Fall 2013 Issue of

f a l l
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Thoughts from
the President
An artist’s view of fundraising
My life has been filled with the most propitious and surprising opportunities. And, as
we all know, it is very hard, likely impossible, to know just how life plays out, based on
one’s best assessments and consequent decisions.
In my sixth year in the Boston Symphony, I was approached by the Juilliard String
Quartet without ever having dreamt of having such a job. The exciting new position
and the move to New York (where I hadn’t lived in 10 years) couldn’t have come at
a better moment. My grandmother, who was 90 and a big part of my life, lived only
blocks from Lincoln Center, was heading into her last years. The job at Juilliard
afforded me the chance to be with her at odd times between rehearsals, before
concerts and after work and created a bookend of giving back to someone who had
given me so much.
Perhaps the most
treasured aspect of my
years is, once again,
the bookend quality of
giving back.
It was during a random phone call with my dear predecessor at CIM, David Cerone,
that he asked whether I’d consider putting my hat in the ring for his job. After picking
my jaw off the floor, I managed to say that, yes, I would think about it. Five years
later, it has been my great honor to travel a joyous path with the Cleveland Institute of
Music and its beautiful faculty, trustees and staff, a path of intensive learning on which
I have treasured every minute.
Perhaps the most treasured aspect of my years is, once again, the bookend quality
of giving back. As performing or teaching artists, our energies are consumed by the
care and devotion we expend in service of those few minutes spent with our listeners
from the stage or with our students in the studio. We live for those minutes. And yet
we rarely get to know (or even sometimes get to meet) the thoughtful and generous
citizens who have sponsored our concert, our learning environment and their
important cultural interactions.
Bel Canto:
A Healthy Approach for Beautiful Singing
My greatest privilege during the past five years has been to get to know all of our
trustees and donors. I have been privileged to learn each of their fascinating life
stories, the stories that long ago or more recently brought them to us, and to find out
what inspired them to decide to sponsor the important work of a world-class music
conservatory in Cleveland.
ABOVE
As an artistic veteran of hundreds of performances over a long career, I now find
myself deeply and constantly touched by the heroism of the citizen who, acting from
a passion for beauty, for insight and for young people, has made the decision to give
and to help create future culture for Cleveland and for the greater world through
the artistic lives of CIM’s students. On behalf of CIM, I find myself standing and
screaming “Bravo, Bravissimo!”
Piano technician William Schoeffler
setting backchecks on a Mixon
Hall concert grand (story page 14)
Each day, as I work to find ever new resources for our important work and for student
scholarships, I find great joy.
— Joel Smirnoff
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12
Mary Schiller working with
master's student Kate Kostopoulos
(story page 12)
ON THE COVER
Departments
features
4Noteworthy
Khristenko Wins CIPC
Fitz Gary Receives Fulbright
Welcome New CIM Trustees
Play Me I’m Yours
New Officers of the Alumni Association
50 Years of Opera: David Bamberger
Alumna Instills Confidence in Children
8 The Next Great Repertoire
Notes interviews President Smirnoff about
the Composer/Virtuoso.
16 Events: Season Preview
14Steinway
Tuning CIM's pianos requires a
knowledgeable touch and sensitive ear.
18Development
Donor Profile: Jan Curry
12 Bel Canto: A Healthy Approach for
Beautiful Singing
CIM's voice program creates balance utilizing
Italian method.
20Alumni Snapshot: Steven Greenman
21Listings
Alumni
Appointments
Prizewinners
Faculty
New Faculty
In Memoriam
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Noteworthy
Khristenko Wins Cleveland International Piano Competition
Twenty-nine-year-old Russian pianist Stanislav Khristenko (AD’11) won the 2013
Cleveland International Piano Competition (CIPC) in August. The winning performance
by the former student of Sergei Babayan “was the most distinctive by a wide margin,”
said Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Zachary Lewis. “From start to finish, the pianist had
listeners on the edge of their seats.”
The prestigious CIPC is a biennial,
12-day extravaganza celebrating
the piano and those who’ve
dedicated their lives to mastering
it. Since 1975 it has attracted toptier candidates, ages 18-30, who
compete before an international
jury and audiences. Previous
winners have included CIM faculty
members Antonio Pompa-Baldi
and Mr. Khristenko’s mentor,
Sergei Babayan. CIM faculty pianist
Paul Schenly is the artistic director
for the competition.
In addition to a monetary prize,
Khristenko will record a CD, perform
in recital at Carnegie Hall and receive
three years of management.
Khristenko is no stranger to the CIPC,
having placed third overall in 2005.
Photo courtesy of CIPC, credit: Roger Mastroianni
New Trustees Include Previn, Tilson Thomas and Watts
At the Annual Meeting in July, Brent M. Buckley, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees, announced the appointment of new
members of the Board, including André Previn, Michael Tilson Thomas and André Watts to the International Council. In addition to a
passion for classical music, all have made a commitment to the future of CIM.
International Council
New Trustees
• Grammy Award-winning conductor, composer and pianist André Previn has been
honored for his musical accomplishments with the Austrian and German Cross of
Merit, the Glenn Gould Prize and Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the
Kennedy Center and The Recording Academy. He holds chief artistic posts with
such orchestras as the Houston, London and Pittsburgh Symphonies, as well as the
Los Angeles and Royal Philharmonic orchestras.
• Cynthia Bassett , senior vice president
of UBS Financial Services, has been
in the investment business for more
than 40 years. She is also a published
travel photographer, documenting her
vacations around the world.
• Founder and artistic director of New World Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas
is also music director of the San Francisco Symphony. He has gained international
recognition both as a music director and guest conductor. In addition to numerous
awards, he was the recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 2010, the highest award
given to artists by the United States government.
• Ann Buescher owns and operates
Interstate-Mcbee, a Cleveland-based
company that reaches around the globe
to provide engine parts, fuel injections
and gaskets for the heavy duty diesel and
natural gas industry.
• Classical pianist André Watts has played before royalty in Europe and heads of
governments in nations all over the world. A 2011 National Medal of Arts recipient,
his extensive discography includes works by Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt and SaintSaëns. He is currently on faculty at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.
Read about more CIM prizewinners on
page 22.
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Fitz Gary Receives Fulbright Scholarship
Alumnus Fitz Gary (BM’11) received a
Fulbright Scholar grant for music study of
the two Brahms Viola Sonatas in Luebeck,
Germany with Barbara Westphal.
“I believe CIM has fully prepared me for
this next chapter in my life,” Gary said.
“Choosing CIM to study with Jeffrey Irvine
was one of the best decisions I ever made.
I was challenged and encouraged by the
nurturing and balanced environment CIM
offers. Looking back at how ‘complete’ my
education was, top training is provided
for so many facets of the music field so it
becomes easy to find one’s own interests
and at the same time, remain a rounded
and whole musician.”
Established in 1946, The Fulbright U.S.
Student Program aims to increase
mutual understanding between people
of the United States and the people of
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more than 150 countries that currently
participate. Scholarships are awarded
to U.S. graduating seniors, graduate
students, young professionals and artists
selected through a national, merit-based
competition for study and research
abroad. Grantees’ fields of study span
the fine arts, humanities, social sciences,
mathematics, natural and physical sciences,
and professional and applied sciences.
Sponsored by the Department of State’s
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs,
approximately 1,500 U.S. students and
3,000 foreign students receive Fulbright
scholarships each year.
• Marjorie Moyar, a member of the
CIM Women’s Committee for six years,
has served on various boards, including
Benjamin Rose, Hitchcock Center and
the national board of the women’s
philanthropy organization at her church.
She is active in International Orthodox
Christian Charities and has a private
practice in clinical psychology.
