatory’s new Jazz Institute program, and to provide scholarships for youth.  The gift is the largest single program contribution the Conservatory has ever received. 
"We are extremely grateful for the Eric D. Batterman Memorial Grant to establish this Institute,” said Karen Deschere, president of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. “Our new Jazz Institute will increase the jazz music education presence in Southeastern Wisconsin by providing further education from seasoned, professional jazz instructors.
The Eric D. Batterman Memorial Grant, will provide scholarship assistance to 12 Milwaukee area youth to participate in private lessons, combos, jazz history classes as well as the summer jazz camp. These twelve students will be the inaugural class for the Jazz Institute. Each year, as the program develops, the core group will expand.
Batterman was a professional percussionist, keyboard player, composer, arranger, electronic musician and producer, and was accomplished in orchestral percussion as well as a master of jazz, rock and Latin percussion.  He was a member of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra in high school, and received the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra League’s Young Artist Award (Marimba).  After his college graduation, he was a member of the Turin Radio Symphony Orchestra in Italy, and has toured the U.S. and abroad with major musical acts including 5.5 years with "The Lettermen," serving as their music director. He was a strong supporter of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.
Batterman passed away in 2008 from pancreatic cancer.