Oberlin Conservatory Magazine 2015

Oberlin Conservatory MAGAZINE

2015

CELEBRATING 150 YEARS

SAVE THE DATE! MAY 20-23, 2016

CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF MUSIC AT OBERLIN: 1865-2015 All conservatory alumni, double-degree graduates, musical studies majors, students who enrolled in music courses, and all Oberlin alumni who love music are invited to reconnect with your Oberlin family as we celebrate the achievements of the conservatory and music at Oberlin over the past 150 years.

In addition to the already rich offerings of Commencement/Reunion Weekend, this celebration will feature interactive musicrelated activities, performances and lectures, and opportunities to visit with past and current faculty.

REGISTRATION OPENS MARCH 2016. #ObieCon150

Contents OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

Mysterious rabbits roamed the stage throughout Oberlin Opera Theater’s spring 2015 production of Mozart’s La finta giardiniera.

Katherine Skayhan ’15 portrayed housekeeper Serpetta.

Departments

Features

2

Greetings from Oberlin

14 The Big Finish

40 The Elephant in the Room

3

Of Note

12 Student Accolades

56 Class Notes

16 Art of the Score

46 The Wolfgang Gang

61 Faculty Notes 64 Losses

For every student who passes through Oberlin, senior recital marks the end of the beginning.

Oberlin composers experienced an intensive, inventive, collaborative adventure in 2014-15.

YEVHEN GULENKO

22 Sully’s Reputation ON THE COVER: Oberlin’s history has included no shortage of breathtaking architecture.

Depicted through the iconic windows of Bibbins Hall are three of the conservatory’s unforgettable homes over the years, from left: Warner Hall (completed in 1905), Bibbins Hall (1964), and the Bertram and Judith Kohl Building (2010).

Photo of Warner Hall courtesy of Oberlin College Archives; Bibbins Hall by Erich Burnett; Kohl Building by Kevin G. Reeves.

OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

Amid a jazz career that’s catching fire, Sullivan Fortner ’08 returns to his roots.

24 The Conservatory at 150

Celebrating Oberlin’s enduring moments and the people who made them.

New laws to squelch illegal ivory trading could wipe out musicians too.

J.P. Jennings ’17 formed the Mozart Players because nobody else had thought to.

48 Pulling Out the Stops

Oberlin is known throughout the world for its outstanding organ collection—and for its outstanding organists.

54 Fire Starter

Karen Gebhart Flint ’64 fosters entrepreneurship through student grants.

38 Beat Generations

The walls of studio C38 tell the stories of countless percussionists—and the professor who loves them all.

1

Greetings from Oberlin

From the 50th anniversary of the opening of the conservatory complex last fall to the 150th anniversary of the conservatory itself in 2015, we fnd ourselves at a remarkable time for refection on the history and infuence of Oberlin. Tis legacy informs our mission, today and tomorrow, of preparing artistically talented and intellectually gifed students for robust professional lives—and for lives of dynamic advocacy for the arts.

Oberlin Conservatory forever remains a community of passionate individuals defned by their unbridled curiosity and transformed through bold and persistent experimentation in the pursuit of high artistry.

Te conservatory’s Class of 2015 embodies this very ethos. An extraordinary group of young leaders who have inspired their colleagues and faculty alike, these students have earned places in the best graduate schools in the country, won national and international competitions, and attained important fellowships. Tey have commissioned, composed, and recorded new works and created their own ensembles, ventures, and educational outreach programs. Tey have developed improvisatory skills and new artistic fexibility by embracing opportunities to collaborate across genres and styles, and they have taken their frst crucial steps toward professional lives of signifcance and leadership.

Underpinning their achievements—and indeed at the very core of Oberlin—are the deep pedagogical and artistic relationships forged between teacher and student, and certainly the stories to follow refect the impact of our exceptional faculty. As we close one year and prepare to start the next, we extend our deepest gratitude and congratulations to retiring faculty members Sandy Margolis, Lewis Nielson, and Howard Lubin, and add our warmest welcome to new colleagues Stephen Hartke, Professor and Chair of Composition, and Greg Ristow ’01, Director of Vocal Ensembles.

