Linden Tree Society Profile: Steve and Sigi Lindo
Steve and Sigi Lindo are seated in their living room overlooking the ocean and pondering music’s impact. “Some music sets my teeth on edge. However, Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ gives me a lump in my throat,” quips Sigi.
Steve adds, “We’re both spiritual people. We have been going to church since we were kids, and music is a big part of the church experience. When you hear music in a special or sacred place, it’s both moving and calming. The Shalin Liu Performance Center is one of those places. Between the visual and aural beauty, something goes straight into your heart and transports you.”
Sigi grew up in Rockport’s Pigeon Cove, singing in the junior choir at Pigeon Cove Chapel. She was also in the Whale Cove Orchestra, playing second violin and, in her senior year, was President of the Wellesley College Blue Notes. That youthful passion for music continued throughout her life. In the past 30 years, Sigi has sung for senior citizens in New Jersey with the Humdingers, with Sorellanza on Cape Ann and with her church choirs.
Steve was raised in “a town smaller than Rockport” in upstate New York. His grandmother and father both had musical backgrounds. There weren’t a lot of other kids who lived nearby, so music became his companion and lifelong friend. Steve played clarinet and guitar, briefly taking jazz guitar lessons at the American Institute of Guitar in New York City until career demands took over.
Steve and Sigi met at work in Boston, were married in Rockport’s Congregational Church in 1971, and moved back to Rockport full-time in 2010. Steve, a labor and employment lawyer, served on Rockport Music’s Board from 2010 – 2019. They decided to join the Linden Tree Society, directing a gift from their IRA to Rockport Music at their passing “because music is a huge part of our lives,” said Steve. “Our daughter-in-law, Liz Schurgin, has been Executive Director of the DC Youth Orchestra Program since 2013. We have an appreciation for what music can do for people — and for children — in terms of building confidence and other skills needed for success.” Sigi adds, “I want Rockport Music to be able to continue to help youth receive a ‘literacy’ in music and come to listen to and understand many different kinds of music.”
Steve concludes, “I’m proud of what Rockport Music has added to the quality of life on the North Shore. It’s done an amazing job of changing lives, young and old. Rockport Music is a treasure, and we want to help sustain that.”
For more information on becoming a Linden Tree Society member by making a gift through your IRA at passing or a bequest through your will or trust, please visit Rockport Music’s Planned Giving website or contact Kathy Urner-Jones at 978-546-7391 X132 or Kurnerjones@rockportmusic.org.