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1.André Watts
2.Michael Tilson Thomas
3.André Previn
2
CIM was named a Top Fulbright Producer in 2011.
Previous Fulbright recipients include:
• Julie Ann Link, bassoon (MM’11)
• Louis Chiappetta, composition (BM’11)
• Felix Ungar, viola (BM’07, MM’09)
• Danilla Strasfogel, violin (MM’03)
• Lee Hancock, piano (MM’04)
• Eliesha Nelson, viola (BM’95)
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Noteworthy
Celebrating 50 Years of Opera in Cleveland
International Art Project Encourages Spontaneous Performance
David Bamberger has contributed nearly 50 years of service to the Greater
Cleveland area as an arts leader, advocate, educator and artistic director—including 10
years with the CIM Opera Theater.
The acclaimed art-meets-music project Play Me, I’m Yours,
came to Cleveland this summer after touring internationally
since 2008.
Conceived of by British artist Luke Jerram, dilapidated pianos
received a second, short-term lease on life before being
retired. The pianos were tuned and given a creative paint
job before being placed in public outdoor spaces throughout
Cleveland’s University Circle to encourage spontaneous
performances by passers-by. CIM’s piano joined the more
than 800 others that have been installed in 37 cities across the
globe, from New York to London.
CIM’s art piano, designed and executed by CIM Graphic Design
Manager Casey Ocasio and Piano Technician William
Schoeffler, spoke to CIM’s mission of music education. Painted
a classic black, portions of the upright piano were replaced with
plexiglass, allowing a clear view of the impact fingers have on
keys. A model and printed legend behind the plexi provided
additional illustration of the piano-playing process.
Alumni Association Introduces New Officers
PRESIDENT | Liz Huff1 (BM’98, MM’99, Beverly Rinaldi)
is assistant director of annual giving and alumni relations at
the Cleveland Institute of Art. She is active in musical theater,
concert work, improv and collaborative arts projects. She also
performs in the trio Vocal Trespass and as the vocalist in the duo
Dos Gatos with fellow CIM grad guitarist Robert Gruca.
VICE PRESIDENT | Organist Chris Toth2 (BM’88,
AD’89, Karel Paukert) handles five centuries of music as an
active Cleveland-area freelance musician. He performs at many
churches, is accompanist for the Cleveland Messiah Chorus and
acts as music director of high school and college musical theater
productions. His is an active member of the American Guild of
Organists and the registrar for its Cleveland chapter.
1
3
2
4
SECRETARY | Soprano Tina Beltavski (BM’92, MM’94,
George Vassos) has performed with Cleveland Opera, Lyric
Opera Cleveland, The Singers’ Club of Cleveland and others, and
shares her voice throughout Northeast Ohio in the Diocese of
Cleveland and at private events. A fifth-degree black belt in Tae
Kwon Do, she is co-owner of T&T Martial Arts, Ltd.
3
TREASURER | Greg Bonanno4 (MM’10, Margaret Brouwer,
Paul Schoenfield, Keith Fitch) oversees the Performing Arts
Program at Cleveland Clinic’s Arts and Medicine Institute where
he coordinates more than 300 performances by CIM students
and alumni a year. He served as president of the Ohio City
Bicycle Co-op and chaired both the Governance and Finance/
Human Resource Committees.
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He came to Cleveland in 1964 to provide essential support to a major production
in crisis. While adept in the spoken theater—staging works such as Much Ado About
Nothing and A Streetcar Named Desire—it was his 1969 Severance Hall debut of RimskyKorsakov’s Le Coq d’Or for the Lake Erie Opera Theater that foreshadowed the impact
he’d have on the Ohio arts community.
In 1976, with two colleagues and $25, Bamberger founded Cleveland Opera. Serving
as both administrative and artistic leader for 28 years, he personally directed some 50
productions—ranging from the standard repertoire to creative interpretations of less
familiar works. Through his imaginative programming and productions, he brought the
company, and Cleveland, international media attention before resigning in 2004.
It was then that Bamberger joined the CIM Opera Theater as artistic director, and began
conducting workshops at CIM—coaching aspiring artists in blocking, staging, acting and
character analysis. In his decade at CIM, Bamberger has seen many voice students go on to
achieve success in professional opera, such as mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts (MM’08),
who debuted at both The Met and the San Francisco Opera last year.
CIM Congratulates David Bamberger on this milestone!
Alumna Instills Confidence in Special Needs Children
This summer, Pepper Pike Learning Center in Orange (OH), expanded their theater
program Stagecrafters to include a new camp utilizing musical theater for children
and young adults with special needs. The adaptive musical theater program Broadway
Buddies was started in spring 2012 and is now directed by Claire Connelly (MM’10,
Schiller) who also acts as a voice teacher and community show director.
Although her position as music director isn’t an operatic part, Connelly said CIM
more than prepared her latest role. “The community outreach program at CIM with
Chris Haff Paluck showed me all the
different avenues for music to enhance
lives,” she explained. “I learned about
opportunities for music therapy and
instilling confidence in people through
music. The rest is history!”
program. To Connelly, “They reveal a
new way to enjoy music each session.
They hear a detail in a song I hadn’t
heard before and jump into music with
an unbridled passion that rejuvenates
my soul.”
Broadway Buddies campers learn
music and choreography to upbeat,
contemporary show tunes during
weekly sessions and then perform
final shows where they sing, dance and
recite lines.
All graduates of CIM are automatically members of the CIM
Alumni Association. Want to get involved? Contact Char Rapoport
Nance, Development Officer, Alumni and Parent Relations at
crn17@cim.edu to learn more.
“I see an increase in confidence and
self-awareness in campers, ages 12 to
22, from the first day until the end,”
Connelly said. But the campers aren’t
the only ones benefitting from the
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A new, young audience eagerly awaits great
music reflecting the culture and life experience
of today, played by composers themselves from
the stage. This fall, CIM launches the Year of the
Composer/Virtuoso, wedding the disciplines of
interpretive performance and composition in
the service of the next great repertoire.
The Next Great
repertoire
U
ntil mid-20th century, classical music’s most celebrated
composers captured the culture of their time through
the performance of, and advocacy for, their own
creations. Opening their hearts, they performed their own music
from the stage, maintaining lifelong connections with audience
and community alike. As live performers, they felt both the pull
of culture and the obligation to speak artistically in the voice of
the community.
As we begin the second decade of the 21st century, we must ask:
who will be the audience for CIM’s graduates and what music will
sustain that audience? Answer: a relevant next great repertoire
that speaks in its cultural language and knows the culture in
which that audience lives.
CIM President Joel Smirnoff has declared this academic
year the Year of the Composer/Virtuoso and CIM intends,
throughout the year and in many ways, to re-focus the 21st
century conservatory’s central mission on building the next
repertoire, utilizing a tried and true formula, yet embracing the
contemporary culture of today.
This year in Notes, we will explore many aspects of the
composer/virtuoso model, from its deep roots within our
current repertoire to the current new efforts within CIM’s
classrooms. This article presents a discussion with President
Smirnoff concerning the strong presence of the composer/
virtuoso in our greatest past repertoire and how he or she will
positively influence our musical future.
Why is the issue of building the new
repertoire important?
As a faculty member, one feels deeply responsible for the future
lives of one’s students. As president, I feel yet more responsible,
as I have an understandably deep stake in the basic value of
CIM for each of them. I constantly ponder: Where will these
musicians be in 30 years and what music will they play?