Te 2015 Oberlin Conservatory Magazine showcases the tremendous contributions of our faculty, students, and alumni again this year, but also the passion of countless individuals across many generations who played pivotal roles in creating the institution we are today. We look ahead with excitement to performances of the Oberlin Orchestra and the Contemporary Music Ensemble in Chicago in January 2016, and we hope you will join us in celebrating 150 years of Oberlin music.

Sincerely,

Oberlin Conservatory Magazine

CATHY PARTLOW STRAUSS ’84 Director of Conservatory Communications ERICH BURNETT Associate Director of Conservatory Communications EMILY CRAWFORD ‘92 Art Director RYAN SPROWL Designer JOSIE DAVIS ’14 DANIEL HATHAWAY DANIEL HAUTZINGER ’16 MICHAEL LYNN Contributing Writers KELLY VIANCOURT Director of Print and Publications BEN JONES ’96 Vice President for Communications ANDREA KALYN Dean of the Conservatory

Oberlin Conservatory Magazine is published by Oberlin’s Office of Communications.

Editorial Office: Oberlin Conservatory Annex 39 W. College St., Oberlin, OH 44074 440-775-8328 Email: con.news@oberlin.edu Web: www.oberlin.edu/con Facebook: oberlinconservatory Twitter: @oberlincon Oberlin Conservatory of Music Admissions 440-775-8413 Oberlin College Information 440-775-8121

Andrea Kalyn Dean of the Conservatory

2

Postmaster: Send address changes to: Oberlin Conservatory Office of Communications 39 W. College St., Oberlin, OH 44074-1576

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

Of Note

Gregory Walker Plays His Father’s Work With Oberlin Orchestra

4

The Calder Quartet opened its 2014-16 residency at Oberlin with a September 30 performance that kicked off the 137th season of the Artist Recital Series. The ensemble returned in November to play an all-Brahms program featuring faculty guests Michael Strauss (viola) and Richard Hawkins (clarinet). They also led a career talk with students in the fall and a master class in April.

LEFT: CARINA WU ’17, RIGHT: YEVHEN GULENKO

George Walker ’41 studied piano and organ as a student at Oberlin, serving as organist for the graduate school of theology and earning his degree by age 18. He went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 1996 composition Lilacs—the frst African American to earn the prize for music.

In November 2014, the campus paid tribute to Walker through a performance by his son, violinist Gregory Walker. Together with the Oberlin Orchestra, under the direction of Raphael Jiménez, Walker performed his father’s Poème for violin and orchestra.

“While I’m fairly immersed in my father’s work, the opportunity to play any one of his pieces is always an event,” Walker told ClevelandClassical.com prior to the performance. Walker the younger enjoys a prolifc career as a performer, composer, and teacher, with a keen interest in blending styles and incorporating computers and synthesizers.

“Tere have been times in the history of Western music when it was more inclusive than others, so you have to choose what makes sense for your epoch,” he says. “In the case of my dad and his music, I see somebody who is the epitome of a serious artist— someone who is completely uncompromising.

And I think that for those of us who perform his music, in some ways we have to be the ones who present the compromise. We have to be able to create that bridge to where he is for the students and audiences.”

Of Note

TANYA ROSEN-JONES ’97

Oberlin Partners with International Piano Academy Lake Como Te International Piano Academy Lake Como, an exalted institution dedicated to advancing the education of elite student pianists, has formed a partnership with Oberlin that will yield an exclusive U.S. home for the Italybased program.

Beginning in fall 2016, three students, selected among applicants worldwide, will take part in the Oberlin-Como Piano Academy, a two-year program of study toward an artist diploma.

“Lake Como is a true community of artists and so is a perfect match for Oberlin, where faculty and students come together with a shared commitment to artistic excellence and curiosity to create a vibrant musical world,” says Dean Andrea Kalyn.

Located in a 17th-century palazzo on the shores of idyllic Lake Como, the International Piano Academy is considered one of the top piano institutions in the world. Founded in 2002, the academy is the creation of William Naboré, with pianist Martha Argerich serving as honorary president. It is dedicated to nurturing the development of young pianists regardless of fnancial resources or country of origin.

Lake Como’s relationship with Oberlin came about through the academy’s interest in working with a major American conservatory.

