S TA G E S BOSTON CONSERVATORY AT BERKLEE
WHAT A CONSERVATORY EDUCATION SHOULD BE A reflection by Cathy Young
RETUNED
Boston Conservatory’s Music Division sets a new tone for classical music training
CENTER STAGE
New curated performance collection features eight of the Conservatory’s most innovative performances in dance, music, and theater
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WINTER 2018
Dear friends, As I begin my second year as executive director, I am humbled and honored to be leading Boston Conservatory at Berklee at this unparalleled moment in its history. Joining the Berklee organization has brought us almost unlimited opportunities, and in this issue of STAGES, we will highlight just a few of the exciting new initiatives and projects underway. Last year, in collaboration with my Deputy Chief of Staff Kim Haack, we began a Conservatory-wide strategic planning process. We spent the year meeting with students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, donors, volunteer leaders, and friends of the Conservatory. The goal was to listen to our community and to utilize their input in shaping our path forward as a new Boston Conservatory—at Berklee. Two key ideas emerged from this process: preservation and transformation. As we create the future of the Conservatory, we will preserve and treasure our emphasis on excellence, our strong and caring community, and our classical foundations, as these have always been the essence of the school. However, we will also aim to reimagine it for the 21st century and beyond, transforming not just our school, but also conservatory-style education itself. In so doing, we strive to become a global leader in the field of conservatory performing arts education. We will do this in many ways: emphasize interdisciplinary collaboration as a key component of our education; embed our diversity and inclusion values within our curriculum, our performances, and our community; offer our students study abroad programs, internships, and off-campus learning experiences; and develop online courses that can be accessed by students anywhere in the world. It is an exciting time at Boston Conservatory—the ideas are flowing, the energy is high, and we are inspired, as always, by our students, faculty, and staff, and our belief in the power of the performing arts to change the world. Sincerely,
Cathy Young, Executive Director Boston Conservatory at Berklee
4 SNAPSHOTS
Conservatory students and alumni make the most of their summers
6 Q&A
From the suburban classroom to the rock club, alumna Rachel Jayson breaks the mold
8 WHAT A CONSERVATORY EDUCATION SHOULD BE A reflection by Cathy Young
12 RETUNED
Boston Conservatory’s Music Division sets a new tone for classical music training
16 CENTER STAGE
New curated performance collection features eight of the Conservatory’s most innovative performances in dance, music, and theater
18 NEXT STEPS
Tommy Neblett, recently appointed dean of dance, shares his vision for Boston Conservatory's dance program
20 UP NEXT
Boston Conservatory awards 2018 entrepreneurial grants to three innovative alumnae
22 IN THE LIMELIGHT
Recent happenings at the Conservatory
24 NOTEWORTHY
Recent accomplishments of Boston Conservatory alumni, faculty, staff, and students
STAGES is published for friends, parents, and alumni of Boston Conservatory at Berklee © 2018. Editor in Chief: Andrea Di Cocco Managing Editor: Samantha Burns Contributors: Cathy Young, Annette Fantasia, Andrea Di Cocco, Samantha Burns Design: Michelle Parkos Cover Photo: iStock.com Copyeditor: Susan Lindsay For changes to your address or mailing preferences, contact: ckinney2@berklee.edu
General Information: Boston Conservatory at Berklee 8 Fenway, Boston, MA 02215 617-536-6340 bostonconservatory.berklee.edu Admissions Information: Boston Conservatory at Berklee Office of Admissions 8 Fenway, Boston, MA 02115 617-912-9153 conservatoryadmissions@berklee.edu To give a gift to the Annual Fund, visit bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/giving or use the envelope in this magazine.
Snapshots
CONSERVATORY STUDENTS AND ALUMNI MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR SUMMERS During a typical academic year, Boston Conservatory at Berklee students, faculty, and guest artists produce more than 700 performances. But our community’s work doesn’t end in May—each summer, students and alumni actively practice their art throughout the world, performing, teaching, and advancing their studies. This past summer, Conservatory students participated in Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music, Ko Festival, Peregrine Theatre Ensemble, OperaWorks LA, Kennedy Center education and access work, and so much more. Here are a few snapshots from the many happenings shared with STAGES.
Julia Solecki (B.F.A. ΄20, musical theater) joined the Peregrine Theatre Company in their summer-long production of Hair as a Tribe Member.
Shanelle Chloe Villegas (B.F.A. ΄19, contemporary theater) took part in the Summer Training Institute at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts, where she portrayed Margaret in Henry VI. Villegas was joined by fellow contemporary theater students Jordan Palmer (B.F.A. ΄19) and Sharmarke Yusuf (B.F.A. ΄20). Jake Goz (M.M. ΄20, voice) attended the International Vocal Arts Institute at Mannes School of Music in New York City, where he performed in master classes and concerts.
Gabriella Reyes (B.M. ΄16, voice), soprano, headlined the Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series, for which she was featured in the June 25 issue of The New Yorker. Reyes made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in September 2018.
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Eliza Kelley (B.F.A. ΄21, contemporary theater) participated in the Ko Festival of Performance in Amherst, Massachusetts as an intern and actor in a coproduced show Ok Ok by Katie Pearl.
Maria D’Ambrosio (B.M. ΄19, horn) joined the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra for their summer 2018 tour, where she performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 in Europe’s finest concert halls.
Ally Duncan (B.F.A. ΄11, musical theater) played the role of Caroline Neville in Serenbe Playhouse’s production of The Titanic, which featured an outdoor set located on top of a lake.
Violinist Montserrat Siles (B.M. ΄20), cellist Nathaniel Taylor (B.M. ΄15, G.P.D. ΄17, P.S.C. ΄18), and violinist Weiqiao Wu (B.M. ΄15, G.P.D. ΄17) were named 2018 Tanglewood Fellows and performed all summer with the acclaimed Boston Symphony Orchestra. This was the second consecutive summer that Taylor and Wu held Tanglewood fellowships.
Teagan Reed (B.F.A. ΄20, contemporary dance) attended both the Ballet Program and Contemporary Program at The School at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, Massachusetts.
Ashley Oliveto (M.M. ΄17, clarinet) landed a position with the U.S. Navy Fleet Bands in June, before serving as an opera and conductors orchestra fellow at the Miami Music Festival, where she joined fellow Conservatory alumnae Izumi Hoshino (G.P.D. ΄15, P.S.C. ΄17, violin) and Jennifer Jordan (M.M. ΄17, cello). Hoshino (second from left), Oliveto (center), and Jordan (right) pose after their performance of the Mozart Clarinet Quintet.
Emma Branson (B.F.A. ΄22, contemporary dance) participated in the Paul Taylor American Modern Dance Summer Intensive in New York City.
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Q&A
FROM THE SUBURBAN CLASSROOM TO THE ROCK CLUB, ALUMNA RACHEL JAYSON BREAKS THE MOLD Boston Conservatory alumna Rachel Jayson (B.M. '09, viola, M.M. '09, music education), a high school music teacher in Lexington, Massachusetts, isn’t your stereotypical suburban teacher. As an educator and conductor of Lexington High School’s chamber orchestra, she is committed to exposing her students to a broad and challenging repertoire, including new works that she commissions from local composers. As an artist, she performs in Boston-area avant-garde rock and jazz bands and designs clothing and wearable art. Jayson reflects on her artistic journey and her Conservatory education.
WHAT ROLE DID MUSIC PLAY IN YOUR LIFE GROWING UP?
As a kid, I used music as an escape. In middle and high school, I joined every orchestra, jazz band, community theater pit orchestra, and local college ensemble that would have me. Music gave me structure and purpose, and trained me to focus. In a chaotic home, I could be “alone” with my instrument even when surrounded by distractions. It gave me a way to connect with others beyond my peers and social circles, and helped me envision a life beyond my present.
