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FALL 2019
COMMENCEMENT 2019
Scenes from Commencement 2019, which featured a touching tribute to the late Richard Weiner, distinguished CIM percussion faculty member and principal percussion emeritus of The Cleveland Orchestra. Weiner was posthumously awarded an Honorary Doctor of Musical Arts degree, accepted by his family (upper left). The homage continued with a performance of Varèse’s Ionisation by 14 artists made up of CIM faculty, alumni and members of The Cleveland Orchestra (lower right). All photos by Alex Cooke
ABOVE Trumpet faculty Michael Sachs helps lay the foundation for his students’ futures. (Story, page 14.) Photo above by Robert Muller
ON THE COVER CIM graduates Jiří Trtík (left, MM ’19, Fitch) and Moisés LÓpez Ruiz (MM ’19, Fink) celebrate receiving their degrees. (Commencement pictorial, page 2.) Cover photo by Alex Cooke
DEPARTMENTS
FEATURES
4 Noteworthy Third annual CIM Day of Service CIM surpasses fundraising goal CIM Orchestra 2019-20 guest conductors CIM and CWRU celebrate JMP Miss Olga retires after 63 years at CIM Sara Daneshpour wins Payne Fund prize Sergei Babayan signs record deal Lifetime Giving Wall pays tribute Cleveland Orchestra assistant concertmaster: alumnus Stephen Tavani CIM debuts upgraded practice rooms Gala raises record scholarship funding
10 Foundations for Success: Preparing CIM Students for Professional Auditions For CIM students–as for students of other elite conservatories–talent is already a given. But knowing how to successfully audition for a professional role is something else altogether. 16 Alumni Spotlight Aubrey Foard
9 Development CIM trustees and donors endow significant new scholarships 18 Listings Alumni Appointments Prizewinners Faculty Students Preparatory In Memoriam 23 Governing Members Listing
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NOTEWORTHY Third Annual CIM Day of Service a Rousing Success Nearly 200 CIM students, faculty, staff, trustees, Women’s Committee and Governing Members dug deep into the soil at the Cleveland Metroparks and dug out hundreds of musical instruments and books in storage at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District as part of CIM’s third annual Day of Service on Friday, August 23. Volunteers: • Went through a large inventory of musical instruments for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District in order to get them into the hands of schoolchildren all over Cleveland. CMSD needed CIM’s help sorting, cataloging and assessing repairs for a large inventory of musical instruments at the district’s Woodland Hills Storage Center to enable music teachers to use them in their classrooms. •
Plowed through several outdoor park projects at the Cleveland Metroparks’ West Creek Reservation in Parma performing a variety of outdoor beautification and clean-up projects.
• Made sandwiches for delivery to the Bishop William M. Cosgrove Center on Superior Avenue in Cleveland.
CIM Surpasses Fundraising Goal, Shattering Record in Fiscal Year 2018–19 CIM exceeded $2.5 million in annual fundraising for the first time in its nearly 100-year history for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019. Shattering last year’s record annual fundraising results, CIM surpassed its goal by raising more than $2.55 million for scholarships, student services and other programs vital to empowering the world’s most talented classical music students to fulfill their dreams and potential. That represents a 79% increase in annual giving in just four years. “The support we have seen for CIM in the last year has been deeply inspiring and a testament to the value the Institute brings to people locally and globally,” said CIM President and CEO Paul W. Hogle. “It also shows the confidence that people and foundations have in our exceptional students, faculty, staff and alumni to help us continue to move forward with our vision to be the future of classical music.” 4
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CIM’s Board of Trustees again reached 100% participation in the Annual Fund, in addition to their generosity of time and spirit. “I’m so proud and overjoyed to see the Trustees demonstrate their passion and commitment to the students and to the Cleveland community with this high level of support,” said Board Chair Richard J. Hipple. “A remarkable average Trustee gift of $12,600 in 2018–19 is especially gratifying. They are helping to provide important resources that help support these incredible students.” (Hipple, Trustee Gay Cull Addicott and longtime CIM supporter Clive Hamlin have recently donated funds for student scholarships. See page 9 for more on their story.) “These gifts to CIM will continue to fuel our strategic plan, Blueprint:100, to raise more scholarship funds and further reduce the net cost of attendance and expand the impact of our financial resources across the student body,” Hogle said.
JoAnn Falletta Headlines 2019–20 CIM Orchestra Season JoAnn Falletta, renowned music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic and Virginia Symphony orchestras, joins eight internationally acclaimed guest conductors for Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra concerts during the 2019–20 school year. “This roster of brilliant, important conductors continues a CIM tradition of bringing in artists who come from diverse backgrounds, experiences and pedagogical methods, which will make for an engaging and exciting year of music-making,” said CIM President and CEO Paul W. Hogle. “Each one of these artists creates meaningful experiences for our students. This season, we’re featuring two chamber orchestra concerts, one led by visiting chamber music faculty Todd Phillips from the concertmaster’s seat, and one by violin faculty and lauded conductor Jaime Laredo.” The nine esteemed conductors, in order of appearance, are: •
Fri, Sep 20: Mélisse Brunet (PS ’12, Topilow), Director of Orchestral Activities, Appalachian State University Hayes School of Music, and Music Director, Appalachian Symphony Orchestra
• Fri, Oct 4: Andrew Grams, Music Director, Elgin (IL) Symphony Orchestra, and former Assistant Conductor, The Cleveland Orchestra
• Fri, Nov 1: Todd Phillips, CIM visiting chamber music faculty and founding member, Orion String Quartet • Fri, Nov 22: James Ross, Music Director, Alexandria (VA) Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra Director, National Youth Orchestra USA at Carnegie Hall • Sat, Feb 1: JoAnn Falletta, Music Director, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor, Brevard Music Center (NC) •
Wed, Feb 12: Timothy Muffitt, Music Director, Baton Rouge (LA) Symphony Orchestra and Lansing (MI) Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Director, Chautauqua (NY) Institution’s Music School
• Tue, Mar 3: Jaime Laredo, CIM violin faculty, Music Director, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and Conductor, New York String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall • Fri, Mar 27: Carlos Kalmar, Music Director, Oregon Symphony, and Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago • Fri, Apr 17: Joseph Young, Music Director, Berkeley (CA) Symphony, and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Artistic Director of Ensembles, Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University
JoAnn Falletta
Mélisse Brunet
Andrew Grams
Todd Phillips
Photo credits: Mark Dellas (Falletta); Karen Almond (Brunet); Christian Steiner (Laredo); Michael Jones (Kalmar); Jared Platt (Young)
James Ross
Timothy Muffitt
Jaime Laredo
Carlos Kalmar
Joseph Young
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NOTEWORTHY CIM and CWRU Celebrate 50 Years of the Joint Music Program with Production of Hippolyte et Aricie Academic year 2018–19 marked the 50th anniversary of the Joint Music Program (JMP), a unique partnership between CIM and Case Western Reserve University. Since 1968, students at the two world-renowned institutions have participated in an integrated music program at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. To celebrate the milestone anniversary, CIM and CWRU students and faculty collaborated on a production of Hippolyte et Aricie, Jean-Philippe Rameau’s extravagant opera, based on Racine’s Phèdre. The opera, performed in period style with baroque dance and a baroque orchestra, told the story of the young lovers Hippolyte and Aricie kept apart by their devotion to the goddess Diana and by Phèdre’s illicit love for her stepson. Over the last 50 years, JMP has enabled both schools to develop complementary programs of the highest caliber instead of duplicating each other’s efforts. As a result, JMP can be credited with increasing CIM and CWRU’s ability to attract outstanding students and faculty. Read more about the Joint Music Program at artsci.case.edu/magazine/2019/perfectly-attuned/. Photos by Roger Mastroianni
A Fond Farewell… “Miss Olga” Retires after 63 Years at CIM Olga Radosavljevich, known to all as Miss Olga, retired from CIM in May. She first came to CIM as a student of Arthur Loesser in 1956, and by 1960, she was teaching piano in the preparatory division. Throughout her long career, Miss Olga taught both conservatory and preparatory students to great acclaim.