Impressed by the performances of pianists participating in Oberlin’s annual Cooper International Competition and by the conservatory’s piano faculty, Naboré sought out Oberlin to be that U.S. home. Te partnership was cemented during a springsemester visit by Naboré.

“Limiting this experience to one place is not enough,” he says. “I love the idea of a liberal arts college connected with a conservatory, and Oberlin has great prestige. I mention it to my colleagues and they say, ‘Tat’s great—you’ve picked the right place.’”

Te partnership will enable three exceptional piano students each year to live and study at Oberlin as Oberlin-Como Fellows. Tey will work with Oberlin faculty as well as faculty from Como Academy, who will hold four weeklong residencies on campus each year.

As in the Italian program, Oberlin-Como studies will focus on lessons, chamber music, ensembles, and collaborative piano projects.

OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

Above: Como Academy founder William Naboré (third from right) with Dean Andrea Kalyn (standing, center) and members of the Oberlin piano faculty. (Seated, from left: Monique Duphil, Peter Takács, and Angela Cheng. Standing, from left: Alvin Chow, Philip Highfill, Kalyn, Naboré, Haewon Song, and Robert Shannon.)

Left: William Naboré selected Oberlin to be the U.S. home of the International Piano Academy Lake Como.

Te Oberlin-Como Academy will be an asset to Oberlin undergraduate students as well.

“Tis is a great development for our students, who will rub shoulders with Oberlin-Como Fellows and participate in master classes given by visiting faculty,” says Professor of Piano Robert Shannon. “Oberlin’s incredible resources in all areas of art, music, and jazz will be of great value to the Como Fellows as well.

We have the potential to truly transform our programs and to enhance our connections with European music-making.”

“Te master teachers who will be a part of this program are all legends in the piano world, and their residencies on our campus are sure to

be highlights of every student’s academic career at Oberlin,” adds Associate Professor Alvin Chow, chair of the piano department.

“Having Oberlin-Como Fellows on our campus will have a direct infuence on the Oberlin piano program, as they will provide examples of serious musicians striving to reach the pinnacle of their art. Tey will inspire our students not only with their performances, but also their work ethic and professional standards.”

To celebrate the launch of the program, the Artist Recital Series opens September 27 with a concert featuring three pianists from the International Piano Academy Lake Como.

5

Of Note

Zoë Madonna ’15 Wins 2014 Rubin Institute for Music Criticism

A Long-Forgotten Instrument Takes Center Stage

6

LEFT: ERICH BURNETT, RIGHT: TANYA ROSEN-JONES ’97

In September 2014, faculty pianist David Breitman and violinist Marilyn McDonald joined forces to perform Beethoven’s two best-known violin sonatas, opuses 47 and 96. Te occasion marked the Oberlin debut of a 185-year-old fortepiano that has found a welcome home in America afer weathering generations of obscurity in Europe.

Te instrument’s history is enmeshed with that of a 19th-century Italian noble family, in whose summer home the piano remained, virtually unplayed, for 170 years, its marvelously grained woods—European beech, maple, and walnut, among others—withering amid endless seasons in the unheated mansion. Crafed in 1829 by Anton Zierer, one of 30 piano makers toiling in Vienna at the time, the instrument changed hands in 1935 when an Italian artist and art historian bought the vacation home and its contents.

When the estate was fnally sold again in 2012, that man’s granddaughter, Marcella Calabi of New York, had the piano painstakingly restored and then shipped to the United States. She tried desperately to fnd a nearby location it could call home, but various snags proved insurmountable:

Te piano was slightly too large to ft in the elevator of her Manhattan apartment, and considerably too temperamental to reside in a nearby museum that lacked suitable climate controls.

“She basically said, ‘I have tried my best to care for this, and I could not,’” says Breitman (pictured above, with Zierer piano), director of the conservatory’s Historical Performance Program.

Enter Oberlin, which acquired the piano from Calabi over the summer of 2014.

“When I frst laid my hands on it, the frst thing that was obvious to me is that this instrument is critical for chamber music,” says Breitman. Modern pianos, he notes, are four times more powerful than they used to be—a circumstance that ofen results in ensemble performances in which the thunderous keyboard squashes other instruments in ways certainly not intended by Beethoven and other 19th-century composers.