WHEN DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED IN BOTH MUSIC EDUCATION AND PERFORMANCE?
In high school, when asked about career prospects, I would have answered “I think I’d like to be a music teacher or a lawyer when I grow up, but lawyers seem generally less happy. I’m going to be a music teacher.” I had a knack for persuading people, an enthusiasm for explaining things, and I loved music, so it seemed like a natural career path. Performance was a different journey. I loved playing in orchestras and ensembles, and knew I wanted it to be a major part of my life, but I couldn’t see myself as a full-time orchestral musician.
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HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ARTISTIC VOICE AND POINT OF VIEW?
Visually, my artistic voice involves a lot of saturated color, asymmetry, bright and bold patterns, and drama. Musically, I’m pretty much the same. My musical aesthetic tends to lean toward darker, more saturated sound (I am a violist, after all), driving rhythms, and experiments with timbre. I’m interested in stretching the sound of the viola in a rock context.
HOW DID YOUR BOSTON CONSERVATORY EDUCATION INFLUENCE YOUR CAREER AND TEACHING STYLE?
My Boston Conservatory education made me the teacher I am today. I came to the Conservatory specifically because of the reputation of the music education graduate program, and credit my success as an educator to the program. I was given incredible opportunities, such as being able to visit many music classrooms in Boston, and being placed with wellmatched and influential mentor teachers for my prepracticum placement. Between the deep thinking, analysis, broad exposure to methodologies, and classroom strategies I learned in the program, I felt completely ready to move into the classroom. In fact, my student teaching placement went so well that when a small position opened up after I graduated, the chair of the department called me to see if I was interested. Ten years later, I’m still in Lexington.
WHAT HAS TEACHING AT LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL TAUGHT YOU ABOUT THE STATE OF MUSIC EDUCATION?
I’m so lucky to teach in a community that supports the arts as much as Lexington does. I get to work with some of the most talented and motivated students around. Because of this, I’m constantly pushing my students not just with challenging repertoire, but with the widest
variety of repertoire I can find. I challenge my students to broaden their musical scope, not just with existing pieces, but with new works I’ve commissioned. We’ve worked with Vessela Stoyanova and Michael Veloso, both local composers whom I instructed to “not hold back” with their compositions. They’ve produced two stunning string suites that have taught my students more about flexibility, storytelling, and expression than any existing piece I’ve found. It is so inspiring to be around students who care as deeply as ours do, and being surrounded by passionate music educators is infectious. Working here keeps me humble. I know that my district is in a strong position, but at least from here the “state of music education” is strong.
performed in just about every rock club in Boston, as well as the Museum of Fine Arts, the Peabody Essex Museum, and the Museum of Science Planetarium, produced two theater productions, and have been nominated for Boston Music Awards. I also perform as a member of Jaggery, an ethereal avant-jazz band. In addition to music, I design and make quite a bit of my own clothing, often from found or repurposed objects. I’ve shown pieces at wearable art shows in the past and find creating visual art clothing to be one of my most rewarding tools for expression.
DO CURRENT EVENTS AFFECT WHAT MUSIC YOU CHOOSE TO TEACH?
Over the years, the context of the music I teach has become increasingly important. I ask my students to understand who wrote the piece and why, and what it means for us to perform it. I make an effort to program composers from diverse backgrounds because I recognize that representation matters. As we become more global as a society, I think it’s important to have our art represent this wide variety of cultures. As the news becomes more polarized, more violent, and more relentless, I stress to my students the skill of doing their own research and making up their own minds—it shouldn’t matter whether it’s about Arthur Foote or Ayanna Pressley.
WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER ARTISTIC PURSUITS OUTSIDE OF TEACHING?
About 10 years ago, I was invited to play a solo viola set for a musical garden party at a private art space in Boston’s South End called the Cloud Club. I didn’t realize it at the time, but many of the people I met at that show would be come my “art family.” For my performance, I chose a mix of unaccompanied 20th-century pieces, Bach suites, and free improvisation. Just after I finished, Walter Sickert and Edrie Edrie, an avant-garde musical duo, performed dark, twisted folk songs while dancers in intricate costumes maneuvered through the crowd. It was the strangest performance I had ever seen and I was obsessed. Little did I know, they were impressed with me, too, and contacted me to see if I would like to play for their upcoming CD release. I said yes, while quietly freaking out, because I had never played in any sort of rock band before. Ten years later, we’re still together as a band, called Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys. We’ve
Rachel Jayson was recently featured in a Boston Globe article titled “In the classroom, she’s ‘a proxy for all African Americans’” by Cindy Atoji Keene. Learn more about Boston Conservatory’s graduate music education programs: bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/music-education
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WHAT A CONSERVATORY EDUCATION SHOULD BE A reflection by Cathy Young
Every now and then, a student will ask me about my experiences in college or at the start of my performance career, hoping that I can share some wisdom to help them launch their own careers. Although I do hope that I have wisdom to share, I always begin by saying it is impossible to compare my experience to theirs, because when I was at the start of my performance career, there was no internet, no email, no YouTube, no social media; there were no cell phones! It was truly a different world. Over the past 25 years, there has arguably been more change in the way we experience life than at any other time in history. Our art forms are not immune to these changes. In fact, technology has not only radically impacted how performances are disseminated and experienced by audiences, but it has also transformed the art forms themselves and the very ways art is created. How do we, as a performing arts conservatory, respond to this new world? Conservatories have long been recognized as centers for traditional performing arts education, with long-standing curricula and pedagogical practices, and with one primary goal: to prepare talented young artists for careers as performers.
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I believe that our rapidly changing world requires us to reimagine conservatory education for the 21st century—to rethink how we are preparing our students for careers as performing artists, and to also amplify and celebrate the innumerable transferable skills that are developed through a rigorous and immersive performing arts education. Indeed, a primary goal of a Boston Conservatory education is to teach the skills and capabilities that support success in any field or endeavor, and give our graduates the capacity to respond with flexibility, confidence, and resilience to thrive in an ever-changing career landscape. Certainly, we will continue to prepare our students for careers as performing artists; many will aspire to play with symphony orchestras, star in Broadway shows, or perform with major dance companies. But Boston Conservatory graduates should also be able to start their own film production companies, or become successful television producers, or start their own 3D printing company for clarinet parts, or create and run a community arts organization, or teach dance to children on the autism spectrum, or become successful professional photographers… and anything else they can imagine and aspire to become. It may seem impossible that any education could prepare students for all of these possibilities, yet everything on that list is something that Boston Conservatory alumni are already doing, and they are able to do these things largely because of what they learned here. Boston Conservatory has been quietly reinventing conservatory education for many years, and our graduates are the proof. People often talk about “conservatory training.” Our goal as an innovative, contemporary conservatory is to provide an education, to provide an education, not simply training. We educate the “whole person” with a goal of unlocking potential and building a springboard for our extraordinary students to create the lives they imagine, using they skills they have learned through their work as artists—creative thinking, problem solving, collaboration, self-discipline, and hard work—to succeed in any field they choose.
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To do this, a Boston Conservatory education encourages growth and exploration, and builds a sense of personal agency and empowerment—the foundation for an entrepreneurial mindset. We offer our students opportunities to create, produce, and present their own original works, such as when graduating dance students present their senior performance project annually in New York City. We encourage our students to create across artistic disciplines and genres, such when our contemporary theater students participated in Merge/Emerge, a creativity workshop co-led by theater legend Tina Packer and jazz icon Danilo Perez, with actors, musicians, and movement artists. We engage world-class arts innovators to collaborate with our students, such as when Time for Three and artists from Yo-Yo Ma’s Grammy Award–winning Silkroad Ensemble performed with our student musicians. A conservatory education should offer opportunities, both academic and artistic, for new experiences, new ways of thinking, and new possibilities. This year, our students can access new minors in areas from entrepreneurism to spoken word to psychology; they can also learn in nontraditional settings, such as national touring for our contemporary classical music students, spring break in New York for theater students, a China exchange program for dancers, and a semester abroad in Valencia, Spain for instrumentalists. What should a conservatory education be? I believe that our alumni are the best answer to that question. A Boston Conservatory education should give our students the skills and ability to build meaningful, lifelong careers. And our alumni—who are playing electric cello in Celine Dion’s Las Vegas band, creating theater and dance with children in Guatemala, pursuing master’s degrees in sports nutrition, writing books, starting businesses, and, of course, performing on Broadway—tell me that we are succeeding.