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Miss Olga completed her bachelor’s degree in 1959, master’s degree in 1961 and artist diploma in 1969. In the 1980s, Miss Olga was instrumental in developing CIM’s first Young Artist Program (YAP), which made available the components of a conservatory education for serious music students ages 10–18. Although YAP has evolved over time to focus exclusively on high school students, the rigorous approach to training remains. Miss Olga also put her formidable organizational and time management skills to use as head of the preparatory piano division from 1985 to 2004. In reflecting upon her retirement, Miss Olga, a native of the former Yugoslavia, said: “I feel extremely fortunate to have had 63 wonderful years at the Cleveland Institute of Music. I came as a humble student in 1956, and I am retiring with satisfaction that I have given my utmost dedication to my students and to CIM.”
CIM Student Sara Daneshpour Named 2019 Payne Fund Prize Winner CIM student Sara Daneshpour’s exquisite performance of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor at the 2018 Fall Concerto Competition won her both the coveted opportunity to perform the piece as a soloist with the CIM Orchestra and the 2019 Payne Fund Prize, awarded annually to a CIM student of remarkable talent. The prize includes a monetary award and a concerto engagement with the Asheville (NC) Symphony Orchestra.. “It was a great honor to win the concerto competition,” said Daneshpour, who studies at CIM with distinguished pianist Sergei Babayan. “I was very fortunate to be selected among all the incredible musicians and colleagues who were competing.” Daneshpour attributes much of her success to her work with Babayan. “Sergei Babayan is not only a source of constant inspiration and energy as an artist, but his depth and dignity as a human being is what I hope I can aspire to one day,” she said.
CIM’s Sergei Babayan Signs with Deutsche Grammophon Sergei Babayan, member of the CIM piano faculty and artist in residence since 1992, signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon (DG), the oldest and arguably most renowned classical record label in the world. The 2018 announcement launched what will be the first of Babayan’s solo discography with a project pairing Mozart piano sonatas with a variety of pieces from different periods. Future recordings will explore works by composers essential to Babayan’s musical identity, including Bach and Rachmaninov, as well as rarely heard repertoire and works by contemporary composers. “This label represents the world and works of the artists I’ve admired most deeply throughout my life,” Babayan said. “To be a DG artist today is, for me, the highest possible privilege.” He was first introduced to Deutsche Grammophon when he was 14 through Martha Argerich’s recording of Chopin’s E minor Concerto. “That formed me as a musician,” he said, “and to this day, continues to be one of my guiding lights.”
Lifetime Giving Wall Pays Tribute to Donors Who Shape CIM and Classical Music A public tribute to the many donors who have shaped—and continue to shape—CIM and the future of classical music was unveiled February 6, 2019. The Lifetime Giving Wall shows the commitment to CIM demonstrated by donors during the school’s 100-year history–and the foundation from which CIM will thrive in the century ahead. Master’s student Jessica Schmidt (violin, Kwuon) performed for the gathering of invited guests, faculty, staff and students. Jane and Clive Hamlin 7
Photo by Robert Muller
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NOTEWORTHY Cleveland Orchestra Assistant Concertmaster: CIM Alumnus Stephen Tavani After auditioning with The Cleveland Orchestra twice before, CIM alumnus and violinist Stephen Tavani (AD ’18, Preucil) went into his third audition with different expectations. Feeling more relaxed, not overthinking each position and focusing on his playing, he reminded himself that even the most successful musicians experience setbacks. “Sitting down with Maestro Franz Welser-Möst in his office after winning the audition, after seeing him conduct so many amazing concerts the past year, was truly surreal,” he recalled after being appointed to the position in September 2018. Tavani credited CIM and feedback he’d received from the Institute’s faculty for helping prepare him for the role and developing the skills a leader should possess.
CIM Debuts Upgraded Practice Rooms CIM students returned to campus in spring 2019 to find upgraded practice rooms, addressing a major need outlined in Blueprint:100, CIM’s strategic plan for positioning the Institute and its students for continued success well into the future. New paint, replacement of the old lamps with LEDs and state-of-the-art acoustical panels in all 36 basement practice rooms are all part of the updates. Originally scheduled to be completed over five years, the project was finished in less than two. Launched in December 2017, Blueprint:100 calls for investing in tangible improvements to the student experience, and upgrading the practice rooms was a top priority. Together with the refurbished Student Lounge, which was completed in fall 2018, updating of the practice rooms was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.
“A Legacy in Bloom” Gala Raises Record Funding for Scholarships It was a night filled with beautiful music, flowers and celebrating the altruistic legacy of Clara T. Rankin, who, at 102, is still actively supporting a host of causes that are important to her—including the Cleveland Institute of Music. “A Legacy in Bloom,” a benefit concert and gala presented by the CIM Women’s Committee, honored Rankin and her leadership of CIM’s unparalleled music training in Cleveland. Prior to the concert she received the Women’s Committee Distinguished Service Award for her extensive, wide-ranging support of CIM. The $250,000 raised for student scholarships during the evening was the most ever raised at a single CIM event. Funds were raised through live and silent auctions and corporate support from Hyster-Yale Materials Handling and NACCO Industries, Inc., who were presenting sponsors for the gala.
Clara Rankin honored for her longtime support of CIM
Rankin has a long, storied history with CIM, from voice student to Trustee. She joined the Board in 1951, serving until 2004 when she was elected Trustee Emerita, a capacity in which she continues to actively serve today. Whether it has been as a student, Trustee or avid supporter, Rankin’s affection for CIM will always be her lasting legacy. 8
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DEVELOPMENT
From left: Clive Hamlin with Board Chair Richard Hipple and President Paul Hogle; Richard and Jean Hipple with Hogle; and Gay and Edward Addicott. Photo credits, left to right: Roger Mastroianni, Robert Muller, Kelly McManamon
CIM Trustees and Donors Endow Significant New Scholarships Three generous benefactors gave gifts in the 2018–19 academic year that have changed the lives of CIM students. Longtime CIM patron Clive Hamlin, Trustee Gay Cull Addicott and her husband Edward, and Board of Trustees Chairman Richard J. Hipple and his wife Jean each provided funds to create three new scholarships for CIM students. Hamlin’s $1.5 million gift established the Mary Hamlin Memorial Presidential Scholarship in memory of his late wife. The Addicotts also donated $1.5 million for a second Presidential Scholarship. Both Presidential Scholarships provide full tuition, room, board and fees to exceptional students. Hipple’s gift of $1 million created CIM’s first Dean’s Scholarship, which provides full tuition to an outstanding student. The increased support helps move forward CIM’s strategic plan, Blueprint: 100. The plan acknowledged the need to significantly lower the net cost of education for all CIM students, as well as to have more scholarship dollars available to attract to Cleveland the next generation of the world’s most talented classical musicians. The three donations inspired a wave of endowed student scholarship support totaling an additional $5.8 million in fiscal year 2018–19.
CIM President and CEO Paul W. Hogle praised each donor’s generosity, adding that the gifts will continue to ensure that CIM remains one of the world’s most elite conservatories of music. “Generations from now, our community will continue to learn about these donors enduring contributions to CIM and their already impressive legacy of service, while widening the scope of CIM’s reputation as a powerhouse of classical music training. We are truly blessed to have these wonderful people working with us to provide for the future of classical music for generations to come,” Hogle said. For more information on how to give to CIM, contact the CIM Development Office at 216.795.3160 or email development@cim.edu. For more information on the Mary Hamlin Memorial Scholarship, visit cim.edu/first-presidential-scholarship; for the Addicotts’ gift of a presidential scholarship, visit bit.ly/addicott-scholarship; and for more information on the gift from the Hipples, visit cim.edu/first-deans-scholarship.
On the heels of CIM’s historic decision to reduce tuition for new students by 15% and hold tuition flat for returning students, these gifts continue CIM on its present course to create the equivalent of 50 full-tuition scholarships over the next decade. CIM has many different ways to provide support for programs in the Conservatory and the Preparatory and Continuing Education divisions. For more information, visit cim.edu/donatenow. 9
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FOUNDATIONS FOR SUCCESS: PREPARING CIM STUDENTS FOR PROFESSIONAL AUDITIONS Story | Suzanne de Roulet
CIM trumpet faculty Michael Sachs sits in with the CIM Orchestra trumpet section during rehearsal. Photos by Robert Muller
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Mary Schiller, CIM voice faculty, works on technique with one of her students.