Not so with the Zierer, which like other fortepianos of its era is crafed so that its output does not overwhelm the room. Also like other instruments of its time, it is a decidedly fckle partner, prone to constant fuctuations in tuning.

While Oberlin boasts an extensive collection of fortepianos—most of them reproductions—the Zierer is the institution’s only original in performance-level condition, a rarity in the world of vintage keyboards.

Oberlin College senior Zoë Madonna earned top honors at the 2014 Rubin Institute for Music Criticism, a fve-day, invitation-only competition held in November at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Madonna, an East Asian studies major from Maplewood, New Jersey, bested 16 other students—including doctoral candidates—from Yale, Stanford, San Francisco Conservatory, Oberlin, and the University of California, Berkeley. She earned a grand prize of $10,000.

“I was the last person that I would have expected to win, so I didn’t even have that on my mind until maybe the very last moment,” says Madonna, a summer publications fellow for the Tanglewood Music Center.

A second award of $1,000, called the Everyone’s a Critic Audience Review Prize, went to Karen Baumer, a San Francisco-based technical writer who attended Oberlin. Tree other students at Oberlin—Daniel Hautzinger ’16, Jarrett Hofman ’15, and Aaron Wolf ’16— also took part in the institute and earned high praise from the judges.

Founded by philanthropist Stephen Rubin, president and publisher of Henry Holt & Co., the biennial Rubin Institute is the only program of its kind focusing on music criticism. Troughout the competition, its panel of esteemed critics provided in-depth analysis of the industry and insightful critiques of the young writers vying for the title.

Te inaugural Rubin Institute took place in 2012 on the Oberlin campus. It featured 10 student participants, all of them from Oberlin.

Of Note

Artists in Residence Punch Brothers Named Oberlin Affliate Scholars

ABOVE AND RIGHT: YEVHEN GULENKO

Kayleigh Decker ’15 Chosen for DiDonato Master Class Mezzo-soprano Kayleigh Decker was selected to take part in an exclusive master class hosted by opera superstar Joyce DiDonato at Carnegie Hall in February 2015.

A student of Professor Timothy LeFebvre, Decker was one of only four singers selected worldwide to join DiDonato in New York.

Te news came during the same week she performed on campus in a master class for legendary mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne.

“Words cannot describe how incredibly excited I am,” says Decker, of Woodstock, Maryland. She has been a presence in Oberlin Opera Teater productions throughout her years on campus, including the roles of Mutter in Hänsel und Gretel and Mrs. Herring in Albert Herring, both during the 2013-14 academic year. She has participated in the Lyrique-en-mer Festival de Belle-Île in France and the Utah Festival Opera, among others.

With DiDonato, Decker took part in master classes as well as sessions on breathing, diction, and career development. She also attended a performance of Rossini’s La donna del lago, featuring DiDonato, at the Metropolitan Opera.

Decker’s weekend with DiDonato added to an already busy month of February: She created the role of Sara in the world premiere of Carlota, a three-act opera by Paul Davies presented in San Jose, California.

OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

Punch Brothers, the virtuosic bluegrass quintet in residence since 2013, were named Oberlin Afliate Scholars in December 2014. Te announcement was made in the conservatory’s Central Lounge, as the band prepared to perform in an impromptu jam session with students.

“Over the past year, Punch Brothers have enriched Oberlin in quite phenomenal ways,” Dean Andrea Kalyn said at the event. “We have seen refected in their work a tremendous commitment to the same values that underpin everything we do at Oberlin: Tey are deep musicians, they have inquisitive minds and passionate souls, and they are extraordinary teachers.

“Punch Brothers have stretched our approach to what we do,” Kalyn added, “and in every interaction they remind us to revel in the sheer joy and community that is music.”

A rare distinction at Oberlin, Afliate Scholars are named in recognition of signifcant professional achievement and with the purpose

of facilitating artistic or scholarly endeavor in association with Oberlin. Afliate Scholars are granted access to campus resources, including facilities, libraries, and archives, and may use the title “Oberlin Afliate Scholar” in all of their professional work.