Interpreting a Beethoven sonata or quartet, becoming literate
with the great repertoire is basic and necessary to our students’
education. However, they need to also commit to help create
the next great repertoire, drawing their peers to the concert
hall. Contrary to prevailing wisdom, the challenge facing today’s
composer is not that of creating music that is easier or more
pleasant to listen to, but rather to speak in the musical language
of the listener.
Is the composer/virtuoso a new idea?
This is not a recent invention, but rather a long held tradition.
The long and strong history of pianists who dominated classical
music composition, Vivaldi, Bach, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff,
Bartók, Prokofiev and Shostakovich contrast sharply with
the celebrated non-performing composers of more recent
times. Creating music without performing it is a recent model,
antithetical to that through which our most beloved composers
found creation.
CIM has its own wonderful history of composer/virtuosi. There
was a golden period here when a community of composers led
as faculty and as administrators of the school: Beryl Rubinstein,
Arthur Loesser, Victor Babin and Marcel Dick, all complete
musicians, all composers and performers who enjoyed playing
each other’s music. How wonderful! This community of
composers set a strong example for their students, reminding
them of the nature of conservatories of the 19th century. We
hope, in the Year of the Composer/Virtuoso, to somewhat retrieve
this past tradition of CIM.
What were the characteristics which helped produce
our current repertoire?
Certainly the 19th century musician was always expected to
compose and to show up in a foreign town with something
of his own to play. When linked together, one’s playing and
compositions communicated a powerful, dramatic and complete
musical picture of the composer/virtuoso for the audience.
One likes to imagine Mozart at age five, already traveling
the musical capitals of the world, sitting in rooms filled
with adults, improvising and successfully communicating
something meaningful in that context. His improvisations and
creations, those of Beethoven and many others, were, in a
manner, a musical response to their nightly audience and this
environment was the template, perhaps, of the best training of a
great composer.
What is the importance of improvisation in creating
new work?
Nearly all great composers improvised. The very famous 1964
live jazz performance, My Funny Valentine by Miles Davis, is an
improvised masterpiece. In January, we get to witness a great
improviser at work when Gabriela Montero visits CIM as our
next performer in the Mixon Hall Masters Series. This important
pianist and composer will play Brahms, Schumann and then
engage the audience in a series of improvisations from the stage.
Contrary to prevailing wisdom,
the challenge facing today’s
composer is not that of making
music that is easier to listen to
or pleasant. It is to speak the
musical language of the listener.
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Composer/Virtuosi of CIM's Past
Beryl Rubinstein (1898–1952)
Years at CIM: 1921–1942, 1944–1952
Positions held: piano faculty, head of the piano department, dean, director
How do new compositions succeed and become a
masterpiece, or part of a great new repertoire?
Art of all kinds must connect to the community and to
culture. One must speak the language of an audience to have
an audience. Culture is the language of your audience—the
culture they share. To be relevant to them, you must speak their
language and interact with them.
The artist’s true job is to take raw culture, chop it up, boil it
down, cook it, and serve the community art that reflects the
universal essence of life itself. Great art utilizes culture, reflects
on it and brings forth art with insight and commentary.
Gershwin, Bernstein, Copland, our most celebrated American
composers, used culture well. For a time, a cultural expression
has been viewed as being more visionary, but it is time to, once
again, find, hear and enjoy familiar cultural content and exult in
identifying cultural sources within a musical work. There should
be both the expectation and purpose of hearing familiar musical
messages, phrases we might already know and recognize.
A lesser-known but wonderful work of Copland, Music for a
Great City, has a movement entitled Subway Jam, a thrilling threeminute ride on a New York subway. Beethoven’s 9th Symphony,
his most dramatic piece, grapples successfully with our conflicted
lives as individuals and citizens. The very somber 4th Symphony
of Sibelius describes the melancholy stoicism of life in wintry
Finland and its challenges. These are just three examples of the
composer powerfully capturing a very specific moment in time,
the zeitgeist or spirit of their time.
What is CIM doing to teach composers of the next
great repertoire?
It is my hope that the 21st century conservatory will once again
encourage players to compose and composers to play. Here at
CIM, we are hard at work nurturing the composers of the next
great repertoire through improvisation ensembles, composition
for non-majors, the new program under development for the
composer/virtuoso, a Mixon Hall Masters Series comprised
entirely of composer/virtuosi, prizes for compositions by noncomposition majors and, with the help of Case Western Reserve
University and the Cleveland Museum of Art, cultural seminars
furnishing a wider view of culture for our students.
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Young people today have a nose for culture and its diversity and
they will to dig to find it. In our global village, cultures overlap
and we constantly sense the pulse of other cultures. As we have
asked in the past “Music, where will it take you?”
Our students can now work internationally and with an
international cultural palette of expression. Classical music
can, once again, reflect our world’s compelling cultural
dialogue to build a new, young, vibrant international and
multicultural audience.
Donors Embrace
Composer/Virtuoso
Philosophy
Trustee Carl Baldassarre was inspired to create and
fund THE BALDASSARRE COMPETITION for composer/
virtuosi. In the spirit of challenging creative abilities,
applicants must both write a composition and perform it in
a solo or small ensemble format. In addition to submitting
their scores and a recording of the piece, applicants must
write a short explanation of the work—not about the X
factor (the performance), not about the Y factor (the piece
itself) but about what Mr. Baldassarre calls the Z factor—
the inspiration, why it's compelling and how it will reach
new audiences in a special way. Winners will be selected
from three categories this spring: junior Preparatory, senior
Preparatory and Conservatory students.
The Women’s Committee also recognized
composer/virtuosi with a new annual prize, awarded to
a returning student who has been recognized for both
composition and performance. The inaugural recipient of
this award is second-year student Colin Laursen, who
studies violin with William Preucil and composition with
Keith Fitch. He was presented with the award prior to a
performance of his own work with Rubén Ernesto Rengel
Cardona at CIM’s Fall 2013 Opening Exercises.
In addition to several American and European tours, Beryl Rubinstein also toured as an
assistant pianist for the Duncan Dancers, a troupe headed by Isadora Duncan. He wrote
an Outline of Piano Pedagogy (1929) and his compositions included two piano concertos,
a string quartet and numerous pieces and studies for piano solos. Rubinstein took a
two-year sabbatical from CIM to enlist in the U.S. Army. As captain in the Fifth Service
Command, he traveled 20,000 miles, participating in 75 concerts for servicemen in
North Africa, Sicily and Italy as the coordinator of the unit’s wartime musical activities.
Arthur Loesser (1894–1969)
Years at CIM: 1926–1969
Positions held: piano faculty, head of the piano department
An international solo performer, he was part of the piano team with Beryl Rubinstein
during the 1920s and 30s. He was the author of several books including Men, Women
and Pianos: A Social History, which portrayed the piano as the center for writing the
social history of the last 300 years. He also penned program notes for The Cleveland
Orchestra, liner notes for recordings by Vladimir Horowitz and other musicians, and
was a music critic at the Cleveland Press. In 1943 he served the U.S. Army, working in the
Japanese intelligence department. When the war ended, he gave recitals with lectures in
Tokyo. He retired from the army as a major.
Victor Babin (1908–1972)
Years at CIM: 1961–1972
Positions held: director, piano faculty
His duo with wife Vitya Vronsky (also piano faculty), was described by Newsweek as “the
most brilliant two-piano team of a generation.” Despite a break from performances
during World War II, when Babin served in the Armed Forces and Vronsky worked
with war casualties in Washington, DC hospitals, they still managed to perform more
than 1,200 concerts in North America alone. His compositions, in a conservative,
post-Romantic language, include two concertos for two pianos and orchestras, other
compositions for one and two pianos, chamber music and many songs.