For CIM students—as for students of other elite conservatories—talent is already a given. But knowing how to successfully audition for a professional role is something else altogether. Auditioning well is a skill to be developed and honed just like any other. That’s why CIM dedicates specific time and resources to preparing students for these all-important professional auditions. For instrumentalists and vocalists, auditioning for a position in a top-tier graduate program, opera company or orchestra is the culmination of years of hard work and devotion to music. Winning a spot in the ensemble of their choice requires immense talent and focused preparation.
Musical success at its core: mastering the basics
The first step in preparing for a successful audition is building a sound foundation. Michael Sachs, who has been principal trumpet of The Cleveland Orchestra and head of CIM’s trumpet department since 1988, says the most critical component to winning an audition is to have mastered the basics. “For me, with brass players,” Sachs said, “everything begins with a comprehensive approach to the basic fundamentals of playing the instrument.” From fingering techniques to proper breathing to producing a top-quality sound, repeated focus on and practice of the basics enables CIM students to approach even the highest-pressure situation—like a professional audition—with a solid foundation of musical fundamentals to carry them through. To ensure that his students fully understand these core principles of musicianship, Sachs takes a hands-on approach when teaching individual lessons or leading studio classes. “I do lots of playing and demonstration for my students,” he said. “I like to play back and forth or with them, to show them exactly 11
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Photo by Robert Muller
the energy each piece needs, or show them what they should be doing in a specific moment. It’s really important to give young musicians a clear, direct understanding of how to put each element into action.” Renée Richardson, who earned her Professional Studies diploma in 2018, studying with Mary Schiller, credits CIM’s focus on the basics for helping her vastly improve her auditioning technique. “I remember when I auditioned for CIM, I was a nervous wreck,” the singer said. “I could barely read the music, and instead of thinking about what I was trying to say with the performance, all I could focus on was looking at the back of the hall.” Her experience was completely different when she auditioned for graduate programs—winning a spot at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. Instead of focusing on her nerves, she was able to draw on all the ways CIM had prepared her to handle the audition: Rely on the techniques you’ve learned, on singing in a healthy way. Focus on who you are, what the character you’re representing is saying. Work to build a connection with the audition panel. Her faculty mentors at CIM had taken care to weave audition preparation strategies throughout her entire education and they worked like magic to strengthen her performance. “This audition was a million times better than my first one,” Richardson said. “Each time you perform during class at CIM— vocal repertoire class, opera workshop—you present yourself as if you are auditioning. My instructors taught me to fully engage with each piece I was singing, asking myself, ‘Who am I? Where am I? How old am I? Why did I start singing? Why did I stop?’ Really knowing the character and her circumstances inside and out helped me understand who I am as a performer and took me to the next level.” FA L L 2 0 1 9
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Sachs echoes the importance of digging deeply into the music. Being able to produce a top-quality sound is, of course, crucial— as are timing, tempo, consistency of articulation and intonation, and body language. But, he adds, what really sets a musician apart in an audition is the ability to reflect the context of the piece as a whole. “One of the best ways to prepare for an audition,” Sachs said, “is to really delve into a piece and understand the entire work—not just focus on the standard 15-bar excerpt you might be asked to perform for an audition.” Sachs works with CIM students to understand the style for each work’s era, to learn about the nationality and background of the composer, to be able to place each work into the larger context of the repertoire. “Having that background and the confidence that they can portray that moment in that particular piece allows students to execute their auditions without hesitation,” Sachs said.
CIM faculty (from top right) Dean Southern, Kathryn Brown and Robert Vernon prepare their students for future auditions and performances. Photos by Robert Muller
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Excellence next door: learning from one of the world’s top orchestras
One of the ways CIM excels at teaching the basics is by giving students access to some of the world’s best musicians. Severance Hall, home of The Cleveland Orchestra, is just a short walk from the CIM campus. And CIM students get free tickets to most Cleveland Orchestra performances, making it easy and affordable to experience the world-class ensemble up close. Better yet, more than 30 CIM faculty members are current or emeritus members of The Cleveland Orchestra. Which means that CIM students get the direct benefit of learning from musicians who are working at the top of their field. “Being able to experience and even take part in how a toptier orchestra approaches performance is such a unique and important component of preparing CIM students for an orchestral career,” said Sachs. “It’s really a tangible approach. Students get to see us put our philosophy into practice.”
Career-focused training through CIM’s Center for Innovative Musicianship
In 2017, CIM launched its Center of Innovative Musicianship —known as CIM²—to nurture students’ entrepreneurial and professional skills while they are simultaneously developing the highest level of artistry. Through CIM2, students have access to comprehensive career services, community or virtual performance and educational opportunities, and an entrepreneurship-focused curriculum. Part of these offerings includes dedicated preparation for professional auditions. In the last two years, renowned psychologists have visited CIM to work with students on two key aspects of audition preparation: beating anxiety and optimizing focus. Performance psychologist Noa Kageyama, faculty member of the New World Symphony and The Juilliard School, and Olympic sports psychologist Don Greene offered students a crash course on how to win an audition.
An Olympic Sports Psychologist Helps Musicians Excel Sports psychologist Don Greene, PhD, discovered that the same strategies he uses to help Olympic and professional athletes are applicable to helping musicians improve their performance onstage. He has taught these techniques at The Juilliard School and the New World Symphony, and has worked with members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Lyric Opera and St. Louis Symphony. At CIM last fall, Greene explored the main factors students face when preparing for an audition and how to adapt to them in order to achieve peak performance. “In terms of performance psychology,” said Greene, “musicians must understand five primary factors.” These include: • Energy regulation: making sure you’re neither too relaxed nor too hyped-up before a performance
Alongside lectures and master classes taught by experts like Greene, CIM2 helps students by replicating the audition experience on the CIM campus.
• Confidence: learning how to talk to yourself before and during auditions; how to expect the best from your performance; how to mentally rehearse and hear the sound you want to produce
the role of mock auditions in performance prep
• Fear: learning how to deal with fear of failure, of success, of not living up to expectations, of losing the audition or not advancing; how to use courage in fearful situations
Practicing more than the music: “We create mock auditions on a regular basis for the students,” said Sachs. “You might do mock auditions for a section position or a principal position, which require different approaches. You look at a wide range of repertoire over the course of these auditions, which ensures that a student at CIM for two to four years will get to experience a broad spectrum of styles.” Richardson says that mock auditions were tremendously helpful to her in terms of giving her a better understanding of what she was singing and why she was singing it. “At CIM, mock auditions really recreate the atmosphere of a real audition,” she said. “You’re performing in front of the faculty, you have your résumé and list of repertoire, and you come in and perform. It helps you get into the mindset you need to have for real professional auditions.”
• Focus: learning how to focus under pressure for extended periods of time, to keep your mind focused on the process, not the outcome; how to focus past distractions until you’re done • Resilience: dealing with inevitable mistakes and setbacks, recovering from those and being mentally tough when they happen “Imagine how challenging it would be to play music without lessons and training,” Greene said. “It’s the same with this. These are not innate. They are skills to develop. You must learn how to address and overcome these factors to win auditions and perform at your best.”
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A worldwide network of musicians at students’ fingertips In addition to mock auditions as part of the normal curriculum, CIM offers an even more in-depth and innovative approach to exposing students to the audition experience.
Through its Global Audition Training Program (GATP), CIM provides students with focused opportunities to perform for and receive feedback from top music faculty all over the world. Now in its seventh year, GATP is an international collaboration between CIM and peer conservatories including the New World Symphony in Miami, the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, London’s Royal College of Music, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in China and the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.
Using state-of-the-art video technology, GATP can bring together up to four partner conservatories at a time. Students have the chance to perform in front of faculty members from each program and get immediate feedback on their technique, style and approach to the repertoire. Every student—whether performing, listening in from the classroom or watching via video from CIM’s Student Lounge— learn in real time from these global mock auditions. Students who have had the opportunity to participate in GATP enjoy getting feedback from a professional from an entirely different school or orchestra. Sachs agrees that GATP offers tremendous value to CIM students. “Any chance our students have to access other terrific players, to hear their philosophical approach, and especially to hear them play…there can never be enough of that.” During their time at CIM, most students have the opportunity to at least observe GATP in action. And, by moving to softwarebased systems so that any room with a computer is capable of the same kind of online collaboration, CIM is already working on enhancing the program so that every student can participate. With ready access to musicians around the globe, CIM students are better prepared to perform in front of unknown audition panelists—here in the US and anywhere in the world.