At the December event, Kalyn presented a certifcate signifying Punch Brothers’ status.

Each member was given an ofcial Oberlin identifcation card, like those used by Oberlin faculty, staf, and students.

Formed in 2008, Punch Brothers grew out of a collaboration between Nickel Creek member Chris Tile, banjo player Noam Pikelny, violinist Gabe Witcher, and guitarist Chris Eldridge, a 2004 graduate of Oberlin College who studied with jazz professor Bobby Ferrazza.

Te band recruited bassist Paul Kowert in advance of its debut album, Punch.

During visits to campus over the 2014-15 academic year, Punch Brothers engaged with students through a wide range of activities, including coaching sessions, master classes, lectures, and performances.

Tey will return—with musical friends in tow—for the 2015-16 year to continue their American Roots Residency, made possible by actor-comedian Ed Helms, a 1996 graduate of Oberlin College and an avid musician.

Punch Brothers (from left: Chris Eldridge ’04, Paul Kowert, Noam Pikelny, Chris Thile, and Gabe Witcher) pose with Ed Helms ’96 (far right) moments after being named Oberlin Affiliate Scholars. Each band member is holding an official Oberlin ID card.

7

Of Note

Oberlin Panama Project Turns 25

8

In addition to his musical ingenuity, German émigré Kurt Weill brought attention to issues of serious and timely social importance, and he has since been recognized as one of the 20th century’s most infuential writers of American theater music. Oberlin celebrated that legacy with a series of events in late October and early November 2014, all centered around Oberlin Opera Teater’s fall production of Street Scene.

Te four-performance run of Weill’s 1946 opera, with lyrics by Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes, involved an enormous cast in period costuming, as well as a large and beautifully crafed set.

Te events were made possible through a grant from the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music. Jan Miyake, Oberlin Conservatory’s associate dean of academic afairs, initially approached the foundation about support for the production itself.

“During conversations, it became clear that because of Oberlin’s wonderful resources in the Allen Memorial Art Museum, the depth of its vocal studies program, and academic expertise in our musicology department, we could do some really interesting programming around Kurt Weill,” Miyake says.

Oberlin Opera Theater’s production of Street Scene featured remarkable performances, a stunning set—and cameos by Oberlin College President Marvin Krislov (far right) and his wife, Amy Sheon (seated, center).

JOHN SEYFRIED

In January 1991, a contingent of Oberlin students led by bassoonist Nicolasa Kuster ’93 took part in a music camp for young people in Panama City.

What resulted was an unforgettable winterterm experience—and the start of an annual tradition that has forged deep Oberlin roots in the Central American nation.

In January, six Oberlin students visited Panama for two weeks of intensive study with Panamanian students. Teir journey marked the 25th anniversary of what has been known for years as the Oberlin Panama Project.

Te partnership is made possible through the Asociación Nacional de Conciertos of Panamá, a nonproft that hosts the camp and presents an annual concert series that springs forth from it. For the tiny nation and its 3.6 million residents, the camp represents a lifeline to classical music. Many young people trained by Oberlin students go on to careers in music throughout Panama, the U.S., and beyond. Tree out of every fve members of the Panama National Symphony Orchestra are products of the Panama Project.

“When we are there, it’s just a total immersion in music, and the Panamanian students are so eager to learn,” says Professor of Music Education Joanne Erwin, who has coordinated the trip since 1995. “Tey want to be with us every minute of every day.”

Erwin is among several Oberlin faculty— including Tim Weiss, Philip Highfll, and Raphael Jiménez—who have taken part in the camp as conductors.

Each year, she cautions students who hope to make the trip that the Panama Project is anything but two weeks on the beach. Each day starts by 8 a.m. with a procession of chamber music classes, individual and group lessons, and orchestra rehearsals that last late into the afernoon or beyond. Afer two weeks of camp, the Panamanian students begin a series of free community performances for underserved children and others.

“Te comment I love, and that I hear frequently when our students graduate, is that it was the most memorable experience of their whole Oberlin career,” says Erwin, noting that more than 100 students have made the trip and that waiting lists fll up each year. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that.”