Marcel Dick (1898–1991)
Years at CIM: 1946–1973
Positions held: viola faculty, head of theory and composition department
Marcel Dick was the principal violist of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Detroit
Symphony Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra. Most of the 29 works in Dick’s
catalogue were composed after emigrating from Europe to the United States. He
conducted The Cleveland Orchestra in premieres of his works, Adagio and Rondo for
Orchestra (1951) and Capriccio for Orchestra (1955). One of his most accomplished
students was Donald Erb, who eventually went on to become CIM’s head of
composition. In addition to forming the Contemporary Music Series at CIM, Dick
received an honorary doctorate in 1978.
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11
bel
canto
A healthy approach
for beautiful singing
A sign in Dr. Southern’s studio echoes this sentiment, “Rigidity is the enemy of
beautiful singing.” He explains that even he is guilty of holding on (to the muscles.)
“I caught myself holding my shoulder up a little bit, and there’s a dichotomy
because you feel it, which is what you think you want in singing—to feel it. But
when you DON’T feel it is when you’re singing correctly and it sounds even better.
It’s free sound.” Students need to engage the entire mid section and see expansion
all the way around, keeping the chest free. Lower sides and back muscles need to
be involved in proper breathing, not just the stomach.
It’s How You Say It
“Vocalists have something that our
instrumental friends don’t,” said
Dr. Dean Southern. “We have words.”
For American vocalists, these words
are often in a language that is not their
own. By the time they graduate, CIM
students must have taken one year each
of French, Italian and German at Case
Western Reserve University. They also
take diction classes at CIM, learning
to translate the language into the
international phonetic alphabet.
“Free, loose, fast diction is the goal
for singing,” said Dr. Southern. “Not
the robotic pronunciation that occurs
when most people think of diction.
Consonants should be released
naturally, not pushed out.”
Above: Dean Southern works with master's student Preston Masters.
“It seems as if it’s in vogue to pressurize the voice, make it too large too soon,”
said Dr. Schiller of singers she sees when she’s away at summer festivals. “Trying
for that big sound can upset breath flow and causes the vocal folds to press too
tightly together. It’s just not a healthy way of singing. It causes that ‘red in the
face’ moment.”
Returning to the idea of free, unforced sound, Dr. Southern said “I was trying to
explain this concept in Graz [Austria] this summer, and I paraphrased Clifford
[Billions]. He said that you want to radiate a beautiful tone, rather than drive it.”
M
uch like Goldilocks, CIM vocalists are always
striving for just right. Not too loud, not too soft, not
too dark, not too light, not too strong, not to subtle,
not to slow or too fast, just balance.
Voice Department Head Mary Schiller explains that she wants
CIM to be a haven for Bel Canto, an Italian method of singing
that focuses on free, unforced sound known for its balance,
beauty and seamlessness of tones. Free sound happens when the
breath is perfectly coordinated with the muscles that control it.
Dr. Schiller, Dr. Dean Southern, Clifford Billions and
Vinson Cole work with 50 to 55 students each semester. The
size of the department also speaks to balance—it’s both small
enough that all the faculty members know all the voice students
and large enough to support two fully-staged opera productions
each season (and a scenes program in the spring).
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Above: Mary Schiller coaches senior voice student
Carson Dorsey to achieve free, unforced sound.
There is an open and constant exchange of ideas among faculty
members, all of whom focus on Bel Canto principles such as
appoggio (Italian for “to lean”) and legato (a seamlessness of
tones) to ensure students have the building blocks for successful
careers and vocal longevity.
To achieve Bel Canto, a vocalist has to get rid of the muscular
tensions. “We need to find those holds and tensions, the
muscular garbage,” Dr. Schiller said. “When there isn’t free,
unforced sound, one finds those tensions in the neck, jaw,
throat, back, tongue, shoulders. All those muscles are trying to
stabilize the larynx but having the opposite effect.” Dr. Schiller
and her colleagues work with students on building a physical
awareness of where their tensions manifest.
Like athletes, vocalists must constantly train in a balanced way to maintain control.
It can take a lifetime to perfect all the different pieces of the body working together
in just the right way at just the right time. Even the most famous singers, such as
Placido Domingo and Joan Sutherland, have said they must find their voice anew
each day.
Just as an instrumentalist must provide proper care for his instrument, so must a
vocalist care for her voice. Good health, nutrition and proper amounts of rest and
hydration also help to rid the body of these tensions, while physical fitness helps
with muscle control and breathing.
“All the tools we teach are about painting the mood, illustrating the story, the
poem and the character. Creating a work of artistry,” said Dr. Schiller.
Read how these tools inspired one donor to give to the CIM voice program on page 18.
“Students are often surprised by how
fast they move their mouths to speak,
but yet they go into slow motion when
they sing. It is a major component of
our teaching to get those two speeds to
match,” he continued.
Dr. Schiller strongly encourages
students to attend festivals, workshops
and competitions abroad for immersion
into other languages. The exposure
helps them pick up regional dialects and
increases comprehension.
“Ideally, we want them to be able to
THINK in the language they are singing,”
Dr. Schiller said.
“…you want to
radiate a beautiful
tone, rather than
drive it.”
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Steinway.
Steinway’s reputation is that of unsurpassed
quality and sound, making it the Rolls Royce
of pianos. Tuning these pianos requires a
knowledgeable touch and sensitive ear.
CIM is an All Steinway School, a distinction given to educational institutions where
students perform and are taught exclusively on Steinway pianos. Three tuner technicians
are given the grand task of maintaining CIM’s 161 Steinways, the oldest of which was
built in 1893.
The team manages everything from the daily tuning and voicing of the concert grands
in the halls, to the tuning and regulation of the studio and practice room pianos, the
rebuilding of actions, repairing of soundboards and the restringing of instruments.
Although their efforts are mostly behind the scenes in CIM’s piano workshop, the quality
of their work takes center stage every time a pianist performs.
A Period of Free Motion
Composers wanted to be able to repeat notes very quickly but that wasn’t possible
on early pianos. Surprisingly, the solution was found not in a period of rapid contact
with the keys, but instead, during a period of no contact at all, created by the “double
escapement action.”
In simpler terms, towards the end of the keystroke, the hammer escapes from the key
and is in free motion, at which point it strikes the string, rebounds and is caught by the
backcheck. It is at this point of free motion that the double escapement resets and makes
ready to restrike the string. If the hammer didn’t escape, it would just rise, strike the
string and deaden it, both creating and dampening the tone at the same time, the felt of
the hammer muting the string.
Tuning By Ear
Technicians need to be good listeners
and translators in order to understand
what the pianist wants for tuning, voicing
and mechanical issues. But, in addition
to listening to a piano’s musician, CIM
technicians must listen to the piano itself.
Much like snowflakes, no two pianos
are the same. Each piano is unique in
tonal quality and dynamics, making each
tuning different. Many factors, such as
changes in humidity, can cause a piano
to go out of tune. High humidity causes
the soundboard to swell, stretching the
strings and causing the pitch to rise. The
tuner works with and accommodates these
factors each time he tunes the piano.
A time honored tradition is followed,
adding to the artistic level at CIM. “The
history of tuning is tuning by ear,”
Schoeffler explained. “We tune by ear,
we listen and adjust based on what we
hear. It teaches you to hear very minute
differences and is extremely accurate.”
Fun Steinway Facts
How Music Is Made
• Five members of CIM’s faculty are Steinway Artists, which means they have chosen
to perform exclusively on Steinway pianos and each owns a Steinway. Segei Babayan,
Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Paul Schenly, Sandra Shapiro and Gerardo Teissonnière are
among the 1,600 concert artists who bear the title.