Primed and ready for a future of success
Developing talented young people into musicians capable of the utmost artistry is CIM’s brand. But fulfilling its mission of being the future of classical music requires more. That’s why CIM is committed to ensuring each and every student has access—in a variety of ways, through multiple access points—to high-quality preparation for professional auditions. And CIM’s dedication to preparing students for the competitive world of professional musicianship works. CIM’s graduates command the most celebrated and revered stages in the world as soloists, chamber musicians and ensemble members—in fact, more than two dozen alumni work right down the street in coveted positions with The Cleveland Orchestra. No matter what career they seek, with CIM’s audition preparation offerings, the Conservatory’s graduates are wellprepared to seize the future they’ve been working toward.
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Photo by Roger Mastroianni
Harnessing Adrenaline for Peak Performance Musicians and athletes have a lot in common. To rank among the best requires passion, years of dogged practice, and physical and mental endurance. For the elite musician, auditioning for a position with a symphony or opera company has a lot in common with an Olympic performance. As with athletes preparing for a sprint or a dive or run down a ski hill, musicians must focus all their skill, attention and energy on performing the best concerto or aria—all while facing down tremendous mental and physical pressure. According to performance expert Don Greene, one of the biggest keys to acing an audition is to learn how to harness the physiological effects of facing a high-pressure presentation. “When you step out onto that stage,” said Greene, “your body is instantly flooded with adrenaline. Your heart starts pounding. You begin to perspire. Your breath comes faster. Your hands shake. Without proper training, many musicians begin to panic. ‘Oh no, I can’t believe this is happening!’ And they try to tamp it down.” Instead, Greene teaches musicians and athletes alike to work with the adrenaline surge, not against it. “If a musician can learn to recognize those physiological symptoms as signs that her body is gearing up to perform at its best quality, she can actually harness those symptoms into making her performance stronger. By mastering a few techniques, musicians can use that adrenaline rush to make their performances more intense, more focused, more energetic, and to stand out and blow the panel away.”
The centering technique outlined in Greene’s book Audition Success takes anywhere from 30 seconds to three minutes to execute, and follows seven simple steps: • Start with a clear goal • Pick a focal point before closing your eyes • Breathe slowly and deeply • Check your muscles for tension, one by one, and exhale the tension from your body • Focus down to your center • See, feel and hear previously chosen cues for performing at your best • Direct energy to your focal point “This allows musicians to trust their talent and their training, and play without hesitation,” Greene says. Greene recommends that musicians practice this technique as part of their normal routine, before warming up, rehearsing or performing. For a more detailed exploration of centering and other proven strategies for achieving peak performance, visit his website, winningonstage.com.
One of the strategies Greene teaches is called “centering,” which helps musicians learn how to perform at their best despite the inevitable adrenaline surge. 15
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
AUBREY FOARD
Photo by Taken by Sarah
This Unlikely Tubist Does It All
Aubrey Foard’s latest career move came from a surprising mental space: “None of this matters. I just want to go and have fun and play my butt off.” That audition attitude helped him win the principal tuba position of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 2018. That is quite an attitude change from his beginnings. In 1994, he selected a photocopied drawing of a tuba at a required school assembly. It looked to him like the second-coolest choice, since the bassoon his father played in the Milwaukee Symphony was not an option. Soon after, he won a fourth-grade competition for the most minutes practicing. At age 14, when he decided to make a career of the tuba, his father chided him. “You know, you can’t not practice and become a musician. Everybody who is doing this right now is so good…and you haven’t even started yet.’ So I put my nose to the grindstone,” Foard said. After a few years studying in Milwaukee, Foard’s teacher surprised him by recommending he apply to the Cleveland Institute of Music. “That really caught my attention, and of course I knew the orchestral program at CIM was really strong,” Foard said. He auditioned here and nowhere else, hoping for a spot, “come hell or high water.” He was accepted with late faculty emeritus Ronald Bishop as his teacher. “[Bishop] was first and foremost one of the most wellinformed gentlemen of The Cleveland Orchestra. He was a teacher who really invested in our lives by spending a lot of time with us, 16
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hanging out with us now and then, taking us to a Mexican restaurant and buying us dinner. I think to all the students, he was like a father figure.” Even in the first few months at CIM, the focus on orchestral excellence “was truly a life-changing experience.” On early Monday mornings, students would line up to get their free Cleveland Orchestra tickets, even in winter weather. “That was huge… You would walk over in your pajamas.” He recalls walking out of those concerts and hearing Clevelanders pick apart the interpretations. “The audience was incredibly well educated,” he said. Foard practiced long hours, especially with his brass quintet. “We would do these late-night practice sessions until midnight, and we would take breaks and do our Eurhythmics training,” he added. Bishop’s gentle push kept Foard serious about learning new repertoire, taking competitions and putting on virtuosic recitals. He and Bishop became and remained close. Foard, an avid runner, remembers Bishop being in terrific shape even in his seventies: “He could race me and win,” he said. When Bishop died in 2013, “that was a big shock for me, a big loss. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about him.”
About his audition for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Foard says: “None of this matters. I just want to go and have fun and play my butt off.” That attitude helped win him the principal tuba position of the BSO in 2018. Foard graduated from CIM (BM ’04, AD ’05), Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and Colburn School, and played for many orchestras, including the Charlotte Symphony. He also flexed his career muscles into new skill areas. He started a public relations committee for the musicians at Charlotte. He teaches tuba and euphonium at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music in Los Angeles and has helped with two Academy Awards ceremonies. And he has increasingly pushed tubists to perform new music. He commissioned and premiered a new tuba concerto by composer Mark Petering in 2009, a chance to add to the modern repertoire and “something of a dream come true for me.” He tells his students, “The best thing we can do, I think, is to be advocates for our instrument to our composer friends… Then play [compositions] at the next international tuba convention. And if people like it, they’ll start playing it too. And that will continue building up our instrument as a solo instrument.” By the time the BSO opportunity came to Foard, it was his 43rd professional audition. He flew in from an orchestra festival in Phoenix the night before auditioning. Despite being a veteran, he still felt nervous playing behind that screen. “It’s a very intimidating experience. And of course you’ve been listening to everyone else warm up.” But this time, he paired his personal high standards with a refusal to worry about the results. “Perhaps I was too tired to overthink it,” he said. He imagined if he won, he would jump and pump his fist, but he was still so relaxed when he heard the news, his reaction was simply, “Oh. Oh.” The reality sank in later. “It is an incredibly good orchestra. The Baltimore Symphony has always been one of the best orchestras in the world… But you don’t realize how good it really is until you get here and hear it live… The musicians have been so, so incredibly welcoming to me. And not just welcoming, but supportive.” Today, however, when Foard thinks back to the time when he chose the tuba by looking at a drawing, he realizes how lucky he is and just how much he loves the instrument. “The tuba didn’t choose me,” Foard said. “I always thought my personality was better suited to a fair number of different instruments. But I found out how to really manipulate the instrument in ways that I really like the way it sounds.” Now that’s love.
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ALUMNI NEWS Have some news? Visit cim.edu/alumni and click the Share Your News button. News is accepted on an ongoing basis and may be held until the next issue.