Campus Celebrates Weill Week With Opera, Special Events

Weill Week was conceived as a crosscampus collaboration. Included were lectures

by Weill scholars bruce d. mcclung and Kurt Weill Foundation President Kim Kowalke, a screening of the 1931 movie adaptation of Elmer Rice’s original play at the Apollo Teater, a collection of thematically related paintings at the Allen Memorial Art Museum, and a “WeillStyle Cabaret” featuring performances of Weill’s best-known songs by Oberlin voice students.

Te cabaret was emceed by Selch Assistant Professor of Musicology James O’Leary.

Widely considered Weill’s masterpiece, Street Scene boasts a large cast that is paired with an incredible variety of music inspired by enduring popular sounds of the day: jazz, blues, and Broadway theater songs, interwoven into orchestral accompaniment infuenced by Italian opera, Wagnerian orchestration, and Gershwin harmonies. While most Oberlin Opera Teater productions are double cast to give more students performing opportunities, Street Scene commanded such large forces that a single cast gave all four public performances.

Weill Week was a frst for the conservatory, which had never produced such an elaborate and diverse weeklong program of events.

“Te collaboration helped set the musical context for the opera, increased awareness of the production and Weill’s work across campus, and enabled some leading scholars of Weill to see the excellent work of our conservatory faculty and students,” says Miyake.

Of Note

YEVHEN GULENKO

Conservatory Receives Major Music Collection Te voluminous music library of late conductor Stephen Simon was gifed to Oberlin in December 2014, signifying a major addition to the conservatory’s already considerable collection of printed scores.

Simon’s collection includes some 58,511 articles of printed music, including 967 master scores and 2,694 choir books. It was delivered to Oberlin in 14 fle cabinets and more than 50 shipping boxes and trunks of various sizes. Te collection has been praised for its considerable volume and breadth, as well as for its impeccable organization.

“With this collection of nearly 1,000 orchestra titles, we have essentially doubled the size of our orchestra library,” says the conservatory’s ensemble librarian, Michael Roest ’06. “It is an impressive collection of full scores and orchestra parts that have been meticulously prepared for and used in performance.”

Likewise, much of the collection will be used in performance by Oberlin orchestras, Roest adds. It will be maintained in a climatecontrolled facility in the Bertram and Judith Kohl Building.

A onetime student at Oberlin, Simon was the renowned conductor for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the London Philharmonic, in addition to various orchestras near his lifelong hometown of New York City. He is widely credited with leading the U.S. revival of music by Handel, beginning in the 1970s and continuing throughout his career.

In 1976, Simon founded the Washington Chamber Symphony—the Kennedy Center’s resident chamber orchestra—and served as its music director for more than 25 years. He died in January 2013 at age 75.

Te collection was presented to Oberlin by Simon’s widow, Bonnie Ward Simon. Teir son is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory.

Representing a who’s who of Baroque and Classical composers from the 17th through 19th centuries, Simon’s collection is highlighted, not surprisingly, by dozens of Handel scores. More surprising is the score— written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards— of the 1969 Rolling Stones song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” a composition that originated with the London Bach Choir.

OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

François Clemmons ’67 of Mister Rogers Fame Returns for Vocal Residency François Clemmons, an accomplished singer of opera and spirituals who is perhaps best known as Ofcer Clemmons from the beloved children’s program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, took part in three public events during a weeklong residency in February.

Te week opened with a performance of American spirituals in Stull Recital Hall, featuring the afable tenor and his longtime friend and collaborator, pianist Kate Gridley. It was followed two days later by a voice master class and talk with Oberlin students.

Te residency concluded with a Saturday concert for children and their parents at the Oberlin Public Library. Te program, called “Songs for Fun & for Life!” featured Clemmons leading children in songs made popular through his role on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He was joined on keyboard by another longtime friend, Reverend Nancy Roth of Oberlin.

“Coming back here to sing afer 50 years truly was one of my dreams come true,” Clemmons said of the experience. “It has been a deeply emotional relationship for me, and I had to constantly tamp down my feelings of being overwhelmed. I was this close to tears, and I said to myself, ‘Tis is what you wanted.

Now you have to sing!’”