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RETUNED Michael Shinn joined Boston Conservatory at Berklee in 2017 at a remarkable time in the school’s history: it had just celebrated its 150year anniversary; joined the larger Berklee organization to sit alongside Berklee College of Music, Berklee Online, and Berklee’s campus in Valencia, Spain; and enlisted the visionary Cathy Young as the school’s first-ever female leader. Needless to say, Shinn’s introduction to the school was nothing short of exhilarating. “The possibilities were and still are limitless,” he recalls of his first months settling in as dean of music, the school’s largest division. “Boston
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BOSTON CONSERVATORY’S MUSIC DIVISION SETS A NEW TONE FOR CLASSICAL MUSIC TRAINING
Conservatory’s rich tradition of excellence serves as the bedrock on which we can then harness Berklee’s innovative spirit to reimagine conservatory music education.” A year into the job, Shinn has set some impressive initiatives in motion, having had the time—and support—to evaluate the Music Division’s strengths and develop a long-term strategy capitalizing on the Conservatory’s unique advantages. “What I observed was that Boston Conservatory was already doing a lot of what other conservatories
are just now aspiring to do: weave entrepreneurship into the curriculum, bring diversity initiatives forward, encourage a sense of global citizenry, elevate flexible and innovative chamber ensembles, and rethink the concert experience for students and audiences alike. We are already leading classical music education in this regard,” Shinn explains, referring to initiatives that the Conservatory set in motion years ago. “Having had a year to ‘explore and discover,’ we’re now moving full steam ahead to realize our vision for a new model of classical music education.”
And for Shinn, that new model means pursuing initiatives that reach beyond academic enhancements and opportunities.
A NEW CONSERVATORY MODEL Conservatory training is traditionally characterized by discipline and focus, with the preservation—or conservation—of performance technique as the foundation of its methodology. Conservatories have tended to prioritize this training over all else—including providing career preparation for students and encouraging the breadth of perspective necessary for successful lives in music. However, Boston Conservatory at Berklee is changing all of that. “Boston Conservatory was founded in 1867 as an advanced training program for string players,” Shinn explains. “As you can see, we’ve evolved quite a bit over the past 150 years. In 2018, Boston Conservatory doesn’t just train—we educate the complete musician and foster our students’ growth as artistic leaders and radical innovators.” To Shinn, this means not becoming complacent with certain expectations about conservatory training that have become antiquated in the modern age, such as the notion that students should be focused exclusively on their time in the practice room. It means embracing a new model of education designed to both maintain focus on craft and to build skill sets that empower developing artists as intellectual thinkers and conduits for change. Boston Conservatory’s commitment to providing a dynamic education that humanizes the arts and teaches agency is driven by Berklee’s guiding principles: diversity and inclusion, integration of technology, and openness to new ideas that
have the potential to innovate the performing arts. Decades ago, Boston Conservatory popularized the concept of the “artist citizen,” which recognizes compassion, empathy, and cultural awareness as an essential foundation for artistic development. Now, with Young and Shinn’s leadership, Boston Conservatory is giving its music students the skills lead successful careers in the modern age.
In fall 2018, after a nationwide search, he secured Matthew Marsit as Boston Conservatory’s new chair of instrumental studies. Marsit was uniquely qualified for the position: he was a Boston Conservatory alumnus who has made a name for himself in the music world as an esteemed conductor and clarinetist. He also had a reputation for getting audiences enthused about classical music.
“We are guiding our students more effectively than ever before to broaden their perspectives with a global cultural lens, to utilize creativity and versatility in their artistic pursuits, and to think like entrepreneurs as they navigate their careers,” Shinn says. “They are going to have the courage and the preparation to unleash original artistic expression and disrupt the classical music world for better.”
Marsit joined a strong team of Music Division leaders that includes 2018 Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Composer-in-Residence Jonathan Bailey Holland (chair of composition, contemporary music, and core studies) and esteemed musician Patty Thom (chair of voice), who helped build Boston Conservatory’s opera program into one of most respected in the country.
FINE-TUNING THE TEAM
Shinn also recruited conductor and 2013–2014 Fulbright Fellow Vimbayi Kaziboni to lead Boston Conservatory’s wind ensemble and conduct the contemporary classical music ensemble, contraBAND. Born in Zimbabwe and recognized
To get everything in motion, Shinn first had to assemble a team for the ambitious task of reimagining conservatory music education.
Students participate in a master class with Time for Three members Nicolas Kendall and Charles Yang, September 2018.
internationally as one of the foremost interpreters of modern and contemporary music, Kaziboni brings a unique global perspective to his work that has inspired students and colleagues alike. His first major performance at the Conservatory did not disappoint. On October 30, to kick off the Conservatory’s new Center Stage curated performance collection, Kaziboni conducted contraBAND in a program featuring all African contemporary composers. “This was Vimbayi at his best,” Shinn reflects. “The way he contextualized and shaped the music for Western audiences who may not fully understand all the cultural influences behind the pieces was just breathtaking. Our students loved this experience, and it was a treat for our audiences too.”
STUDY ABROAD IN SPAIN Performances like contraBAND that challenge students to expand their repertoire with culturally diverse works are some of the many ways Boston Conservatory is equipping students to think globally. Shinn explains, “Celebrating multiculturalism and the rich histories and traditions of groups around the world gives our students a global perspective that will inform their own artistic choices and forms of expression.”
One important step toward providing students with that immersive cultural experience was to offer study abroad opportunities. Berklee’s campus in Valencia, Spain, located in the iconic City of Arts and Science alongside the renowned Palau de les Arts opera house, represented an ideal setting for a Conservatory study abroad program. Beginning in the spring 2019 semester, Boston Conservatory instrumental students in their third and fourth years have the opportunity to study abroad at Berklee’s Valencia campus, an opportunity that the Conservatory is working to expand to all students in the coming years. Study abroad is a monumental development for Boston Conservatory and one that further sets its music programs apart from others. And Shinn is just getting warmed up. “Between Berklee’s campus in Valencia, Spain, and its robust Berklee Global Partners network of dozens of organizations worldwide, this is just the beginning of what we’ll be able to offer our students in the future.”
SILKROAD: A PARTNERSHIP WITH A GLOBAL REACH To further enrich the Music Division’s curriculum with a global perspective, Shinn sought out an artistic partnership with Silkroad, the Grammy Award–winning organization that YoYo Ma founded in 1998. The kickoff to this long-term collaboration, which will include master classes, seminars,
and workshops in spring 2019, was celebrated with a performance on November 16 in Boston’s historic Symphony Hall that featured Boston Conservatory Orchestra with Silkroad artists Sandeep Das (tabla), Maeve Gilchrist (Celtic harp), and Kaoru Watanabe (Japanese shinobue flutes/ taiko drums) in genre-bending works by composers from around the world. The performance was nothing short of magical, and a powerful demonstration of what is possible when artists of different backgrounds, styles, and strengths come together in creating a musical experience. “Yo-Yo Ma started the Silkroad Project 20 years ago as a way to understand how globalization was causing cultural divides, and how those divides could be bridged through worldwide artistic collaborations that celebrated differences,” Shinn explains. “That project has now grown into an organization with international roots that shares the Conservatory’s values of diversity, cultural awareness, and creativity.” Shinn is dreaming big about what Boston Conservatory and Silkroad can do together—not just with music, but with dance and theater, too. With one remarkable performance turning heads and a handful of classroom engagements mapped out for the year, this is one of the many vibrant relationships Shinn is building to support Boston Conservatory’s new model of classical music education.