Alumni Jared Ballance (BM ’04, MM ’05, Aaron, Hoebig) earned the Dalcroze Eurhythmics License from the Marta Sanchez Dalcroze Training Center at Carnegie Mellon University. In addition to his cello teaching and chamber music coaching, Ballance regularly teaches Dalcroze classes and workshops to students and teachers in Washington, as well as in other states. Janet Becker (BM ’79, Sharp) joined the faculty of the University of Mount Union in 2015 where she teaches flute and directs the university flute choir and the Stark County Honors Flute Choir. She recently presented a workshop on recital programming and a baroque flute recital at the Kentucky Flute Festival and was a member of the ensemble honoring George Pope at the National Flute Association convention. Zsolt Bognár (BM ’05, MM ’07, Babayan, Schenly) gave a performance-presentation with soprano Renée Fleming at the Lake Nona Impact Forum in Orlando, on the subject of brain science, the musical life and wellness. He continues his advocacy for mental health and musicians’ issues also through his ongoing show “Living the Classical Life.” Christine Bailey Davis (BM ’97, Khaner, Smith, Fink, Aarons) has launched christinedavisflute.com, which is the culmination of three major projects, including the publication of her book The No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming a Professional Flutist, her Mozart duet intended to help flutists prepare the G Major Concerto for audition and performance and a series of No-Nonsense Webinars. Fellow alumni Heidi Williams (MM ’97, Schenly, Stevens, Podis) and Jerod Tate (MM ’00, Erb, Pastor) are also a part of the webinar project, which arms music students with the practical knowledge they will need when they leave school and enter the professional world. Violinist Nicholas DiEugenio (YAP ’00, BM ’04, MM ’05, D. Cerone, L. Cerone, Kantor) and pianist Mimi Solomon released their second disc on the New Focus label, Unraveling Beethoven, 18
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which is a follow-up to their homage to Steven Stucky, Into the Silence, and highlights several contemporary responses to Beethoven’s iconic violin sonatas. nicholasdieugenio.com Timothy Ehlen (DMA ’00, Schenly), professor of piano at University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, recently released the late character pieces of Brahms (Opp. 116, 117, 118, 119) on the Azica label. Ehlen’s recent performances include Beethoven concertos Nos. 4 and 5 with UI symphonies, Beethoven Concerto No. 2 with Sinfonia da Camera, Krannert Center Marquee concert with the Jupiter Quartet and a solo recital at University of California, Riverside. In summer 2018, Ehlen embarked on a month-long tour at major universities and conservatories in China, offering a total of 20 master classes and seven lecture recitals. Chester Englander (BM ’98, MM ’01, Weiner, Yancich) recently reprised his role as solo cimbalom on John Adams’ Scheherazade.2 with the Iceland Symphony, with the Boston Symphony and at the Grand Teton Music Festival. While at GTMF, he also performed György Kurtág’s Eight Duos for Violin and Cimbalom with Leila Josefowicz. He performed as solo cimbalom with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the US premiere of Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s Cello Concerto en forme de pas de trois. Chelsea Friedlander (BM ’10, Schiller) was a Tyler Young Artist with Opera on the James (VA) in their Spotlight on American Opera. She then became a Mary Ragland Young Artist with Nashville Opera, making her main stage debut as Olympia in Tales of Hoffmann. Ralitsa Georgieva-Smith (PS ’06, Pontremoli), founder and artistic director of the fundraising concert series Music for Our Children, presented her sixth benefit concert featuring CIM faculty Sergei Babayan and Antonio Pompa-Baldi, and raised $10,000 to support child victims of poverty, violence and human trafficking. Celine (Russell) Gietzen (BM ’97, Harris) has written Core Music Theory for String Players, a series of music theory workbooks for violin, viola, cello and bass. It is an instrument-based method, helping students apply theory knowledge to the instrument. The series was showcased at the ASTA convention, was favorably reviewed in the California Music Teacher journal and is now
being used by private studio teachers and string orchestra directors across the country. coremusictheory.com Richard Glazier’s (DMA ’93, Pastor) newest CD, Pure Imagination: Great Songs from the Stage and Screen, was recently released by Centaur Records. In April 2019 Glazier appeared with the Evansville Philharmonic, and he has performed recently with the Fort Wayne Symphony, Shreveport Symphony, Altoona Symphony, San Antonio Symphony and Colorado Symphony. Karen Gottlieb (MM ’80, Chalifoux) has retired from professional performing. Her final performance was Elliott Carter’s Penthode with San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, where she has served as principal harpist for more than 30 years. She has had an active performing career of more than 40 years and is now choosing to spend her time teaching, coaching young harpists and repairing harps. As a certified harp technician for Lyon & Healy/ Salvi Harps, she currently services instruments on the West Coast. kgharp.com Shawn Renzoh Head (BM ’16, Fitch, Kohn) launched his international career as a soloist on shakuhachi (Japanese flute) and as a composer. He has been invited to universities around the world, most recently Taipei National Conservatory, Butler School of Music and Kenyon College. He is also writing a shakuhachi concerto commissioned by a school in Texas. The Hessler Street Duo, made up of pianist Jennifer Ann Heemstra (MM ’02, Brown) and violinist Patrick Yim (MM ’02, Updegraff, Preucil) toured the Silk Road in May 2019, starting in India and ending in Tajikistan with a stop in the United Arab Emirates. Performing 10 concerts total, the duo premiered works by living composers Elena Kats-Chernin, Yao Chen, Myco and Austin Yip and collaborated with visual artist Viraag Desai. William Johnston (DMA ’11, Vernon) was a featured guest artist at West Virginia University Viola Day. He was recently named a Licensed Andover Educator and taught a session on Body Mapping, in addition to performing a recital and teaching a master class.
Daniel Kaler (BM ’19, Kosower) and two other young musicians were featured in the documentary Hear Us. The film follows the three musicians who join forces to share their artistry with audiences around the world. Timothy Kalil (BM ’74, MM ’76, Podis, Radunsky) was inducted into the 2018 Harbor High School Hall of Fame on September 14, 2018. Dr. Kalil was a 1970 graduate of the high school located in Ashtabula, OH. Borah Kang (MM ’06, Shapiro) is a teaching principal at Psalmers Music Academy, located in Urbana, IL, where she teaches piano and rhythm classes. She recently toured the Illinois area with baritone Euigun Lee, performing the music of Schubert. Elizabeth Joan Kelly (MM ’07, Brouwer) self-released her album Music for the DMV (after Brian Eno’s Ambient 1: Music for Airports, but more angsty, because no one likes the Department of Motor Vehicles). It won the 2019 Independent Music Award for Best Concept Album and was also nominated for Best Longform Video. Music for the DMV has also received radio and podcast play from dozens of stations and shows across the world; featured on multiple “best of” lists in 2018; and spent 15 weeks on New Orleans’ WTUL Radio’s Top New Album charts, including two weeks at #1. Ok-Sim Nam Kim (AD ’87) taught music at Kwang Woon High School in Seoul, Korea for 10 years before coming to the US to do graduate work. She was recently honored as one of the greatest teachers in the school’s history at the Teachers’ Day event of the school’s alumni association. Kim has been a member of the voice faculty of The Music Settlement for many years. Steven Mark Kohn (MM ’84, Erb, O’Brien) had his one-act opera Mary Chesnut, a Civil War Diary performed at the Cleveland Public Theater as part of ContempOpera’s 2017–18 season. A set of Kohn’s American folk song arrangements was performed to open the show. Kohn’s entire art song catalog has been picked up by the E.C. Schirmer publishing company and was recently presented at the NATS convention in Las Vegas. The wild west opera Riders of the Purple Sage, based on the bestselling novel by Zane Grey, for which Kohn wrote the libretto, will be remounted by Arizona Opera in the 2019–20 season, due to popular demand. Elisabeth Kufferath (BM ’92, Weilerstein) signed with Dorn Music for general management as violin and viola soloist. With the Tetzlaff Quartet, she performed at Pierre Boulez Hall in 19
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Berlin, Gewandhaus Leipzig and in Luxembourg and Ghent. Michelle La Jeunesse (BM ’15, Cole) recently sang Flora in La Traviata with Opera San Jose, Sacramento Opera and the Diablo Symphony Orchestra. She was also the alto soloist in Bach’s St. John Passion with the Early Music and Baroque Ensembles in Davis, CA. Kathryn Lowman (BM ’15, Jackobs) and Rebecca Glass (BM ’13, MM ’14, DMA ’17, Jackobs, Irvine) were selected to give a lecture at the International Viola Congress in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Andrew Gabriel Manea (BM ’13, Billions) became an Adler Fellow at the San Francisco Opera and was recently signed by Columbia Artists Management. Lenorah E. (McManus) McKee (BM ’78) retired from her second career as a world languages teacher in the North Carolina Public Schools. She previously pursued a musical career for 20 years in the US Army and US Air Force, stationed in Virginia, Alabama and South Korea. William Neil’s (BM ’77, MM ’79, Erb) Out of Darkness into Light, performed by Duo Sureno and released on Revello Recordings, has garnered complimentary reviews: “It opens with the beautiful ‘Out of Darkness into Light’ by William Neil. This is probably the one track that really showcases King’s incredible vocal range to its full.” (Review Graveyard) “[Duo Sureno] take you to places you’ve only heard in dreams.” (Midwest Record) Mark Nowakowski (PS ’05, Brouwer, Schoenfield) recently teamed up with other CIM alumni for the premieres of two new works. Cellist Kimberly Patterson (BM ’07, Geber) was a soloist with the University of Memphis Symphonic Orchestra for their premiere of ...with their names upon their arms. Dr. Nowakowski partnered with Fiona Hughes (BM ’08, Rose) and her ensemble Three Notch’d Road for three performances of Before I formed you. Bass-baritone Richard Ollarsaba (BM ’09, Schiller) represented the US at the 2019 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. Andrew Peters’ (MM ’00, Wilson) new organ CD, American Variations: American Organ Music, was recorded on the recently restored Schantz organ of Second Presbyterian and released by Regent Records of England. andrewjpeters.com.