Clemmons studied voice as an Oberlin undergraduate in the mid-1960s, taking part in the Oberlin College Choir’s unforgettable tour of the Soviet Union in 1964. He later earned a master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he met Fred Rogers at the church they both attended. At Rogers’ urging, Clemmons made a guest appearance on his PBS program—and went on to become a fxture of the fctional neighborhood for the next 25 years.

At the same time, Clemmons enjoyed a vibrant stage career. He performed for seven years with the Metropolitan Opera in cities throughout the country, all the while committing several days each month to recording his show with Rogers. Clemmons sang the role of Sportin’ Life in Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess more than 250 times, and his 1973 performance with the Cleveland Orchestra earned him a Grammy Award.

With encouragement from his friend and mentor Rogers, among others, Clemmons eventually turned his career focus from opera to the spirituals that had touched his life since childhood. When the singer found few outlets for the music as an adult, he founded the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble with the goal of keeping American spiritual music alive. To this day, he tours regularly with the ensemble across America, Europe, and Asia.

Clemmons retired from Middlebury College in 2013 afer 16 years as artist in residence.

9

Of Note

Two Singers Named Rubin Scholars for 2015 Vocal studies majors Emily Hopkins ’15 and Joshua Blue ’16 were named recipients of the 2015 Rubin Scholarship, an annual award granted by opera legend Marilyn Horne.

Hopkins, a soprano who studied under Professor Daune Mahy, and Blue, a tenor with Associate Professor Salvatore Champagne, each earned $7,500, intended to support their professional development.

Hopkins and Blue were among a select group of Oberlin singers who performed for Horne at her November 2014 residency, part of the Artist Recital Series.

“Singing for Ms. Horne feels almost like a dream,” says Blue, a resident of Monee, Illinois, who plans to use his award to help fund auditions in the U.S. and abroad. “I’m honored

to have been given the privilege to show her what I can do, as well as to give her a glimpse of the singer I hope to one day become.”

Hopkins, likewise, intends to use her award to fund travel and other expenses related to graduate-school auditions.

“I’m still in disbelief at how incredibly fortunate I am to have been chosen for this scholarship,” says Hopkins, who hails from Hurricane, West Virginia. “To have been selected by Ms. Horne is so encouraging, and getting the news was one of the most exciting moments of my life. I can’t begin to explain how deeply honored and grateful I feel.”

Established in 2013, the Rubin Scholarship, part of the Marilyn Horne Professorship and Residency Fund, supports career advancement opportunities for the most promising singers in the conservatory. Te fund was established by philanthropist Stephen Rubin, president and publisher of Henry Holt & Co. and a longtime friend of Horne’s.

10

Te Oberlin Brass Quintet, a student ensemble led by Assistant Professor of Trombone Lee Allen, will take part in an 18-date tour of China over three weeks this summer.

Te tour, which focuses on performances for family and children, was made possible through an invitation from the China Dalian Yilong Performance Company. It begins July 10 in the northeastern coastal city of Yantai and concludes August 3 in the eastern city of Taizhou.

Te quintet consists of hornist Kevin Grasel, trumpet players Andrew Jang and Luke Spence, trombonist Matthew Marchand (all class of ’15), and tubist Davis Erickson ’16.

Te program will include a variety of works ranging from the traditional to the contemporary, including Bach (Air on the G String and Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring), John Williams (theme from Superman), Fats Waller (Ain’t Misbehavin’), and John Philip Sousa (Stars and Stripes Forever). Twin encores will feature American and Chinese pop tunes.

“Te shows will be 90 minutes of music, plus a few encores, so we’ll really need to get in good playing shape in order to be successful,” says Erickson, of Jacksonville, Illinois.

“I think we all expect this to be a lot of work, but it has the potential to be very rewarding.

We hope that the families will appreciate the music we play for them. Tat’s the whole point: to make people happy with our music.”

LEFT: YEVHEN GULENKO, TOP: CARINA WU ’17

Rubin Scholars Joshua Blue and Emily Hopkins (with accompanist Dan Michalak) perform for Marilyn Horne in November 2014. Both singers were awarded $7,500 scholarships by the legendary mezzo-soprano.

Brass Students to Tour China Over Summer 2015

Of Note

The Sounds of Oberlin Recent releases on Oberlin Music—the official label of the Oberlin Conservatory—showcase the great breadth of artistry emanating from Oberlin’s faculty studios, including Assistant Professor of Singing Kendra Colton ’83 and Associate Professor of Flute Alexa Still.