The following descriptive "poem" was
written by Schoeffler for inclusion on
CIM’s Play Me, I’m Yours piano. (Read more
about the project on page 6).
• Steinway held 126 patented inventions to improve the production of their pianos.
• During World War II, the Steinway factory in New York built the G.I. Piano, one
small enough to be lifted by four men, painted olive or gray, carried aboard ships or
dropped by parachutes from an airplane to bring music to soldiers.
The Inner Workings of the Piano
by William Schoeffler
(MM’87, DMA studies’87-91)
• In 1994, the world’s first academy for concert technicians opened its doors, The
C.F. Theodore Steinway School for Concert Technicians (also known as the
Steinway Academy).
The pianist depresses the key
The key activates the capstan
The capstan engages the repetition
The repetition carries the jack
The jack throws the hammer
The escapement releases the hammer
The hammer strikes the string
The back check catches the hammer
The string creates the tone
The bridge carries the tone to the
soundboard
The soundboard transmits the tone to the
listener
The listener is moved and music is made
“There’s a period when the pianist is not in control because the hammer is in free
motion,” said William Schoeffler, a 10-year tuner technician at CIM. What many people
don’t realize is that period of free motion is just as critical as the period of contact―and
it’s one that Schoeffler has to adjust when regulating.
To do so, Schoeffler focuses on the heart and soul of the piano, known as "the action."
The action, which consists of more than 4,000 parts, can be considered to include
the keys which extend 18 inches into the piano and the stack which holds the double
escapement. “Optimizing the action and making it work best for the musician is my holy
grail,” he said.
ABOVE
Piano technician William Schoeffler setting backchecks on a Mixon Hall concert
grand: one of a myriad of regulations that must be accurately and evenly performed
to bring a piano into peak performance.
LEFT
The major overhaul of a CIM concert grand in the piano shop: the plate was pulled,
soundboard repairs were made, the instrument was restrung and the keyboard was
fully regulated, keyweighted and voiced.
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15
2013 | 2014
Concert season preview
CIM’s 2013-14 Concert Season promises to be one of the most exciting and innovative so far. Billed
as the Year of the Composer/Virtuoso, this season rounds out the definition of the complete musician,
the artist who understands community, hears culture in its diversity and creates new music based on
that inspiration. The culturally informed composer/virtuoso has always created our most cherished
repertoire and, in the 21st century, finds enthusiastic audiences.
The robust season focuses on this theme, but also includes classic favorites, such as the beloved
opera theater and more than two dozen faculty recitals by world-renowned musicians and orchestra
performances both at CIM and Severance Hall, home of The Cleveland Orchestra.
Visit cim.edu for details about CIM’s 2013-14 Concert Season.
mixon hall
masters series
Return of the Composer/Virtuoso
In an academic year dubbed CIM’s Year of the Composer/Virtuoso,
it is no surprise that the artists CIM has invited to the critically
acclaimed Mixon Hall Masters Series are not only masterful
musicians but innovative composers as well. Culturally informed—
like the composer/virtuoso of old (think Mozart and Liszt)—this
generation of talented artists is creating the next great repertoire,
redefining the modern classical music experience.
The series kicked off with Lera Auerbach . This pianist/
composer has made a name for herself with uniquely personal
interpretations of standard repertoire as well as composing bold
1
1
2
Ishii-Eto in rehearsal with the CIM Orchestra
works for symphony, opera and ballet, including the 2012 ECHO
Klassik Award winner The Little Mermaid.
CIM, in collaboration with the Cleveland Museum of Art’s
Performing Arts Series: Masters of the Violin, co-presents the
O’Connor String Quartet , with violinist, composer and
pedagogue Mark O’Connor2 . O’Connor is a product of classical
music training and America’s rich aural folk tradition.
The Series continues in the New Year with pianist
Gabriela Montero3 , who has a devoted following of her own
thanks to her visionary interpretations of classical repertoire and
her improvisational gifts.
Wrapping up the Series is composer, singer, choreographer
and director Meredith Monk4 , a pioneer of what is now
called “extended vocal technique.” Monk is known for her
groundbreaking exploration of the voice as a unique instrument,
expanding the boundaries of sound and musical composition.
3
4
CIM@SEVERANCE
Faculty Recitals
The CIM Orchestra performs five times in the splendor of Severance
Hall, home of The Cleveland Orchestra this season. Conductors
include Carl Topilow and guest Kimbo Ishii-Eto (above). These
events feature new faculty such as HaeSun Paik, guest artists and
students as soloists.
(October 9 | November 20 | February 12 | March 28 | April 19)
More than two dozen events showcase CIM’s renowned faculty
performing with students and guest artists, including other members
of The Cleveland Orchestra.
CIM@Severance:
A Celebration of Community
This spring, President Joel Smirnoff leads the Orchestra in
a Celebration of Community, featuring ensembles from the
Cleveland School of the Arts, Antioch Baptist Church
and The Singers’ Club of Cleveland for Beethoven’s Ninth
Symphony. This is the second such celebratory concert for the
CIM Orchestra, showcasing a commitment to community and
paying homage to CIM’s special relationship with CSA—where
CIM students and faculty coach young performers. (March 28)
Opera Theater:
The Magic Flute
Under the artistic direction of David Bamberger, this
season offers two fully staged productions and the everpopular scenes program in the spring. The season opens when
Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) returns to Kulas Hall
(where it was last seen in 2008). The event is filled with magic,
adventure, laughter and the enchanting music of Mozart’s final
operatic masterpiece. (November 6–9)
16
Daniil Trifonov Premieres
Work for Piano and Orchestra
On the heels of winning the XIV International Tchaikovsky
Competition and the 13th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano
Master Competition, pianist and CIM student Daniil Trifonov
(AC'12) made his CIM professional debut in November 2011. This
season, he takes the stage at CIM for another unprecedented debut,
performing a benefit concert for the institution that helped shape him
into a composer/virtuoso. The CIM Orchestra will premiere one of
his original works in April. (April 23)
New Music: Special Events
In addition to the New Music Series with special guest composers,
CIM’s focus on composition this year is highlighted with two special
new music performances. CIM continues its partnership with MOCA
Cleveland in their new building this March. The special evening is
inspired by the act of “giving up the ghost,” with each work reflecting
the composer’s experience with death—a fitting counterpoint to
MOCA’s exhibition Dirge (March 20). In February, the New Music
Series features the premiere of 360-degree films by Cleveland
Institute of Art students, scored by CIM student composers, debuting
on the planetarium dome at the Cleveland Museum of Natural
History (February 25).
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Development
Want to make a difference in a
way that is meaningful to you?
Contact Development Officer
Steve Pike at Steve.Pike@cim.edu
or call 216.791.5000 x706.
$2.3
million
A Year of Growth
Annual Fund Shows Nearly a
10% Increase in Support
The Development Committee extends its heartfelt
thanks to the entire CIM team of trustees, volunteers,
donors, alumni, parents, students and employees who
have given to CIM.
Each teacher knows
each student. They
aren’t trying to push a
voice too fast in order
to get it someplace that
maybe someone else
wants it to be.
Jan Curry with husband Richard Rodda.
credit: Daniel Milner
Donor Profile:
Jan Curry
Love of Opera Leads
to Voice Scholarship
Jan Curry didn’t grow up with music in her household, but she fell in love with the classical
genre after college. She’d moved to a town in Nebraska “that loved its college football,” and
she jokes that she discovered the Metropolitan Opera while flipping channels in a conscious
effort to avoid broadcasts of the game.
“I believe I connected with the voice because I have one,” she said. “I never had access to
musical instruments and I don’t know much about music, but my true passion would be voice.”