Renée Richardson (PS ’18, Schiller) was chosen to attend the Academy of Vocal Arts as a resident artist. After 20 years living in Arizona, Edith Kornfeind Roberts (BM ’60, MM ’63, Whistler, Loebel, Ciompi) returned to Ohio and recently joined the board of directors of the Stow Symphony Orchestra, heading up a project to encourage school-age children to attend their concerts and musical programs. Freelance artist Sandy Schwoebel (DMA ’87, Sharp) is featured playing bass flute on Indie artist Neko Case’s latest album, Hell-On, for the track “My Uncle’s Navy.” In January 2019, oboists Carey Shinbaum (MM ’01, Mack) and the late Robert Burks (BM ’80, Mack) performed Alan Elkins’ Double Concerto for two oboes and orchestra with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. The performance marked the work’s debut on a subscription concert. Both alumni played on Covey & Ramsay oboes, made by the work’s commissioner, Ginger Ramsay, partner to the late CIM graduate and fellow master instrument maker, Paul Covey (BM ’70, Mack). Nicholas Sokol’s (MM ’19, Fitch) solo piano work, The Light Wraps You, was recently premiered at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall by pianist Huizi Zhang. Jerod Tate’s (MM ’00, Erb, Pastor) composition, “Clans” from Lowak Shoppala’ (Fire and Light), was recently performed by the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Brian Thornton (1993–94, Geber) recently released a CD on Steinway Records which includes the Debussy Cello Sonata and Brahms Clarinet Trio with pianist Spencer Myer and CIM clarinet faculty Afendi Yusuf. Daniil Trifonov (AC ’13, AD ’15, Babayan) was the Berlin Philharmonic’s artist in residence for the 2018–19 season and was announced as the 2019 Artist of the Year by Musical America Worldwide. Mary Vanhoozer (DMA ’13, Shapiro) released her debut solo piano album, which includes the complete keyboard partitas of J.S. Bach, as well as a newly commissioned work by Josh Rodriguez (MM ’11, Fitch) entitled Partita Picosa. The three-CD set has been published under the label LydianLarks.
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Dolores White’s (MM ’74, Edwards, Erb, O’Brien) composition Peter, Go Ring Them Bells was recently performed by the Case Western Reserve University Concert Choir, and the Greater Cleveland Flute Society’s Composers Connection Concert featured her Six Miniatures for Flute and Cello. Sarah Whitney (MM ’06, PS ’08, Kantor, Preucil) is a member of the string quintet Sybarite5, whose latest album, Outliers, recently reached No. 1 on the Classical Billboard Charts. She is also founder and artistic director of the interactive concert series Beyond the Notes, now in its fifth year, as well as author of the blog The Productive Musician. Edith Hines Williams (YAP ’00, BM ’02, Updegraff, Weilerstein), as a member of the period instrument duo Ensemble SDG, released a three-volume recording of the complete works of J.S. Bach for violin and keyboard on Arabesque Records.
Appointments Joanna Catharina Blendulf (BM ’94, Harris) was appointed associate professor of music at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in the historical performance department, where she teaches baroque cello and viola da gamba. Kellen Degnan (MM ’18, Weiss) recently joined the faculty of Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA, as adjunct instructor of cello and joined the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. Nickitas Demos (DMA ’94, Erb) has been appointed director of the Georgia State University School of Music. His compositions have recently been performed at the West Fork New Music Festival (WV) and by the Boston New Music Initiative. His work Frontlash was performed at Carnegie Hall by the Unheard-of// Ensemble, who released the piece on their recording in spring 2019. Dr. Demos has also been commissioned by the Bellingham Festival of Music for an orchestral work to be premiered in summer 2020. Nate Doucette (BM ’17, La Rosa) won the second trombone position with the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra. James Houston Blair Dunleavy (MM ’90, MM ’91, Erb, Brooks) was appointed academic director of the Australian Guild of Music Education, where he runs the Bachelor of Music program and will be developing graduate programs. He was also a featured composer at 20
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the first International Low Flutes Festival, held in the Washington, DC, area. Jennifer R. Ellis (MM ’12, Kondonassis) joined the faculty of San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she teaches community engagement in the collegiate division and harp in the pre-college division. She also served as the first-ever harp faculty for Nief Norf, a new music summer festival in Knoxville, and can be heard on the recent album Dha Re Dha with the Indian-American ensemble Sumkali. Her duo, the Admiral Launch Duo with saxophonist Jonathan Hulting-Cohen, released its debut album, Launch, on Albany Records, which features many pieces commissioned by the duo. Cheryl Losey Feder (BM ’06, MM ’08, Kondonassis) was appointed principal harp of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Leah Ferguson (BM ’15, Vernon, Jackobs) joined the New York Philharmonic viola section. Aubrey Foard (BM ’04, Bishop) won the principal tuba position with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. (See page 20.) Chris Graham (MM ’10, AD ’13, Stout) won the second trombone position with the Jacksonville Symphony. Bethany Hargreaves (YAP ’13, BM ’16, Irvine) joined the New Haven Symphony Orchestra viola section. Jossalyn Jensen (BM ’14, Irvine) won the position of principal viola in the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris. Violinist Ariel Clayton Karas (BM ’10, MM ’11, D. Cerone, L. Cerone, Rose) was named Gordon Square Arts District’s first-ever musician in residence. She directs Classical Revolution Cleveland, an ensemble which gives creative, nontraditional performances, highlighting works by living composers, female composers and composers of color. classicalrevolutioncleveland.wordpress.com Dan Kassteen (BM ’97, Darling) won co-principal trumpet in the Sarasota Orchestra. He was previously with the Louisville Orchestra for 16 seasons and has been a regular substitute in the Nashville Symphony since 2012. Rachael Lemna (BM ’17, Kraut) is on faculty as a Suzuki cello instructor at the Kanack School of Music in Rochester, NY.
Mark Maliniak (MM ’10, Sachs) was appointed fourth/utility trumpet with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Stefani Matsuo (BM ’11, Kantor) was recently appointed concertmaster of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the first woman to hold the position in the symphony’s history. Ida Mercer (DMA ’86, Harris) joined the faculty of the International Cello Institute, held on the campus of St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, which was immediately followed by her 26th season in the cello section of the Britt Classical Festival in Jacksonville, OR. Charles Morey (BM ’10, MM ’11, Preucil) accepted a section violin position with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Ai Nihira (BM ’06, AD ’11, Preucil, Rose) joined the violin section of the San Diego Symphony. Ophir Paz (BM ’18, Egre) recently accepted a position with the recording engineering team of “The President’s Own” US Marine Band in Washington, DC. Robert Psurny Jr. (DMA ’94, Bushman) accepted a new position as director of choral and vocal studies at Sheridan College in Wyoming. Patrick Raynard (BM ’18, Dixon) joined the double bass section of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. Joseph Rebman (BM ’13, Kondonassis) is now harp faculty for the Mostly Modern Festival, a summer orchestra festival focusing on 20th- and 21st-century works. The 2019 festival featured the premiere of his harp concerto Hyperion. Rebman is also professor of harp at Northern Kentucky University and principal harpist for the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. josephrebman.com Christian Michael Standridge (BM ’17, Peckham) is the newest cellist of the Neue Philharmonie Berlin. As a member, he will be working alongside members of the Berlin Philharmonic and touring throughout Germany. He was also selected as principal cellist of the Berlin Opera Academy for the 2018–19 season. Stephen Tavani (AD ’19, Preucil) won the position of assistant concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra. (See page 8.)