(Left to right): Artists from the Grammy Award–winning Silkroad Ensemble: Sandeep Das (tabla), Maeve Gilchrist (Celtic harp), and Kaoru Watanabe (Japanese shinobue flutes/taiko drums)
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BRINGING CONTEMPORARY MUSIC TO THE FOREFRONT Elevating contemporary classical music as a primary focus is another bold shift from convention that Boston Conservatory is embracing. “We have a 150-year tradition of rigor and craft, and for years have been celebrating contemporary classical music by premiering hundreds of new works a year,” Shinn says. “We want to embrace that and use our expertise to raise the profile of contemporary classical works and the art music of the future. It benefits our students, and with our access to Berklee College of Music, we can deliver in a way that no one else can.” The first major collaboration in this spirit was Boston Conservatory’s September 30 performance with Time for Three, the wildly popular string trio comprised of Nicolas Kendall (violin), Charles Yang (violin), and Ranaan Meyer (double bass), best known for their fresh and catchy interpretations of everything from Mozart and Brahms to the Beatles and Kayne West. Their performance with Boston Conservatory Orchestra featured a mix of traditional and contemporary: Beethoven, Debussy, and two works by award-winning contemporary composer Jennifer Higdon, one of which was composed specifically for the famed trio. Collaborating with Boston Conservatory students to contextualize these works in their signature Time for Three style, the trio spent time on campus rehearsing in preparation for the extraordinary concert. They also presented inspiring and energetic master classes to Boston Conservatory students, encouraging the school’s young musicians to push the boundaries of their artistry. “In addition to performing at the highest artistic level, Time for Three was able to connect with our students
on a deeply personal level, through both their engaging master class and in rehearsals for the concert,” says Shinn. “They were endlessly supportive to our students, who all told me how thrilling it was to collaborate with the band.” Luckily for Boston Conservatory music students, the entire year is filled with equally energizing projects. In February 2019, the school presents its annual New Music Festival, a week-long celebration of new and contemporary work, and will perform Steve Reich’s notably challenging Music for 18 Musicians, which promises to be a “spiritual” experience for audience members. “Our students are more than up for the task,” Shinn promises. “Being able to perform such epic works as Music for 18 Musicians is a rare opportunity that I am so pleased our students will get to experience.” February will mark another major collaboration for the Conservatory, one that will challenge students to tune in to yet another style: the Blackstar project. The project, formally called Bowie Symphonic: Blackstar, is composer/conductor Evan Ziporyn’s orchestral arrangement of cultural icon David Bowie’s complete final album, Blackstar. The project brings together internationally renowned cellist Maya Beiser, Ambient Orchestra, and Boston Conservatory student musicians to perform the arrangement in a national tour that includes concerts in California, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, and in Boston at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s Calderwood Hall. In addition to being an incredible experience for the students, the project is highly unusual for a conservatory. “You just don’t see these types of collaborations at traditional conservatories,” Shinn says. “It speaks volumes about how Boston Conservatory students are held in
high esteem and trusted with such deeply personal works. Evan reported back to me how immensely impressed he is with our students, as they performed in the opening concerts brilliantly.”
MOVING FORWARD With these endeavors in full swing, the 2018–2019 academic year is one of the Music Division’s most thrilling periods in recent memory. As Shinn leads change at a high level, the Music Division continues to welcome perks of being part of the Berklee family—Boston Conservatory students minoring in Berklee College of Music’s specialty areas, such as American roots music, acoustics and electronics, and instrument repair; taking Berklee College of Music courses for Boston Conservatory credit; joining paninstitutional performance groups; traveling the country for performance tours; and so much more. “All these opportunities that being a part of the Berklee organization affords, combined with these powerhouse partnerships that we’re setting up this year with leaders like Silkroad, are allowing for rapid movement at Boston Conservatory,” Shinn says. “And it’s all in the right direction. We’re light years ahead—in thinking and in practice—from any other conservatory out there.”
Find out how you can make an impact and support the Conservatory’s vision: annualgiving@berklee.edu
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NEW THIS YEAR
CENTER STAGE
In August 2018, Boston Conservatory at Berklee announced a new, curated performance collection called Center Stage to showcase the Conservatory’s most innovative performances in dance, music, and theater, and to spotlight the extraordinary talent of its student performers. Each year, Boston Conservatory presents more than 700 free and low-cost performances in dance, music, and theater as part of the school’s rigorous degree programs. Center Stage, which focuses on eight of the most exciting performances from the 2018–2019 lineup, gives new audiences an unforgettable introduction to Boston Conservatory, and gives longtime patrons a wonderful new way to appreciate the school’s finest presentations. “Center Stage is not your typical conservatory fare,” said Boston Conservatory at Berklee Executive Director Cathy Young. “These performances push limits and explore new territories; many feature collaborations with world-class guest artists. This performance collection is representative of where we’re headed as a leading school for training performing artists—presenting work that is both sophisticated and engaging, thrilling and thought provoking, and highlighting our extraordinary students, the influential artists of tomorrow.”
BOSTON CONSERVATORY AT BERKLEE CURATED PERFORMANCES BOSTONCONSERVATORY.BERKLEE.EDU/CENTER-STAGE 16 | STAGES
Center Stage kicked off on October 30 with Boston Conservatory’s Contemporary Classical Music Ensemble, contraBAND, and continues through the spring with an impressive lineup that includes Boston Conservatory Orchestra with Silkroad Artists, Mary Zimmerman’s play Metamorphoses, the operas Hydrogen Jukebox and The Consul, a symphonic rendition of icon David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, and the Spring Dance Concert: Limitless.
Contemporary Classical Music Ensemble:
Bowie Symphonic:
CONTRABAND
BLACKSTAR
October 30
Works by contemporary African composers Ayo Ogunranti, Kevin Volans, Vimbayi Kaziboni, Hamza El Din, and Joshua Uzoigwe. Conducted by Boston Conservatory’s newest conductor, Vimbayi Kaziboni, a Zimbabwean-born conductor, composer, and former Fulbright Fellow.
Boston Conservatory
ORCHESTRA November 16
with SILKROAD
ARTISTS
Featuring Boston Conservatory Orchestra and soloists Sandeep Das (tabla), Maeve Gilchrist (Celtic harp), and Kaoru Watanabe (Japanese shinobue flutes/taiko drums) from the Grammy Award– winning Silkroad Ensemble, presenting an eclectic program of poetry-inspired orchestral works by Tan Dun, Dinuk Wijeratne, Maeve Gilchrist/Luke Benton, Gabriela Lena Frank, Alexander (Li) Rahbari, Kaoru Watanabe, Osvaldo Golijov, and Colin Jacobsen/ Siamek Aghaei.
February 28
Boston Conservatory at Berklee musicians join the Ambient Orchestra, led by composer/conductor Evan Ziporyn and featuring internationally renowned cellist Maya Beiser as soloist, for performances of cultural icon David Bowie’s complete final album, Blackstar, in a stunning new arrangement for orchestra and cello by Ziporyn, written for Beiser. The collaboration, Bowie Symphonic: Blackstar, will be performed on tour across the country.
CABARET March 7–10
2018–2019 Boston Conservatory at Berklee Kunkemueller Artistin-Residence Otis Sallid directs Kander and Ebb’s seminal classic Cabaret. A Broadway veteran and notable producer, director, and choreographer in film and television, Sallid has worked with such artists as Spike Lee, Alvin Ailey, and Debbie Allen, and will bring his diverse range of skills not only to direct Cabaret, but also at the finale of Center Stage in the spring dance concert, Limitless.
