Of Note Written by Erich Burnett, Josie Davis ’14, and Cathy Partlow Strauss ’84
The Oberlin Orchestra preps for a trip to New York and Philadelphia in spring 1952. In 2016, conservatory ensembles will perform in Chicago and Milwaukee.
COURTESY OBERLIN COLLEGE ARCHIVES
Conservatory Plans a Yearlong Celebration Te 150th anniversary of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music will be commemorated with events throughout the 2015-16 academic year and in venues on campus and beyond. Among the highlights are a two-city Midwest tour during winter term, a world premiere, and a series of piano concerts in New York City. Te inaugural season of Key Pianists, a new recital series at Carnegie Hall, will feature Oberlin piano professor Peter Takács in three concerts in Weill Recital Hall. Titled “Te Beethoven Experience: Early, Middle, Late,” the series is the creation of pianist Terry EderKaufman ’79. It opens October 18, when Takács will be joined by clarinetist Boris Allakhverdyan ’06 and cellist Carter Brey. Additional concerts follow on November 12 and January 14. From November 27 through 29 at Severance Hall, the Cleveland Orchestra will give the world premiere of Bernard Rands’ Concerto for OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015
English Horn, commissioned by Oberlin to commemorate the conservatory’s 150th anniversary. Te piece will feature Cleveland Orchestra English horn player Robert Walters, who is also a professor at Oberlin. In January, the Contemporary Music Ensemble (CME) and Oberlin Orchestra will perform at premier venues in Chicago and in outreach concerts for schools and youth orchestra programs in Chicago and Milwaukee. Featured faculty will include cello professor Darrett Adkins ’91 and new composition chair Stephen Hartke. CME director Tim Weiss will lead the group in Hartke’s Grammy-winning work Meanwhile, and Adkins will perform as soloist in Augusta Read Tomas’ Passion Prayer. Also in January, the Oberlin Orchestra will perform a program anchored by Stravinsky’s Te Rite of Spring at Chicago’s Symphony Center, under the direction of Raphael Jiménez. On campus, the celebration starts with one of Oberlin’s richest traditions: the 138th season of the Artist Recital Series. Tis showcase of the world’s most accomplished artists continues to
be a staple of every season at Oberlin. Violinist Christian Tetzlaf, the Oberlin-founded Miró Quartet, and pianist András Schif are among the renowned musicians slated to appear in historic Finney Chapel. Collegium Musicum Oberliniense joins in the festivities on November 7 with an alumni concert and reunion of the ensemble’s 25th anniversary season under the direction of Steven Plank. Collegium alumni include members or former members of major choirs in the U.S. and U.K., including York Minster, Trinity Church in New York, the National Cathedral and St. John’s Church at Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., and the ensembles Uncloistered, Les Canards Chantants, and Grammy-winner Roomful of Teeth. Te celebration culminates during Commencement/Reunion Weekend 2016 with a reunion devoted to conservatory alumni in recognition of the 150th anniversary. Additional performances that weekend honoring Oberlin traditions will be announced in the coming months. 3