Titus Underwood (BM ’08, Mack, Rosenwein, Rathbun) was awarded the position of principal oboe of the Nashville Symphony. Kristina Zeinstra (BM ’16, Docter, Jackobs) accepted a position in the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra viola section.
Prizewinners The Callisto Quartet—comprised of Paul Aguilar (BM ’19, Laredo, Sloman), Rachel Stenzel (MM ’19, Rose, Sloman), Eva Kennedy (MM ’19, Irvine, Ramsey) and Hannah Moses (AD ’19, Kraut)—was named the grand prize winner in the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and was awarded the Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland Prize at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. The quartet was also one of six selected to participate in the 2019 Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition. Isabelle Ai Durrenberger (BM ’19, Laredo) took third place in the 33rd Annual Irving M. Klein International String Competition. Marisa Esposito (MM ’17, AD ’19, Stees) won first prize at the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition. Flutist Jeiran Hasan (BM ’13 MM ’14, Fink, Smith) was named a finalist or prizewinner in the Young Artist Competitions of the Flute Societies of Washington, Mid-South, Philadelphia, South Carolina, Raleigh, San Diego, Upper Midwest, Kentucky, Seattle and Atlanta; National Flute Association’s Orchestral Audition Competition and Young Artist Competition; Schubert Club of Minnesota; and Golden Classical Music Awards, which resulted in her debut at Carnegie Hall. Zhiye Lin (BM ’19, Paik) won first prize in the Young Artists Division and received the Christine Bane Kefferstan Prize in the 9th West Virginia International Piano Competition and Festival.
Jiří Trtík (MM ’19, Fitch) won the age 24–30 category in Warren County Summer Music School’s Promising Young Composers Competition. Participants were required to compose pieces appropriate for children. Trtík’s winning work was his Piano Book for Children. Yeram Yoon (BM ’19, Vieaux) won the 2018 Stroud All-Ohio Guitar Competition, a statewide competition that celebrates high performance values while helping students excel and reach their goals.
Faculty Marshall Griffith (BM ’75, MM ’77, O’Brien, Erb) has been musically active with many CIM alumni this year. He has performed concerts with flutists Virginia Crabtree (MM ’09, Fink) and Linda White (MM ’89), violinist Kallen Bierly (BM ’15, MM ’16, Rose, Preucil), soprano Rebecca Carmi (BM ’87, MM ’89), percussionist Brian Sweigart (BM ’05, Weiner), pianist Maria Botto-Lodivico (BM ’09, MM ’11, Radosavljevich, Shevchenko) and trombonist Jason Smith (MM ’07, Witser). In addition, he was recently the featured composer at the Women’s Cantor Conference held in Cleveland. Erik Mann (MM ’02, Holmquist, Vieaux) is executive director of the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society, which recently received a twoyear, $50,000 Arts Mastery grant from the Cleveland Foundation to expand and deepen its education program. CCGS education is dedicated to creating life-changing experiences for Cleveland’s kids. The program serves over 200 students per year in elementary through high school who collectively perform more than 50 times per year. Two CCGS students, Damian Goggans (Mann) and Daziel Pérez Pagán (Mann/Poxon), are members of CIM’s Musical Pathways Fellowship program.
Grace Roepke (BM ’19, Kondonassis) was the grand and first prize winner of Friends of the Minnesota Orchestra’s 2019 Young Artist Competition.
The Steinway label recently released Antonio Pompa-Baldi’s (piano) latest CD, titled Napoli, which features Roberto Piana’s newly composed solo piano elaborations of famous Neapolitan songs, most of which were made universally popular by great opera singers such as Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti. Last year, PompaBaldi performed a solo recital at the Beijing Chamber Music Festival, a prestigious event organized by the Central Conservatory of Music.
Andrew Rosenblum (MM ’14, Pontremoli, Bennett, Ceaser) won second prize in the harpsichord category of the 2018 International Bach Competition in Leipzig, Germany.
Alan Reese (music theory) presented a paper titled “Freudian Narcissism and Lewinian Loops: Analytical Reflections on Szymanowski’s ‘Narcissus’” at the Society for Music Theory’s
Jonathan Mak (BM ’19, D. Shapiro) recently received the Canada Council for the Arts: Michael Measures prize for $15,000.
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National Annual Meeting in November 2019. His article titled “Examining Keyboard Bitonality in the Middle-Period Music of Karol Szymanowski” will be published in the peer-reviewed journal Music Theory Spectrum in fall 2020. Gerardo Teissonnière (MM ’89, Vronsky) performed in solo recital and in chamber music with CIM faculty Si-Yan Darren Li at the Rocky Ridge Music Center, where he is artist faculty in the Young Artist Seminar. He then completed a tour of Europe with solo recitals in the Rubinsteinsaal in Munich, Germany, and at the Barocksaal in Vienna, Austria, in addition to a critically acclaimed chamber music performance at the Sulzbach-Rosenberg International Music Festival. A solo recital and master class tour of China followed with concerts in Hunan, Shaanxi, Henan and Szechuan provinces.
Students Mutian Cui (piano, Pompa-Baldi) recently won the gold prize of the Ginastera International Piano Competition in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and won silver prize in the 20th Hong Kong-Asia International Open Piano Competition. He also signed a recital tour contract with Poly (Bao Lì) Corporation Eastern China. Gastón Frydman (piano, Pompa-Baldi) recently played at the Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires with the Orchestra of the Superior Institute of Music of the Teatro Colón and Maestra Nathalie Marin. He also played in Asunción with the Orchestra of the Congress of Paraguay and Maestro Diego Sánchez Haase. James Hettinga (cello, Kraut) placed second in the Mondavi Young Artists Competition. Shannon Lee (violin, Laredo, Sloman), the Mary Hamlin Memorial Presidential Scholar at CIM, won top prize at the 2019 Sendai International Music Competition, was named fourth laureate at the 2019 Queen Elisabeth International Competition and won second prize at the 2018 International Naumburg Violin Competition. Lydia Rhea (cello, Kraut) recently appeared on NPR’s nationally syndicated program From the Top as a soloist and as the cellist of the Kairos String Quartet. She collaborated with twelve-time Grammy nominated jazz pianist and composer Fred Hersch to perform his original piece Tango Bittersweet. Kairos was the first ensemble to win the gold medals at both the Fischoff and M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition Junior Division in 2018. FA L L 2 0 1 9
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Johnathan Wu (violin, Laredo, Sloman) placed second in Dallas Symphony’s 17th annual Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition, performing Korngold’s Violin Concerto. Lin Ye (piano, Pompa-Baldi) won third prize at the Rina Sala Gallo International Piano Competition in Monza, Italy, chaired by Vladimir Ashkenazy.
Preparatory The Arcus Trio—comprised of Young Artist Program students Célina Béthoux (violin, Lee, Setzer), Kate Huang (cello, Robinson) and Leo Gevisser (piano, Brown)—won the grand prize at the sixth Coltman Chamber Music Competition (Junior Division), as well as first prize in the string and piano ensembles category, in 2018. Huang is now studying in the conservatory at CIM. The Alendo Quartet—comprised of Young Artist Program students Kai Bryngelson (violin, Kwuon), Wenlan Jackson (violin, Rose), Ayano Nakamura (viola, Irvine) and Katarina Davies (cello, Weiss)—placed first in the Rembrandt Chamber Musicians’ 24th Annual High School Chamber Music Competition. Nakamura is now a student in the conservatory at CIM. Bryngelson and Jackson are currently attending the Colburn Music Academy in Los Angeles. Charlie Jones (trumpet, Toplitz), now a student in the conservatory at CIM, recently performed the Haydn Trumpet Concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra in Severance Hall as the co-winner of the orchestra’s annual concerto competition. Moshi Tang (violin, Kwuon) won the Lakeland Civic Orchestra Young Artists’ Competition, Junior Division.
