Linda Gates Moore was born in Los Angeles and raised in Southern California. As a fifth grader, she was introduced to piano and violin in her public school and played in the school orchestra until high school. Linda’s piano teacher, with whom she studied for twelve years, “was very strict, very exacting.”

After high school, she studied history and anthropology at UC Santa Barbara. When Linda would visit her parents in Orange County, she and her father (a pilot during WWII and a home builder in Newport) would play four-hand piano duets on the 1929 Steinway that her mother had purchased for Linda’s father in 1964 for $1,000 and then had restored.

After spending a year in Europe in her early twenties, Linda received a Degree in Education from UC Irvine. She then moved to Northern California, eventually accepting a job as an administrative director for The Boston Consulting Group’s Menlo Park office. After five years, Linda was transferred to Southern California to help them build and open their Los Angeles office. During that time, she joined the Junior League of Pasadena to begin to know her new community and to start to make new friendships. Linda retired from her full-time position in 2000. In 2001, Linda joined a CPA firm part time to manage personal business relations for clients, retiring in 2017.

Throughout the years, Linda would play her father’s piano at Christmas time, when her stepmother would have the piano tuned for Linda to play. But it wasn’t until 2007 when Linda would acquire her own piano. After purchasing a Yamaha baby grand from the piano sale at Occidental College, Linda signed up for piano lessons at PCM with Elizabeth Babor, who has become more than a teacher; she’s become a friend.

A dedicated pupil now for more than fifteen years, Linda talks excitedly about the pieces she’s learning: Chopin preludes and nocturnes, Mozart’s Sonata in C minor, Schubert Impromptus, Scott Joplin, and others. She practices regularly and enjoys her time at the piano. In addition, she is an active member of The Town Club and the Pasadena Garden Club. She also enjoys volunteering for nonprofits that are dear to her, including the Frostig School, Luminaires Founder Chapter, American Heart Association, and the Huntington Library Fellows. Linda has always been an active tennis player. She began learning bridge in 2013, which she enjoys weekly.

Along with her lessons and annual giving support, Linda is a regular at Musical Interludes concerts (formerly Mansions & Music), attending with her longtime companion, Tom Kibler. She enjoys the musical, intellectual, and social components of these programs.

Shortly after joining PCM as a student, Linda began supporting PCM as an annual donor. When she inherited her father’s treasured Steinway in 2018, she donated her Yamaha piano to PCM. Eventually, the time came to update her will and estate plans. Linda spoke with PCM’s Director of Development, Melissa Froehlich, about becoming a member of the Legacy Society and decided to designate a percentage of her estate to the school.

“It is part of my personal compass. When I’m involved with an organization, I want to support it – especially Non Profits such as PCM that make my community better. It’s my acknowledgement and ‘thank you’ for what this organization does to make my life more enriched.”

Donors like Linda who remember PCM in their estate plans create a legacy and make a powerful and lasting impact on tomorrow’s musicians, audiences, and patrons. Visit our website for more information or contact Melissa Froehlich at mfroehlich@pasadenaconservatory.org about how you can become a member.