METAMORPHOSES
THE CONSUL
Mary Zimmerman’s play Metamorphoses, directed by dramaturg, stage director, and Boston Conservatory Professor of Theater Theresa Lang, brings Ovid’s tales to life with stunning visuals. Set in and around a river of water on stage, the play juxtaposes the ancient and the contemporary in both language and image to reflect the variety and persistence of narrative in the face of inevitable change.
Directed by Boston Conservatory Professor of Opera Johnathon Pape, this Pulitzer Prize–winning opera by Gian Carlo Menotti was a response to the many stories of refugees fleeing Eastern Europe after World War II. The opera was inspired by real refugee stories and Menotti’s own experience being labeled by the U.S. as an “enemy alien” because of his Italian citizenship during the war. First performed in 1950, The Consul remains a powerful and relevant story almost 70 years later.
December 12–15
HYDROGEN JUKEBOX February 7–10
This contemporary American opera directed by Boston Conservatory Associate Professor of Opera Nathan Troup is an innovative multidisciplinary piece combining the distinctly American voices of Allen Ginsberg and Philip Glass to create a personal portrait of America from the 1950s through the 1980s. Featuring content from Ginsberg’s poems and his reflections on social issues, including the anti-war movement, the sexual revolution, drugs, Eastern philosophy, and environmental awareness.
March 28–31
Spring Dance Concert:
LIMITLESS April 11–14
Boston Conservatory’s spring dance concert, Limitless, features a thrilling lineup of masterwork reconstructions and world premieres by José Limón and Otis Sallid, as well as a special Boston Conservatory/Berklee College of Music collaboration of Metallica’s “The Unforgiven,” featuring the Berklee Indian Ensemble, the Berklee Balkan Choir, and the Berklee American Roots Ensemble.
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Academics NEXT STEPS
Tommy Neblett, recently appointed dean of dance, shares his vision for Boston Conservatory's dance program Over the past few months, Boston Conservatory at Berklee made two big announcements: Tommy Neblett was appointed dean of dance and Mila Thigpen was named chair of dance. The appointments came nearly a year after both Neblett and Thigpen assumed interim roles while previous Dean of Dance Cathy Young transitioned into the new position of executive director of Boston Conservatory at Berklee and national searches for the dance positions were conducted. Both Neblett and Thigpen bring deep knowledge and expertise to their new roles. Prior to becoming dean, Neblett served as assistant director of the Conservatory’s Dance Division, where he had been a faculty member for 24 years. Thigpen, a Boston Conservatory alumna, also served as a faculty member and director of the Conservatory’s successful summer youth dance program, Day Sessions: Dance.
dance program: dance on film, circus arts, and entrepreneurship for dancers. We currently have a dance on film course, but I’d like to expand that into a curriculum that enables students to learn choreography, filmmaking, and how to get their work seen through film. Secondly, I’ve always had a fascination with Cirque du Soleil (which, by the way, Conservatory musical theater alumnus Tim Bennett, B.F.A. '85, is now artistic directing!), because circus arts are so multidisciplinary and such a major part of the dance industry. While this is an admittedly ambitious area of study to bring to the Conservatory, Berklee College of Music has a partnership with Cirque du Soleil, so we’re exploring how our dancers can get involved. The third thing is entrepreneurship—this is particularly challenging when it comes to dance, so I’d love to work with experts across the greater Berklee community on finding effective ways to channel that into our thinking and our curriculum.
With the Dance Division’s leadership cemented and Young’s strategic vision unveiled, STAGES sat down with Neblett to learn more about his plans for the Conservatory’s Dance Division.
HOW DO YOU ENVISION THE DANCE DIVISION INTERACTING WITH THE BROADER BERKLEE COMMUNITY?
WHAT MAKES BOSTON CONSERVATORY’S DANCE DIVISION SO UNIQUE?
The Dance Division’s strengths lie in the many ways it is diverse: the curriculum, the types of pieces students get to perform, our faculty—who are diverse not only in background and areas of expertise, but also in the personal experiences they bring to the table— and of course, diversity in our student population. I worked closely with Cathy Young on building a strong foundation of diversity and want to continue that trajectory.
WHAT GOALS DO YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH?
First off, Mila and I would like to bring new areas of concentration to the B.F.A. in contemporary
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I would love to see dance interwoven into Berklee’s global network—at Valencia, Spain, and in our international partner schools—so that we can create new pathways for international students to study both in their home country and at the Conservatory. We’ve already begun to explore a number of these partnerships, and hope to roll out some exciting opportunities in the next year.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT FOR 2018–2019?
Where do I begin? Our recent fall dance concert, From the Ground Up, featured six international choreographers—five from Europe and one from Turkey. This was a huge coup for our students, and it supports our goal of helping students build global perspectives and networks outside of the United States.
Introducing
Musical Theater Acting Intensive JULY 22–AUGUST 9
This summer, Boston Conservatory at Berklee unveils a new summer intensive for emerging theater artists, ages 15 to 25: Musical Theater Acting Intensive, July 22 to August 9, 2019. Led by Broadway veteran Laura Marie Duncan, Musical Theater Acting Intensive (MTAI) is a rigorous, three-week program that delves deep into the complex art of character development, with intensive studies in acting, singing, and movement. Students will explore classical and contemporary repertoire, with daily classes in subjects ranging from Shakespeare to clowning to pop and rock vocal techniques. MTAI also focuses on audition preparation so that students leave the program with the skills and confidence needed to nail their next audition. I’m also excited about our 2019 spring concert, Limitless, which was selected for the Conservatory’s new Center Stage curated performance collection. That concert features an incredibly unique collaboration with Berklee College of Music’s Mirek Vana and the Metallica Project. About a year ago, Mirek approached me with this concept of having Metallica’s “The Unforgiven” transposed by the East India, Balkan, and American Roots ensembles into their own styles, and then combine those interpretations with dance on stage. Otis Sallid, who is the Kunkemueller Artist in Residence this year for both theater and dance, will direct and choreograph the Metallica Project. My hope is that this collaboration can continue into future iterations and we can watch it progress. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention a special José Limón reconstruction by faculty member Kurt Douglas, and Kate Weare’s brilliant “Night Light,” both for Limitless. It will be a spectacular year for performance not to be missed.
MTAI is modeled after Boston Conservatory’s topranking musical theater B.F.A. degree program and gives students who are considering a degree in theater an opportunity to experience Boston Conservatory’s signature training. The program is designed to complement the Conservatory’s related summer intensives—the popular Musical Theater Dance Intensive, which develops strong theater dance technique, and the revered Vocal/ Choral Intensive, which is designed for advanced singers interested in musical theater or classical music. Learn more about MTAI and how to apply: bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/mtai
Read more about Tommy Neblett, Mila Thigpen, and Boston Conservatory’s leading B.F.A. in contemporary dance program: bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/dance
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Up Next
BOSTON CONSERVATORY AWARDS 2018 ENTREPRENEURIAL GRANTS TO THREE INNOVATIVE ALUMNAE Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Alumni Entrepreneurial Grant Program empowers alumni to explore and develop their unique programmatic ideas in the arts. The grant funds innovative, impactful performance endeavors that expand the artist’s toolkit as a performer, leader, and businessperson while fostering a creative spirit. Established in 2013, this program has seeded ideas that have become fledgling theater companies, supported cutting-edge contemporary dance works, and more.