In Memoriam
Myron Bloom (horn) passed away on September 26, 2019. He was principal horn of The Cleveland Orchestra from 1955–77, and taught at CIM from 1961–77. After leaving Cleveland to play for Daniel Barenboim in the Orchestre de Paris, he joined the faculty of Indiana University in 1985. Robert “Bob” Burks (BM ’80, Mack) passed away on June 1, 2019. A native of Oklahoma, he came to CIM from the St. Louis Conservatory. Prior to his 38 seasons as principal oboist with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Burks performed with the orchestras of St. Louis, Columbus and Honolulu. In addition to his duties of playing and teaching, he spent decades as a board member and officer of the Tri-State Musician’s Union, AFM Local 80, including serving as president. Ann Calkins (CIM Trustee 1959–2011, Trustee Emerita 2011–2019) passed away on September 16, 2019. She believed deeply in the importance and power of education, and that belief led to her substantial volunteer work in school libraries, to a graduate degree in library sciences from Case Western Reserve University and ultimately to a grant to develop a program for better communication between schools and public libraries. Priscilla Dorsey (BM ’53) passed away on June 11, 2019. She was an actress and singer at Cain Park in Cleveland and was also head of the voice department at Misericordia College in Pennsylvania. Elliott M. Golub (BM ’56) passed away in July 2019. He served as concertmaster of Music of the Baroque from its inception in 1972 until his retirement in 2006. He served as a cultural ambassador of the US, bringing American music to US embassies and music schools in rural regions of the Far East, Africa and the Middle East. He received a Distinguished Alumni Award from CIM.
Milton N. Allen (CIM Trustee 1987–88) passed away on May 29, 2019. In his varied business career, he was an owner, executive and management consultant to a variety of business and community enterprises.
Dean Guy (MM ’64) passed away May 24, 2018. He graduated from CIM with a master’s degree in music theory and taught at the institute until his retirement in 2007. He was chair of the theory department for 13 years and upon retirement was named professor emeritus.
Joel Andrews (BM ’56, MM ’58, Chalifoux) passed away on March 20, 2019. He was a harpist, composer, author and a pioneer music healer in America, who toured and presented concerts and workshops worldwide. He was head of the harp department at the University of Texas.
Bruce G. Higley (CIM Trustee 2017–19) passed away on May 17, 2019. In 1984 he joined The Albert M. Higley Co., a construction firm founded by his grandfather, and after progressing through multiple positions, was elected chairman in 2008, a position he held until his death.
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Philip Koplow (DMA ’76) passed away on January 18, 2018. During his lifetime as a composer, he wrote orchestral pieces commemorating tragedies of violence. His works, alongside those of other composers who wrote to honor the lives lost in war tragedies, are celebrated in Navona Records’ Peace for the Cities. Calista McKasson Kovin (BM ’00, MM ’02, Kondonassis) passed away on August 2, 2019. She was named principal harpist with the Tacoma (WA) Symphony soon after graduating, a post she held until her death. In addition to her classical career, she was passionately involved in the Scottish music tradition as a pianist and recording artist with her band, The McKassons. Donald W. Morrison (CIM Trustee 1979–94) passed away on November 2, 2018. He became vice president and general counsel of The Bell Telephone Company in Cleveland in 1974 and served on various nonprofit boards in the Cleveland area. André Previn (CIM International Council 2013– 19) passed away on February 28, 2019. He was a world-renowned pianist, arranger, conductor and four-time Oscar-winning composer. Jack Renner (audio recording) passed away on June 19, 2019. He was the former chairman, CEO and chief recording engineer of Telarc International, and was adjunct faculty in CIM’s audio recording department since 1986. His work yielded 23 Grammy nominations and 11 Grammy awards. William A. Tidwell (viola, Irvine) passed away on September 21, 2018. He was a student at CIM studying with Jeffrey Irvine, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in viola performance and a minor in psychology from Case Western Reserve University. Richard Weiner (percussion) passed away on December 30, 2018. He was a member of the CIM faculty since 1963, most recently as co-chair of percussion and co-head of the winds and percussion division. Weiner was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society’s Hall of Fame in 2018, and was principal percussion emeritus of The Cleveland Orchestra, following his retirement after 48 years of service, including 43 of those years as principal. Donna J. Welshhons (1967–70) passed away on February 15, 2019. She was an avid musician and played the organ for many years with the Congregational Community United Church of Christ and Trinity Lutheran Church, Monroeville.
GOVERNING MEMBERS Governing Members are CIM’s leading philanthropic annual fund supporters who contribute at least $2,500 each year. The Governing Members are comprised of Northeast Ohio’s prominent business, cultural and civic leaders who serve as passionate ambassadors in the community and around the globe sharing CIM’s mission, vision and purpose. To learn more or join this group of supporters, please contact Sari Jackson at 216.795.3132 or sari.jackson@cim.edu. Gifts received between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019
Thomas F. Coakley, chair Gay C. and Edward Addicott Mr. and Mrs. A. Chace Anderson Douglas and Marcia Auster Cynthia Bassett Joshua Bayer and Valerie Durrant Mr. and Mrs. Eugene J. Beer Mr. and Mrs. Richard I. Berger Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Bittenbender Dr. and Mrs. Eugene Blackstone Mr. William P. Blair, III Mr. Richard J. Bogomolny and Mrs. Patricia Kozerefsky Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Bolton Mr. Thomas C. Bolton Mr. and Mrs. John M. Bourne Eric (MM ’82) and Karen Bower Margo and Tom Brackett Mr. D. McGregor Brandt, Jr. Peter and Ellie Brodhead Marshall and Brenda Brown Brent M. Buckley Mr. and Mrs. Alfred J. Buescher, Jr. Ann Calkins+ Ms. Karen Carcione Irad (BM ’87, MM ’88) and Rebecca (BM ’87, MM ’89) Carmi Mr. and Mrs. David J. Carpenter Feipang Ching Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Coakley Robert Conrad (HDMA ’98) Charlie and Grosvie Cooley Mr. and Mrs. Pitt A. Curtiss Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey M. Davis Mathew and Lise deConingh Mr. and Mrs. David Deioma Hank and Mary+ Doll Becky Dunn Mr. and Mrs. Gene A. Faubel Char and Chuck Fowler Lauri and Robert B. (BM ’91) Geho Clive and Jane Hamlin Mrs. Linda Harper Tom and Iris Harvie Eleanor Maxine Hayes Bruce and Stephanie Hearey Dale Hedding Mr.+ and Mrs. Bruce Higley Jean and Dick Hipple 23
NOTES
Paul and Lauri Hogle Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Horvitz Richard Horvitz and Erica Hartman-Horvitz Mrs. Bong Ok Hwang Mr. and Mrs. Donald M. Jack, Jr. Emilie Kadish Mr. and Mrs. Daryl A. Kearns Ok-Sim Nam Kim (AD ’87) and Dr. Chin-Tai Kim Mr. and Mrs. Roman Kostiuk Jean and Mark Koznarek Dr. Melissa Kraut (BM ’90) and Gary Stevens Mr. and Mr. David Lincoln Jeff and Susan Linton Wendell and Julia Maddox Charles and Susan Marston Douglas and Charlotte McGregor Mr. and Mrs. Trent Meyerhoefer Dr. and Mrs. Jonathan Miller Edith and Ted+ Miller A. Grace Lee Mims+ Barbara and Mal Mixon Marilyn Sanders Mobley, Ph.D. Dr. Marjorie and Mr. Bert Moyar Ray and Katie Murphy Deborah L. Neale Mr. Thury L. O’Connor Mr. and Mrs. George Ohman, Jr. Anthony O’Malley The Ormond Family Mr. and Mrs. Raymond P. Park Dick (HDMA ’06) and Pat Pogue Gerald Polizzi and Constance Sancetta Gary and Rajini Poth Mrs. Alfred M. Rankin, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Ratner Mr. and Mrs. Shawn M. Riley Mr. and Mrs. Leonard W. Ringenbach Barbara S. Robinson (HDMA ’06) Rose Foundation Susan Rothmann and Philip Paul Elliott L. and Gail C. Schlang Mr. and Mrs. John Sciarappa Astri Seidenfeld Holly Selvaggi and Clark Harvey John F. Shelley and Karen P. Fleming Ms. Kim Sherwin James A. and Sally Smith Mr. Timothy K. Smith
Marv and Judy Solganik Mr. and Mrs. William Spring R. Thomas and Meg Harris Stanton Dr. Myron Bud Stern, PhD Dr. William H. Stigelman, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. James Stroud Chris and Mary Swift Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Thomas Madeline Lucas Tolliver (BM ’09, MM ’11) Mr. George S. Vassos and Mr. Henry Hawley+ Mr. and Mrs. James R. Venner Mr. and Mrs. Tracy Vigh Mr. Sanford Watson Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Wilson Seven donors who wish to remain anonymous + deceased
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