t’s not unusual to look at one faculty member at CIM and find an impressive list of his or her former students doing great things in the music business. But viola faculty member Robert Vernon has a track record that’s hard to beat.
In August 2016, Robert Vernon performed his final concert as principal violist of The Cleveland Orchestra, a position he held for 40 years, longer than any other string principal in the orchestra’s history. And for all 40 of those years, he has taught in CIM’s viola department, currently serving as co-head. His close connection with former students is evident in his TCO career; several of them, eight to be exact, surrounded him in the viola section as his colleagues. Many call him before big auditions or between audition rounds. And some come back for lessons if they’re in town. Around the country, Vernon’s talents as a teacher and mentor are infused in the musicianship of the dozens of his former students who now sit in premier orchestras from coast to coast. Teaching has always been an essential part of Vernon’s career. And his work has paid off—his former students serve in nearly 50 orchestras in Europe, Canada, Asia and the United States, from Boston to Detroit and Chicago and Los Angeles. But for Vernon it’s more than just getting “results” from his students. He cares about them fulfilling their passions, about their well-being, about being successful in any way that works for them. Vernon jokes that it’s his Photos: Left: Roger Mastroianni. Right: Jeff Mancinetti
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