Remembering Mina Belle Packer Wichmann

The ISM community was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Mina Belle Packer Wichmann on May 23. 

In 1973, along with three colleagues from the School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary in New York, she took the significant step of moving to New Haven to establish a new institute dedicated to sacred music at Yale University. In her role as assistant director, she played a crucial part in nurturing and guiding numerous young musicians, helping to shape their careers and contributing significantly to the institution’s development and success. Read her full obituary here.  

ISM director, Martin Jean, said “Mina Belle was a force for good. As a young performer, long before coming to Yale, Mina Belle was my host at a concert I played in Pittsburgh, PA, during which time she began to relate tales of the days at Union and the early days at Yale. Little did I know she would turn from acquaintance, to friend, to trusted advisor once I moved here, and especially as I moved into the director’s role. I will always be grateful for her erudition, her generosity, and her kindness to me.”