At age seven, Liberace received a scholarship to the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee. There, he received classical training on the piano and was encouraged to pursue his dream of being an entertainer.
When Liberace established the Liberace Foundation, formally, the Liberace Foundation for the Creative and Performing Arts, in 1976, he wanted to give young musicians the same opportunity that he had been given. In his book, The Things I Love, he wrote: “A lot of good things have happened to me in show business and I want to do what I can to give others just starting out a career boost. I hope The Foundation projects will continue into the future to offer gifted newcomers financial help, and in many cases, artistic exposure as well.”
Today, the Liberace Foundation’s Liberace Scholarship for the Creative and Performing Arts has awarded more than five million dollars in scholarships to more than 2,700 students at 112 colleges and universities.