FELICIA CHEN
(M.M. '17, contemporary classical music performance) From an early age, Asian American singer Felicia Chen knew that she wanted to pursue a career in music. Reflecting on her struggle to find role models in the contemporary music world that shared her cultural background, Chen says, “I’ve had to empower myself to carve my own path. I’ve also had to work harder to seek out artists who are like myself.” This experience inspired Chen to use her art to promote cultural diversity in contemporary music. To do this, Chen and cellist Olivia Harris, a Boston Conservatory at Berklee classmate, founded a duo called Mazumal. The name Mazumal is a mixture of words that represent both the benevolence and malevolence of female deities from Chen’s Taiwanese and Harris’s Caribbean ancestry. Mazumal commissions work by composers and poets from often marginalized communities, and, through carefully designed performance experiences, fosters a new social understanding of contemporary classical music. This past summer, Mazumal performed at the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies at University of California, Berkeley and participated in a residency program at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford. The duo also served as ensemble fellows of the Cortona Sessions Contemporary Chamber Music Initiative in Cortona, Italy.
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ALEXIS SCHEER
(B.F.A. '14, musical theater) Alexis Scheer describes her playwriting style as brazenly millenial and fiercely feminist, exploring subjects through a Latinx lens. As producing artistic director and founder of Boston-based Off the Grid Theatre Company (OTG), Scheer not only intends to bring underrepresented stories to the theater, but she also hopes that her work will resonate with a millennial audience. “As [millennials] grew up, technology was exploding at a rate that nobody could keep up with. We speak a certain way and we have a different sense of humor. In a lot of areas of life, we’re the least repressed, and the most progressive generation.” Receiving this award reminds Scheer of OTG’s humble beginnings. “It started in the basement of Boston Conservatory—literally. I had written some short plays that I wanted to direct. I got together with some really talented peers and we performed a staged reading of four short plays that I wrote…and 12 people came!” Since then, OTG has grown to produce awardwinning, nationally recognized productions. This summer, Scheer was named a Rising Theater Star in the Improper Bostonian magazine’s 2018 Boston’s Best issue. The grant supported OTG’s August 2018 workshop premiere of Our Dear Dead Drug Lord, a play that follows a gang of teenage girls who, among other things, try to resurrect the spirit of Pablo Escobar.
TAYLOR RODMAN
(B.F.A. '16, contemporary dance) Taylor Rodman and her friend and coartistic director Emily Bernet used to spend their lunch periods choreographing dance routines in the studio of Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas, Texas. Four years later, they found themselves in the same room founding Bombshell Dance Project. “We created [Bombshell Dance Project] because there’s always a need for the female choreographic voice…a lot of female dancers typically dance ‘pretty’ or almost like the damsel-in-distress—we wanted to flip that convention.” Rodman’s award partially funded Bombshell Dance Project’s latest project, Like a Girl, which is a response to Rodman’s personal experience as a female dancer in the industry. In the piece, Rodman strives to capture the female perspective, reimagine ideals of femininity, and challenge social norms. “There’s something powerful about coming at it from the angle of actual female voices rather than male choreographers trying to implant their visions of what it means to be female.”
Learn more about the Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alumni Entrepreneurial Grant program and how to apply: bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/alumni/ alumni-opportunities
In the Limelight
1. Berklee’s 2018 Family Weekend featured talks with Conservatory Executive Director Cathy Young and deans, class observations, and a multitude of performances, including the stage production A Chorus Line, October 2018.
3. Boston Conservatory at Berklee welcomed 303 incoming students during this year’s orientation activities, which included a block party, karaoke night, and other community building events, September 2018.
2. Choreographers from around the globe, including Jon Ole Olstad (Norway), Joseph Toonga (England), Dam Van Huynh, B.F.A. '02 (Vietnam/England), Korhan Basaran (Turkey), Catherine Coury (Spain), and Roderick George (Germany) made their way to Boston to set new work for Conservatory dance students in preparation for the Dance Division’s fall dance concert, From the Ground Up, October 2018.
4. Boston Conservatory opened a new dance studio on Commonwealth Avenue, September 2018.
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5. Esteemed dancer Elizabeth Roxas set original Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre repertory for Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Summer Dance Intensive (SDI), July 2018.
6. John Cardoza (B.F.A. '17, musical theater) did a Boston Conservatory at Berklee Instagram takeover to chronicle a day in the life of a cast member in the A.R.T.’s new hit musical Jagged Little Pill, June 2018. Ebony Williams (B.F.A. '05, dance), who was also a Jagged Little Pill cast member and dance captain, made an appearance in the takeover. 7. Grammy Award–winning folk band Old Crow Medicine Show presented a master class to Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Berklee College of Music students, June 15, 2018.
8. Boston Conservatory at Berklee held its first-ever Spring Soirée at the home of John and Stephanie Connaughton, featuring student performers with Executive Director Cathy Young (third from right) and guest artist Cristina Pato of Silkroad Ensemble (far right), May 18, 2018. 9. Boston Conservatory at Berklee graduated its 151st class at the Berklee Performance Center, May 13, 2018.
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Noteworthy FACULTY AND STAFF
CURRENT STUDENTS
Bryn Austin (theater) appeared in Love and Information with Apron Theater Company at Next Stage Arts in Putney, Vermont.
DANCE
Doug Perkins (percussion) was featured on NPR’s Deceptive Cadence for his music video performance of Filigree, composed by Robert Honstein. His work with the Red Bull Music Festival in New York, New York, was also given mention in the New York Times, May 2018.
Joy Davis (dance) completed the Bessie Schonberg Boston Choreography Residency at the Yard on Martha’s Vineyard with her sister and artistic collaborator, Alex Davis. The Davis sisters premiered their dance theater work Junk Drawer, September 2018.
Susan Hagen (strings) taught at the Rochester Bass Retreat in August, where she also gave the American premiere of David Heyes’s piece for solo double bass Seven Last Words. Jonathan Bailey Holland (chair of composition, contemporary music, and core studies) had his work for chamber quintet, His House Is Not of This Land, featured as part of the MASS MoCa Bang on a Can Marathon, July 2018. Max Levinson (piano) performed over the summer at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Borromeo Music Festival (Switzerland), MusicFest Perugia (Italy), and San Juan Chamber Music Festival (Colorado).
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Elizabeth Kelley (B.F.A. '21, contemporary theater) participated in a summer internship at Ko Festival of Performance 27th season in Amherst, Massachusetts, summer 2018. Daisy Layman (B.F.A. '19, musical theater), Nigel Richards (B.F.A. '21, musical theater), Julia Solecki (B.F.A. '20, musical theater), Alexander Tan (B.F.A. '21, musical theater), and Melissa Zeller (B.F.A. '19, musical theater) performed alongside recent grads Carly Cherone (B.F.A. '18, contemporary dance) and Brendan Williamson (B.F.A. '18, musical theater) in Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s production of Hair, summer 2018.
Michelle Parkos (staff) had a photo chosen for the annual Igersboston charity gallery benefiting the Transition House on October 22 at the Fairmont Copley. Rhonda Rider (strings) recently taught and performed at the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, the Harvard Chamber Music Festival, the Cello Seminar, and the Asian Youth Orchestra in Hong Kong. Kevin Siegfried’s (theater) Vidimus Stellam, a cantata for choir and brass quintet, was published by E.C. Schirmer. Larry Sousa (theater) directed two original musicals for international entertainment company Creativiva that were rehearsed in Toronto andperformed in the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos. Nathan Troup (voice/opera) directed Miller Theater at Columbia University’s New York premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s opera Proving Up in September 2018, featuring the International Contemporary Ensemble.
Daisy Layman, center
David R. Gammons (theater) directed Nick Dear’s stage adaptation of Frankenstein at the Central Square Theatre, October through November 2018.
THEATER Michelle Parkos
Judy Eissenberg (chamber music) organized “Loving the Process,” a first-ofits-kind event in Harvard, Massachusetts, which included chamber music workshops and a performance, sponsored by the Harvard Cultural Collaborative, of which Eissenberg is vice president. The festival took place June 17 to 24, 2018.