She warns that she can’t sing herself, nor carry a tune, but that doesn’t stop her from singing all
the time. She laughs, saying she pities her husband Rick Rodda (a lover of music who holds two
degrees in trombone performance) for having to listen to her. “He tells me it’s okay though
because my heart is in the music,” she said.
Jan and Rick are already avid supports of CIM. Both are members of the Legacy Society.
Rick, who used to teach a graduate seminar at CIM on program annotation, has amassed a
collection of books, albums and CDs that will continue to enrich CIM after he is gone. Jan has
been an active member of the Women’s Committee for 12 years and served as president.
Understanding that the need for tuition assistance is strong at CIM, her latest show of support
is through a voice scholarship. “There are so many wonderful ways to support CIM,” she said,
“but when selecting an area for scholarship, I chose my passion—opera.”
“Opera is kind of like all of the arts rolled into one,” she said. “The drama! You have the
theatrics, the musical…singing, instruments. I get carried away by the sound and the beauty of
the whole thing, the costuming and the general magnificence of it.”
Wanting to learn more, Jan met with faculty member Dr. Dean Southern and department
head Dr. Mary Schiller. Her in-depth look at the voice department helped cement her
resolution to support the voice program.
18
“The things I learned from them, about how
CIM’s program is shaped really impressed
me,” she said. “Each teacher knows each
student. They aren’t trying to push a voice
too fast in order to get it someplace that
maybe someone else wants it to be. They
develop the voice in the most healthy way
possible to maximize the natural ability.
Voice faculty like Mary and Dean so carefully
prepare the building blocks for a student’s
career.”
Jan already attends all of CIM’s operas, but
now that she’s a scholarship donor, she
intends to attend more voice recitals, too.
Her interest in vocal performance will be
nurtured while she enriches a student’s
education. Clichéd as it may sound, Jan
insists that as a donor, she benefits far more
than the students she supports. “It’s such a
rewarding experience, especially in a place
like this where people are just open and
willing, excited to share their gift,” she said.
“And what’s more, the musicians recognize
that they need an audience. And they respect
you as someone who appreciates their music.
I’m happy to play that role.”
Read more about CIM’s voice program
on page 12
increased engagement
was raised for scholarships,
endowments, special projects, estate
gifts and special designated funds.
55% was for the Annual Fund, a
9.7% increase from last year.
New Tactics
30% growth in parent and employee giving
24% growth in alumni giving
19% growth in foundation support
The Women's Committee
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
held their biennial benefit in support of
CIM, featuring Grammy-winning songstress
Roberta Flack and the CIM Orchestra.
Additionally, they presented musical
luncheons and small benefits.
continued to provide public support,
helping to enrich and preserve the
region’s artistic and cultural heritage.
CIM’s current funding from CAC
is $716,270.
CIM organized its first multifaceted appeal this spring. The
SayYES! appeal utilized video, social
media, direct mail, phone and handouts. In
addition to raising awareness of the critical
need for scholarship funds, the appeal
raised nearly double its financial goal.
(Read more about this appeal in
previous issues of Notes.)
$100,000
Raised Through
Challenge Donations
Donor Group Growth
The Legacy Society, celebrating individuals who have included CIM in
their estate planning, increased by 19, growing to 294 members.
The Ernest Bloch Society, honoring donors of $1,500 and above,
welcomed 12 new members, bring its total to 117.
The Opus 10 Society, recognizing donors who have given to CIM for 10
or more years, welcomed 15 new members, bringing the total to 295.
The Annual Fund’s success was due in part
to the generosity of Board Chair Mal Mixon,
who presented a match-challenge to his fellow
Trustees. Twenty-six members accepted,
raising nearly $50,000, which Mr. Mixon
matched dollar-for-dollar. The Alumni
Association also presented a
fund challenge.
CIM Women's Committe Invites You to Join
CIM’s strongest supporters include members of the Women’s
Committee. The 200+ members provide time, talent and
treasure, making sure students feel at home at CIM from the
moment they audition through graduation.
• Musical Luncheon Series: lunchtime concerts which
include a performance by students and faculty. This season
includes A Taste of Opera (Nov. 13), The Magic of Three—Piano
Trios (Feb. 19) and Preparatory Division Showcase (May 21).
The Committee conducts several signature activities that directly
benefit the students, such as Audition Day Lunches, travel
assistance to competitions and festivals and a Thanksgiving meal
for students who can’t go home for the holidays. Other special
activities include the following events.
• Benefit Concerts: This season’s fundraising events include
Rockin’ Bach (Oct. 4) and Time to Tango (June 7).
I encourage you to join us and find out for yourself why CIM inspires
our support. Membership is open to women and men for an annual
fee of $45. For information or to join, visit cim.edu/support.
–Linda Harper, Women’s Committee President
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19
Alumni Snapshot
{
submit
A lumni N ews
Instrument: Violin
Degree and years at CIM: BM’89; M M’91
Instructor: Linda Cerone, Eugene Gratovich,
Alan Bodman, Bernhard Goldschmidt
Current occupation: Violinist, composer, educator
Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in klezmer and
other East European Romani (Gypsy) music. What is it about this
music that resonates with today’s audiences?
Audiences are attracted to the passion and exoticism of the music. The rhythms
and the accompaniment patterns plus the energy of the musicians and virtuosic
performances really draw people in. For klezmer music, audiences are either
drawn to the exuberance and liveliness of the dance melodies or the soulfulness
and artistry of the listening repertoire. There is a deep religious and spiritual
aspect that is inherent in klezmer music as well. Dancing is integral to both styles
in their own ways. With all “folk” music, there is an enticing community element.
The experience brings people together and the music has a specific community
function usually for a traditional wedding or other joyous occasion. I am most
honored when people say that my violin “spoke.” To communicate in this way is
the goal we all have as musicians.
This is the Year of the Composer/Virtuoso at CIM, which certainly
describes you. Which came first, which one do you prefer, or are
the two inseparable for you?
I see myself as a “musician” who is a violinist, a composer and an educator. All
three roles intertwine at times. I was a violinist and performer first, then after
years of study of traditional Yiddish instrumental folk music, I became a composer
of the style in a serious way. The beauty of being a violinist/composer is that I have
had the honor and pleasure of performing full concerts of my own compositions.
What a thrill!
How did going to CIM affect you as a musician? As a person?
I am grateful for everything I learned at CIM. CIM gave me the tools I needed
to become a professional musician. Although my original goals were to become
an orchestral musician (and I still do some of that with the area orchestras),
I realize now that I utilize everything I learned at CIM in my work today. The
regular violin lessons greatly improved my technique and musicality. Eurhythmics
classes helped with my rhythm. Music theory and arranging classes helped me
to transcribe and arrange music. Secondary piano classes enabled me to teach
student ensembles while accompanying them on the piano.
Violinist Steven Greenman is recognized internationally as one of today’s
finest practitioners, composers and teachers of traditional East European Jewish Klezmer music and for
his passionate performances of East European Gypsy music. He was originally attracted to the violin from
listening to Isaac Stern play violin solos for the movie soundtrack to Fiddler on the Roof.
How did you come to study this type of music?
