Music has become my largest interest, my passion. It fascinates me and moves me.
— Buford Norman
Their shared love of classical music was a thread woven through decades of marriage. Elizabeth did not study music history and theory as much as Buford did, but she had a deep understanding of and appreciation for the artform, including the French baroque operas that were the subject of his research. “We listened to music constantly,” he recalled, and she often surprised him with her ear for recordings. “She could tell whether something was an LP or CD just by hearing it from another room.”
That lifelong devotion to music now lives on in the School of Music, where Buford has made a series of gifts in Elizabeth’s memory to support opera scholarships, student international travel, and programming for both chamber music and early music.
This summer, a string quartet of chamber music students traveled to Paris and the
South of France thanks to his support, participating in a musical and cultural immersion
program alongside peers from CU Boulder. They performed at the American Church in
Paris and the Steinway Gallery, where Buford—who lives in Paris part of each year—welcomed
the students, accompanied them on tours of Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle, and celebrated
his 80th birthday with them in attendance.
At a reception following the Steinway concert, USC violin faculty member Dr. William Terwilliger offered a toast in honor of Buford and in memory of Elizabeth. “As we revel in the beauty of music,” he said, “we must also take a moment to honor the memory of your beloved wife… Today, we celebrate her memory and the legacy of love you both created.”
“It is something of a cliché that music is a universal language, but it was very clear at the concert in the Steinway Gallery in Paris,” Buford said. “Some of my French friends didn’t understand the comments in English, and I’m not sure all of the Americans understood all of the French, but… there was no communication problem with the music.”
Buford calls the performance of a Beethoven movement at Elizabeth’s memorial, which the same quartet performed at, one of the most powerful moments of his life. “The melancholy and joy in the music… it was the perfect way to go from sadness over her death to joy over all that she had meant to so many people.”
Buford’s gift to the School of Music is more than financial support—it is an investment in shared experiences, cultural understanding, and the transformative power of performance. In honoring Elizabeth’s memory, he has created opportunities for students to see the world, share their art, and connect with others in ways that transcend borders and languages. For Buford, the reward is simple: knowing that the music he and Elizabeth loved will continue to inspire long after the final note fades.
Pictured above: The Graduate Quartet (Ziyi Deng and Mac Tollefsen, violins, Douglas Temples, viola, and Paul Maxwell, cello) with violin professor Dr. William Terwilliger (far right) and Dr. Buford Norman (center). Photo courtesy of Evy Najarian, IAU Institute for American Universities.