Dylan Contreras (B.F.A. '20, contemporary dance) attended the Axis Connect summer intensive, which brings emerging dancers together with some of the most respected directors, teachers, choreographers, and agents from both the East and West coast dance industries.
Brian McGinnis (dance) received a Faculty Development Fellowship and a Faculty Development Travel Grant to travel to Tel Aviv, Israel to study Gaga Dance Technique with the Batsheva Dance Company.
Dylan Contreras
Danielle Davidson (dance) and Andrew Altenbach (conducting) respectively co-choreographed and conducted Jeanne & Elizabeth, an evening of dance accompanied by live classical music, which was presented by Doppelgänger Dance Collective and Ensemble Warhol in association with Fort Point Theatre Channel and Green Street Studios, August through September 2018.
Andrew Mark (cello) recently joined the Portland String Quartet for its 50th season.
MUSIC Allie D’Amico (M.M. '19, music education) spent the summer as an intern at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the VSA and Accessibility Office. Victoria Garcia-Daskalova (B.M. '14) performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, October 25.
ALUMNI
Natalie Oronzo (B.M. '19, voice) played the role of Clizia in Miami Summer Music Festival’s production of Handel’s Teseo, summer 2018. Ryan Pereira (M.M. '19, clarinet) won the Brookline Symphony Orchestra concerto competition, May 2018.
Antonina Styczen
Antonina Styczen (P.S.C. '18, A.D. '20, flute) won the 2018 Astral Artists National Auditions, a prestigious competition that has helped launch the careers of leading young artists through career development mentorship.
Nathaniel Taylor (B.M. '15, G.P.D. '17, P.S.C. '18, cello) performed with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra as principal cellist for the July 9, 2018 concert conducted by Andris Nelsons. Weiqiao Wu (B.M. '15, G.P.D. '17, violin) and Montserrat Siles (B.M. '20, violin) acted as concertmaster and assistant concertmaster, respectively, for the Tanglewood on Parade concert, August 7, 2018.
1970s Barbara Ann Peters (B.M. '70, voice) created the “Write Your Own Opera Contest” with the support of Greensboro Opera (North Carolina) in 2010, giving Greensboro-area fourth grade students the opportunity to write their own stories to shape the plot of a 10- to 15-minute opera that will be composed and performed by University of North Carolina—Greensboro School of Music faculty and students. In February 2018, Greensboro Opera honored Peters by renaming the contest the “Barbara Ann Peters Write Your Own Opera Contest.”
Roman Placzek (G.P.D. '98, music) was elected president and appointed executive director of the North Carolina Bach Festival, July 2018. Mihail Jojatu (G.P.D. '99, cello) was the recipient of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award, May 2018. Melissa (Caldwell) Quinn (B.M. '99, clarinet), who is in her third year as the office manager for the Newport Performing Arts Center in Newport, Rhode Island, is a performing member of the Chaminade Club (chamber music) in Providence, Rhode Island and soloist and coprincipal clarinet for the Newport County Orchestra.
Jay Asher (B.M. '71, composition) released an album of original pop songs titled Honestly. Ellie (Wolkind) Potts Barrett (associate alumna '73) teaches dance at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, in Jacksonville, Florida. In March 2019, she will debut a new modern work as part of a performance with the Ballet Eddy Toussaint Dance Company in Montreal.
2000s Allison Blackwell (M.M. '04, musical theater) originated the role of Violette/Ensemble in the Broadway production of Pretty Woman: The Musical, which began previews on July 20, 2018.
Richard McIntyre’s (B.M. '77) one-act opera In a Grove premiered at ArtYard in Frenchtown, New Jersey, June 2018. 1980s Victoria Livengood (M.M. '85, voice), Grammy Award winner and Metropolitan Opera star, received an honorary doctorate at the 2018 Boston Conservatory at Berklee graduation ceremony, May 2018. 1990s Sophia Stratakis Huling (B.M. '91, voice) was appointed choir director at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Whitestone, New York, April 2018. Huling is also a founding member of Boston Byzantine Choir, which is celebrating 25 years in 2018 by releasing its sixth CD recording titled “Twelve Days,” a collection of hymns for the twelve days of Christmas, and giving a concert at the annual Orthodox Education Day at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in Crestwood, New York, October 2018. Michael Maysilles (B.M. '94, G.P.D. '96, trumpet) became associate registrar for student systems in the Office of the Registrar at Princeton University, July 2018.
Amy Jo Jackson (B.F.A. '05, musical theater) performed the role of Alison in SpeakEasy Stage Company’s production of Fun Home, fall 2018.
Amy Jo Jackson
Amy Onyonyi
Amy Onyonyi (B.M. '20, voice) raised funds to construct wa new science lab at the Owiro Akoko Girls Secondary School in Migori County, Kenya, June 2018.
Daniel Benavent (M.M. '06, musical theater) was named General Manager of Theatre Aspen in Colorado, May 2018. Aaron Jackson (B.F.A. '07, musical theater) is a regular correspondent on The Opposition with Jordan Klepper, weeknights on Comedy Central. Jensyn Oertel-Modero (B.F.A. '08, musical theater) wrote the book and lyrics for Professionally Developed: A Musical about Teachers.
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Kristina Riegle (M.M. '08, voice) played Desirée in the Encore Musical Theatre’s production of A Little Night Music, which ran from September 20 through October 14 in Dexter, Michigan.
Christina Pecce (M.M. '13, voice) made her Feinstein’s/54 Below debut in her one-woman cabaret titled Witches, Bitches, and Divas!, June 20, 2018.
Brian Calhoon (M.M. '09, percussion) presented his show, Marimba Cabaret: Boston Pride, with special guests and alumnae Megan Workmon Larsen (B.M. '07, voice) and Meagan Michelson (M.F.A. '14, musical theater), June 2018.
Brittani Matos (B.F.A. '14, contemporary dance) teaches dance at a public charter high school in Houston, Texas where, this academic year, she will oversee a dance program than includes an official dance team, two levels of dance electives for grades nine through twelve, and required eighth-grade dance classes.
Taylor Rodman (B.F.A. '16, contemporary dance) was one of three recipients of Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Alumni Entrepreneurial Grant. The award will partially fund the latest work of her company, Bombshell Dance Project, which is dedicated to elevating the female choreographic voice. Christina Soyun Cheon (M.M. '16, marimba) won 2nd prize at the Great Plains International Marimba Competition (Collegiate/Open Solo Division), hosted by the Wanda L. Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University. One of the three final round judges was Pius Cheung (A.D.P. '06, marimba). Cheon teaches the percussion ensemble at Woodbridge High School in Irvine, California and is artistic director of Southern California Marimba, a nonprofit educational and performance organization.
2010s Laura Dreyfuss (B.F.A. '10, musical theater) left her role as Zoe Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, and will appear as a series regular on Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series, The Politician. Andrew Durand (B.F.A. '08, musical theater) and Lisa Finegold (B.F.A. '11, musical theater) originated roles in the cast of Head Over Heels, a musical based on the music of the Go-Go’s, which opened July 26, 2018. Brian Dillon (B.F.A. '12, musical theater) joined the national touring company of Disney’s Aladdin as a swing and an understudy for Iago. Rachel Prather (B.F.A. '12, musical theater) played the role of Julia, and Joe Longthorne (B.F.A. '12, musical theater) and Ben Simpson (B.F.A. '11, musical theater) produced the musical The Band’s Visit, which won 10 Tony Awards, including best musical, June 2018. Anthony Alfaro (B.F.A. '13, musical theater) and Claudia Yanez (associate alumna '16, musical theater) performed in On Your Feet! The Emilio and Gloria Estefan Broadway Musical at Hollywood Pantages, July 6 through 29, 2018. Bradley Gibson (B.F.A. '13, musical theater) assumed the role of Simba in Broadway’s longstanding run of The Lion King, which began performances on Monday, July 2, 2018. Molly McAffrey (M.M. '13, harp) recently won the principal harp audition for the Cape Ann Symphony and is performing with the orchestra for its 2018–2019 season. Michael Hardin (M.M. '13, percussion) represented the United States as a member of the Greater Boston Area’s Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes and Drums performing for more than 220,000 people in the 2018 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Edinburgh, Scotland, August 2018.