I had a serendipitous summer after my senior year at CIM that
changed my whole career direction. In 1989 I attended the AIMS
festival in Graz, Austria, to play in the opera orchestra. I ended
up playing Jewish music on the streets with two of my close
colleagues and an American student who played the accordion. I
was so excited by the intense experiences I had that summer that
when I returned to CIM to start my master's program, I started
playing in a local folk dance ensemble called “Shalhevet.” In 1991, I
joined a klezmer band in Cleveland and attended “KlezKamp”—a
Yiddish folk arts festival followed by the “Buffalo on the Roof”
festival. In 1993, my colleague Walt Mahovlich and I started the East
European ensemble Harmonia. In Harmonia, I regularly played for
20
Hungarian, Slovak, Ukrainian, Romanian and Balkan ethnic festivals,
concerts and events. By 1995 I was teaching at klezmer festivals
and also performing concerts in Europe. From 1997-2003, Carl
Topilow gave me the opportunity to solo with the Cleveland Pops
at Severance Hall playing my own arrangements of East European
Gypsy violin showpieces. During this time, I also became a composer
of traditional East European Jewish folk music. Overall, I’ve been
fortunate to perform and teach throughout North America and
Europe. Locally, I have started several student klezmer groups, and
I’m an artist with The Cleveland Orchestra’s “Learning Through
Music” program. If not for that experience in Graz, I may not have
had the opportunity to do all the things I am doing today.
What makes you unique as a musician and educator? What are
your hopes for the future?
I can perform with a symphony orchestra, solo with an orchestra, perform with
Eastern European folk ensembles, play with Jewish ensembles, be a strolling violinist,
lead a wedding, compose and arrange music, lead klezmer master classes to
participants of all ages, organize a concert tour, create storytelling programs with
Jewish and East European music and dance for students and more. I often have
to do several of these things back to back on some days! For the future, I hope
to make new artistic collaborations and create new music in different ways than
I am doing now. I have a
dream of starting a klezmer
ensemble course at a
university or college, forming
a professional Cleveland
Jewish Chamber Ensemble
and continuing to develop my
Jewish-Chinese collaboration
with my esteemed colleague
Gao Hong, a world-class
Chinese pipa-player.
I am most honored when
people say that my violin
“spoke.” To communicate
in this way is the goal we
all have as musicians.
Have some news
for the CIM community?
Visit cim.edu and click “Alumni.” You
can download the News Submission
form as an MS Word document.
Complete it and then return it to us
at music@cim.edu for publication in a
future issue of CIM Notes.
News is accepted on an ongoing basis
and will be held until the next issue.
Alumni
Dr. Joseph A. Baldassarre (DMA’86,
Harlan) retired from his position as professor
of music at Boise State University (ID). He
still performs nearly 10 times a month.
Domenico Boyagian (MMʼ09, Topilow),
music director of the Ohio Philharmonic
Orchestra (OPO), released a new album on
the Centaur Records label. Recorded live in
May 2012 at the Cleveland Museum of Art, it
features Boyagian conducting the OPO with
CIM faculty pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi.
Cellist Mary Costanza (BM’85, Geber)
released a two-disc set of The Complete
Unaccompanied Bach Cello Suites on
MSR Classics.
Chelsea Coyne (MM’09, AD’10, Schiller)
contracted with Holland America Line as the
featured Female Legit Lead Vocalist on their
elite vessel the MS Statendam. Coyne’s 201314 tour includes destinations throughout the
South Pacific, Central America and South
America, including Bora Bora, the Panama
Canal and Half Moon Cave. In November
2012, Coyne made her acting debut at an
equity house at Stage West in Fort Worth
(TX) as Ilona Ritter in She Loves Me. In early
2013, she played Catherine’s First Lady in the
revival of Frank Loesser’s Pleasures and Palaces
at Lyric Stage in Irving (TX), returning in
June as Mrs. Squires in The Music Man. Most
recently, she made her music director and
conducting debut in ONSTAGE’s production
of Assassins in Bedford (TX).
S u mfm
a er
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21
Daniel Grambow (MM’13, Billions)
debuted as Miro in The Emperor’s Ears at
Cleveland’s Talespinner Children’s Theater
under the direction of Alison Garrigan, while
serving as music director and arranger of
several Serbian folk songs for the production. In July, he debuted in Italy at the Tuscia
Opera Festival as Papageno in Mozart’s The
Magic Flute. In September, he performed the
role of Betto in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi with
Main Street Opera in Arlington Heights (IL).
A work by Yuriy Leonovich (MM’08,
DMA’12, Geber) was recently released
by Cleveland Orchestra members Brian
Thorton and Spencer Myer, commemorating Thorton’s teacher Lev Aronson (read
more under Faculty). In June 2013, the cello
section of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
featured Dr. Leonovich’s cello-ensemble
arrangement of Bach’s Prelude from the Fifth
Cello Suite. This fall, he serves as an adjunct
cello professor at Bob Jones University in
Greenville (SC).
Works by composer/pianist/cellist Dolores
White (MM’74, Edwards, Erb and O’Brien)
were released by Albany Records in
November 2012, including Rock A My Soul and
Rhythm of the Claves. In February, White spoke
about breaking barriers from spirituals to
tangos to electro acoustic in her cello compositions at the Athena Festival at Murray State
University (KY). Her works have recently
been performed in both the Chicago and
Cleveland areas.
Cleveland owned Five/Four Productions,
Ltd. successfully captured the world’s highest resolution audio recording. Producer
Thomas Moore (BM’86, MM’88, Mack),
assistant engineer Ian Dobie (BM’11, Egre
and Mack) and engineer Robert Friedrich
recorded Martin Pearlman and Boston
Baroque performing Haydn’s Missa in
Angustiis Hob XXII:11 and Symphony No.
102 in B-flat Major Hob. I/102 in Mechanics
Hall (MA). The recording will be released on
the Linn Records label this fall.
Appointments
Dale Barltrop (PS’03, Preucil) was
appointed concertmaster by Australia’s
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, beginning in 2014. In his first year, Barltrop will
share concertmaster responsibilities with
Wilma Smith, who recently announced that
she would be retiring from the MSO at the
end of 2014. Barltrop, a native of Brisbane,
22
is currently concertmaster of the Vancouver
Symphony Orchestra in British Columbia,
Canada, and will continue to hold that
position.
Scott Burgess (BM’87, Goslee and Knab)
was appointed manager of recording labs
and live sound at the University of ColoradoDenver, one of the longest-running audio
engineering education programs in the
U.S. He continues to produce recordings
for White Pine Music, the label he founded
while at Central Michigan University.
Previous projects include debut recordings
for the Harlem Quartet and soprano Alyson
Cambridge, with upcoming projects including the Catalyst Quartet and the renowned
duo Bolcom and Morris.
Jean-Sébastien Roy (PS’06, Kantor) was
named concertmaster of the Columbus
Symphony. The Montreal native will lead the
CSO for one year, working closely with music
director Jean-Marie Zeitouni.
Prizewinners
Freshman Nate Doucette won the 2013
National Tenor Trombone Solo Competition
for the Under 20 Division at the Eastern
Trombone Workshop held at Fort Myer in
Arlington (VA). The annual competition
is sponsored by The United States Army
Band “Pershing’s Own.” Doucette’s musical
composition The Rider won the “Original
Composition – Orchestrated Work” in the
High School Outstanding Performances
Category in DownBeat Magazine’s Annual
Student Music Awards, published in June. He
studies with Massimo LaRosa.
Keith Fitch (head, composition) was named
an April 2013 Composer Assistance Program
award winner by New Music USA. Twice a
year, the organization accepts applications
from composers to help support preparation
and travel expenses for premieres of their new
works. His newest work, In Memory (chamber
orchestra), was premiered by the Orchestra
of the League of Composers, Louis Karchin,
conducting, in June at Miller Theater in New
York City. The League commissioned the
work in celebration of its 90th anniversary
season. The New York Times called the work
“worthy… (with) interesting things to say and
intriguing ways to say them.” The work will
receive its CIM premiere as part of the New
Music Series in January.