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Ethan Parcell (B.M. '14, composition) released a recording of his three-act opera World Record, featuring fellow Conservatory alumni Hanna Bureau (B.M. '14, violin) and Eric Hollander (B.M. '14, viola). Ian Bowling (M.M. '14, vocal pedagogy) toured with the Soldiers’ Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band singing opera, jazz, and choral music, summer 2018.
Christina Cheon
Brian Calhoon
Alexis Scheer (B.F.A. '14, musical theater) was one of three recipients of the 2018 Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alumni Entrepreneurial Grant. The award will help support the latest work of Off the Grid Theatre Company, which Scheer founded, and where she serves as producing artistic director.
Lauren Kidwell (M.F.A. '14, musical theater) played the role of Mother Abbess in the touring production of The Sound of Music, spring 2018.
Daniel Hutchins (B.F.A. '16, musical theater) founded the Create Inspire Change Theater Company, which presented Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical at the Boston Center for the Arts, June 2018.
Kristen Grace Smith (B.F.A. '15, contemporary dance) commences her sixth season as a Radio City Rockette this year, performing in the 2018 Christmas Spectacular.
Daniel Mahoney (M.M. '16, choral conducting) guest conducted the Birmingham University Singers in performances in venues across Berlin and Leipzig, summer 2018.
Melanie Bacaling (M.M. '15, vocal pedagogy) was named an Emerging Artist for the Boston Lyric Opera’s 2018–2019 season, where she assistant directed The Barber of Seville, October 12 through 21.
Gabriella Reyes (B.M. '16, voice) headlined a series of free concerts in the parks of New York City along with other members of the Metropolitan Opera, summer 2018. Reyes made her debut performing with the Met in September 2018.
Ayca Cetin (G.P.D. '15, flute) became a Miyazawa Emerging Artist for the Miyazawa Flutes company in April 2018, and performed a full chamber recital with Cosmos New Music at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall alongside Katsuya Yuasa (M.M. '15, A.D. '17, clarinet), May 9, 2018. Ian Berg (B.F.A. '16, contemporary dance) and Alexis Scheer (B.F.A. '14, musical theater) were featured as rising stars for dance and theater, respectively, in the Improper Bostonian Boston’s Best issue, June 2018. John Cardoza (B.F.A. '16, musical theater) and Ebony Williams (B.F.A. '05, contemporary dance) appeared on the American Repertory Theater’s stage this summer in the cast of the new musical Jagged Little Pill.
Ashley Oliveto (M.M. '17, clarinet) assumed a position with the U.S. Navy Fleet Bands this summer. Simon Dyer (G.P.D. '17, M.M. '15, voice), returned to Florida Grand Opera’s Studio Artist Program after being a member of the Florida Grand Opera Studio for the 2017–2018 season, summer 2018. Roselyn Hobbs (M.M. '18, contemporary classical music) published The Mpingo Coloring Book to bring visibility to the mpingo tree, a species in danger of being over harvested, and the source of many orchestral instruments, April 2018.
Alumni Spotlight JAMES ORLEANS (B.F.A. '81, DOUBLE BASS)
When James Orleans came to study at Boston Conservatory, there were only a few bass players in the program. The challenge of playing pieces with only two bass players taught him how to develop a new, bigger sound, which became an important skill later in professional auditions. He credits much of his later success to his time spent in Conservatory practice rooms, for which he earned the nickname Mr. Practice among his friends. “There will always be something to practice more, study more, and refine more,” Orleans reflects. “But it’s equally important to find a way to put your expectations of being 110 percent prepared behind you, and just play the music.” Orleans performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) for 35 years in its illustrious bass section, retiring after the summer 2018 season. Some of his favorite memories include playing pieces from favorite composers such as Hans Werner Henze and Alban Berg—grand orchestral works that are brilliantly written and exciting—where “you can feel the excitement on stage and in the audience.” Another fond memory was playing Brahms’s Symphony No. 1, under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. Still new to the BSO at the time, Orleans recalls it being the first time he had ever heard the symphony performed in a way that brought out its most grand and beautiful moments, noting the adagio opening of the fourth movement as particularly memorable.
Now entering retirement, Orleans is looking forward to his next chapter: competing on the United States Tennis Association (USTA) senior tennis tournament circuit. He likens tennis tournaments to music auditions. “You need to play your best to get past each round and focus on execution. You can get stage fright or nervous before the next match. You need to put the practice and hours in. And when you do, you then get better at practicing.” His advice to current students? “Listen to a lot of music. Listen to great performers.” He notes that he has seen many recent students struggle to develop their musical ideas, and encourages them to “find music that touches your musical core. Go past the technical and reach in to find the character and the depth in the music…and then your own ideas will come through.”
BOARD BERKLEE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Susan Whitehead, Chair Jeff Shames, Chair Emeritus Michael R. Eisenson, Vice Cochair Martin J. Mannion, Vice Cochair Roger H. Brown, President David Abrams G. Leonard Baker, Jr. Michael A. Brown David Clem John Connaughton Cynthia K. Curme^ Emilio Estefan Gloria Estefan Dean F. Goodermote David Gross-Loh Joshua Gruss Dan Harple Kristine Moyer Higgins Charles Hirschhorn Steven Holtzman Bill Kaiser Joel Katz B. J. Krintzman^ Laura D. Kunkemueller^ Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot Miky (Mie Kyung) Lee Demond Martin Marc Mayer Jane L. Mendillo Frederick T. Miller^ Peter Muller
Robert S. Murley Anthony Pangaro^ Alex Rigopulos Darius Sidebotham^ David Scott Sloan^ Susan Solomont Marillyn Zacharis^ Barry Zubrow BOSTON CONSERVATORY AT BERKLEE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S ADVISORY COUNCIL* Teresa Koster, Chair Laura D. Kunkemueller^, Board Liaison Elizabeth S. Boveroux Gregory E. Bulger Davi-Ellen Chabner Caroline McMillan Collings Diana Dohrmann ‘71 Kate Sides Flather Karen F. Green Mimi Hewlett Kelly C. McKernan Lyle J. Micheli Christopher D. Perry Santosh Perumbadi Snow Qin Wanda Reindorf Geraldine R. Ricci Jan Steenbrugge '99
Peter J. Wender Edward G. Wertheim Tania Zouikin BOSTON CONSERVATORY AT BERKLEE LEADERSHIP CIRCLE** Anne N. Cuervo, Chair Brendan Murphy, Vice Chair Howard H. Bengele Frederic D. Carter, III Miles A. Fish, III '63 John S. Foster Remmi Franklin Jennifer A. Fraser Ricardo Lewitus Michele Manganaro Sean M. Murphy '94 '96 Barbara G. Papesch Philip J. Poinelli Warren A. Seamans Ann Connolly Tolkoff Rosamond B. Vaule Amy K. Wertheim
BERKLEE TRUSTEES EMERITI/AE Vivian C. Beard Scott Benson Patricia Casale Neal J. Curtin William M. Davis Mike Dreese William E. Falconer Allan T. McLean Craigie Zildjian BOSTON CONSERVATORY AT BERKLEE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Cathy Young ^Legacy Conservatory Trustees *Formerly called the Leadership Council **Formerly called the Board of Overseers
GLOBAL AMBASSADORS Herb Alpert Lee Eliot Berk, President Emeritus David Friend Quincy Jones George Wein
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