Nineteen-year-old NingYuen Li, student of
Sergei Babayan, received the third prize in
the Second Paderewski International Piano
Competition. Of the 54 applicants from all
over the world, 27 pianists were admitted to
the competition, and 7 made it to the finals.
Dr. Gary Olmstead (DMA’76, Duff) is
one of four inducted into the Percussive Arts
Society Hall of Fame in 2013. Dr. Olmstead is
a percussion educator who built the Indiana
University of Pennsylvania percussion studio
into a leading educational organization.
He has performed with the Westmoreland
Symphony Orchestra and the Pittsburgh
Symphony Chamber Orchestra, and has
recorded with The Cleveland Orchestra.
He has served in many positions within the
Percussive Arts Society, including president
for five years.
CIM Distance Learning received a 20122013 CILC Pinnacle Award from the Center
for Interactive Learning and Collaboration
(CILC). The award is presented annually
to organizations delivering outstanding K-12 standards-based interactive
videoconferencing programs.
Faculty
Dr. Marshall Griffith (BM’59, MM’61,
AD’69, MM’54, HD’84, DMA’83) was a
lecturer for the Cleveland International
Piano Competition in August, where he gave
a Competition Conversation on Classical
Improvisation and the Cadenza. His Jazz Trio,
including CIM faculty and alumnus Brian
Sweigart (BM’05, Yancich, Weiner, Brown),
performed as part of the Competition’s
opening ceremonies on July 30.
Jeffrey Irvine (Fynette H. Kulas Professor of
Viola) spent the summer teaching high school
students (including freshman Bethany
Hargreaves and Chloe Thominet) at the
Perlman Music Program on Shelter Island. He
also taught at the Karen Tuttle Coordination
Workshop in June at New York University.
Gerardo Teissonnière (Preparatory piano)
presented a master class in Monticello (NY)
at the Nesin International Music Academy,
as part of their collaboration with The Amati
Musical Festival, the International Piano
Academy of China and the Jinan Foreign
Languages High School.
Brian Thornton (cello) launched a project
to honor his teacher, Latvian cellist Lev
Aronson. Aronson survived internment in
a concentration camp during World War II,
later coming to America where he became
a principal of the Dallas Symphony and a
teacher. Thorton’s tribute project includes a
new album (released on May 29 and funded
through a Kickstarter campaign), an annual
festival in Dallas and a concert series.
Thornton organized the First Annual Lev
Aronson Legacy Festival Week this summer
in Dallas.
Jason Vieaux (head, guitar) performed at
venues such as the Bridgehampton Music
Festival, the Krannert Center, La Guitarra
California Festival and the St. Louis
Guitar Society this summer. Amidst a busy
performance season, he married fiancée
Erine in July. Fall season highlights include
performances at Radford University, the
Asheville Chamber Music Series, 92nd Street
Y, University of Georgia and the John E.
Marlow Guitar Series in Washington, D.C.
Richard Weiner (co-head, percussion)
presented master classes at the National
Orchestral Institute in June, at the Oberlin
Percussion Institute in July, performed at the
Grand Teton Music Festival also in July and,
although retired, continued to perform with
The Cleveland Orchestra this summer.
New Faculty
Marc Damoulakis (percussion) has been a
member of The Cleveland Orchestra since
2006. Before coming to Cleveland, he served
as principal timpanist of the Long Island
Philharmonic, assistant principal percussion
of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra and
was former co-principal percussionist of the
New World Symphony.
Samantha Damoulakis (Feldenkreis),
founder of Cleveland Movement LLC, is a
Guild Certified Feldenkreis Practitioner with
17 years experience in movement studies as a
professional ballet dancer and teacher.
Rebecca Hurd (Eurhythmics) is a graduate
of CIM with degrees in oboe performance
and Eurhythmics. She is a member of Mu
Phi Epsilon and acted as festival coordinator
for the inaugural season of ChamberFEST
Cleveland.
HaeSun Paik (piano) is one of the most
sought-after pedagogical influences in Korea,
and was the youngest pianist of her generation
to be appointed to Seoul National University,
where she taught for ten years.
Yasuhito Sugiyama (head, tuba) began his
tenure as principal tuba of The Cleveland
Orchestra in 2006. A native of Japan, he was a
member of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra
prior to coming to Cleveland.
Ashley Summers (improvisation) is also a
double bassist, composer and educator with a
master’s degree in Jazz performance from the
Jacobs School of Music.
Derek Zadinsky (bass) is a member of The
Cleveland Orchestra and previously served as
principal bass with Symphony in C (formerly
the Haddonfield Symphony) in Camden (NJ).
In Memoriam
Ron Bishop, retired from CIM’s tuba faculty
and The Cleveland Orchestra, passed away
in July after a long illness. He was 78 years
old. This past spring, he was recognized for
his many contributions to the school and to
music when CIM bestowed him with the title
Faculty Emeritus at the 2013 Convocation
ceremonies. “Ron was loved and respected
by all as someone who selflessly dedicated
his life to music, to his students and to their
success,” said President Smirnoff. “He was at
once a mentor and a colleague, someone who
could guide and yet also nurture.” A memorial fund has been established in Bishop’s
honor at CIM. To donate, visit cim.edu.
Anthony Hopkins (BM’09, Witser, Stout,
MM’11, LaRosa), principal trombonist for the
Akron Symphony Orchestra, passed away
suddenly in July. He was just 26 years old. He
performed with various orchestras including
the Springfield, Youngstown and Canton
symphonies, as well as the Civic Orchestra of
Chicago. He attended the Schleswig-Holstein
Musik Festival Orchestra in Germany for two
summers, as well as the Spoleto Festival in
Charleston (SC). Hopkins knew the importance of mentoring within the community
and taught lessons to positively impact
younger musicians. He was honored at a
memorial concert in August. A fund has been
established in his honor at CIM. To donate,
visit cim.edu.
Bruce A. Conrad (BM’70, MM’73,
Adelstein) passed away in August at the
age of 64. A member of the Soaring Society
of America and the Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association, he regularly competed
in soaring events and pursued interests in
history, classical music, investing and chess.
He enjoyed careers in music as a trumpeter
for the Osnabruck Germany Opera House,
in aviation, in real estate and in computer
technical support.
Dr. William Martin (BM’51, voice,
Distinguished Alumnus’12) passed
away in August. He served the Alumni
Association with distinction for many years,
and as recently this summer, was still an
active member.
Russel Hall (Feldenkreis) practiced physical
therapy for more than 30 years before transitioning fully to Feldenkreis in 2012. He
trained with Paul and Julie Casson Rubin,
graduates of the first American training.
fa l l 2 0 13
23
Notes is published four times a year
by the Cleveland Institute of Music.
A pdf of the current issue of Notes is
available on cim.edu.
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About CIM
Founded in 1920, the Cleveland Institute of
Music (CIM) is one of eight independent music
conservatories in the country and is known
for superior orchestral, solo, chamber music,
composition and opera music programs at
both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
CIM graduates play important musical roles in
mixon hall
masters series
Return of the Composer/Virtuoso
our world as composers producing meaningful
new repertoire, as eminent instrumental and
vocal soloists, as world-renowned chamber
musicians and as members of premier
orchestras around the globe. More than half
of the members of The Cleveland Orchestra
are connected to CIM as members of the
faculty, alumni or both. Located in University
Circle, Cleveland’s cultural hub, CIM is easily
accessible to all music lovers—providing
hundreds of concerts annually, most free of
charge. Visit cim.edu for more information.
GABRIELA MONTERO
January 23, Thursday
MEREDITH MONK
February 21, Friday
TICKETS: $28 & $40 Adults | $14 Students (with ID). Call 216.795.3211
Mixon Hall | 11021 East Boulevard, Cleveland