In addition, the first Blu-ray DVD in Oberlin Music history was released in May, part of the two-disc set Toward the Curve, which highlights works by Oberlin composers and the performances of pianist Thomas Rosenkranz ’99. It was created by TIMARA faculty members and conservatory alumni Tom Lopez ’89 and Peter Swendsen ’99.

The Reckless Heart Kendra Colton, soprano Kayo Iwama, piano

Toward the Curve Thomas Rosenkranz, piano and surround sound electronics

Assistant Professor of Singing Kendra Colton ’83 is an imaginative and virtuosic singer adept at a wide range of repertoire, from Baroque opera and oratorio to contemporary music.

On The Reckless Heart , Colton joins forces with her longtime collaborator and former Oberlin classmate Kayo Iwama ’83 on an eclectic set of songs created for Colton by Welsh composer Andy Vores. They are linked, in the words of Vores, by their “sense of a life lived, of experience gained, and of the unstoppable succession of events which make living reckless.”

The songs are presented here with master works by composers whose creations share Vores’ British Isle roots: Samuel Barber’s Hermit Songs and Benjamin Britten’s The Salley Gardens and On This Island. Also included is a less-familiar cycle, Ivor Gurney’s Five Elizabethan Songs.

Colton presented the world premiere of Vores’ The Reckless Heart in recital on the 1998 Boston Celebrity Series. This CD represents the work’s premiere recording.

Hailed as “one of the best new music performers around” (American Record Guide), pianist Thomas Rosenkranz enjoys a musical life as a soloist, chamber musician, and artist teacher. His repertoire extends from the works of J.S. Bach to premieres of works written exclusively for him, and he often includes improvisation in his performances.

A 1999 graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, Rosenkranz has enjoyed a long relationship with the artists and faculty of Oberlin’s pioneering Technology in Music and Related Arts (TIMARA) and composition departments.

Developed in the 1960s, TIMARA has served as the artistic home for countless students of immense talent, many of whom have gone on to forge groundbreaking careers.

Out of this fertile environment comes Toward the Curve, a celebration of the richness and expanse of new music created by alumni composers, the great artistry of Rosenkranz, and the astounding collaborative power between them.

Toward the Curve features a 5.0 Pure Audio Blu-ray disc as well as a standard audio CD.

OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

Matthew Hindson: House Music (Flute Concerto) Alexa Still, flute Oberlin Orchestra (Raphael Jiménez, conductor) Throughout an illustrious career as a performer and teacher, flutist Alexa Still has been widely praised for her technical prowess and her gift of making even the most challenging works sound effortless.

On the world-premiere recording of House Music (Flute Concerto), Oberlin’s associate professor of flute is reunited with her dear friend and former colleague, celebrated Australian composer Matthew Hindson.

Written in 2006, House Music occupies the intersection of contemporary art music and electronic techno dance music.

Hindson playfully illustrates the double meaning of “house music” in the concerto’s movement titles—Kitchen, Garage, Workshop, Foyer, Lounge, etc.—as well as the inspiration he found in techno rhythm, harmony, and structure.

Still’s extended techniques on the flute bring these electronic and acoustic sound worlds together as Hindson’s response to contemporary society and culture.

Gabrieli The National Brass Ensemble The Grammy-winning record The Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli has served as inspiration for generations of brass players since its release in 1968.

This 21st-century re-creation of that historic recording is the result of a grand dream shared by Joseph Markoff ’65, former conservatory dean and tubist David H Stull ’89, and Cleveland Orchestra principal trumpet Michael Sachs.

The original Gabrieli recording showcased the talents of 19 musicians from the Philadelphia, Chicago, and Cleveland orchestras.

The new project features 26 players representing nine American orchestras. (Among them is Robert Ward ’77, principal horn player for the San Francisco Symphony.) Through a minor miracle of scheduling, all 26 musicians convened for a week in June 2014, performing a concert and recording each work from the original album—plus a brand-new piece by John Williams that was commissioned for the project.

Scheduled for release in October 2015, Gabrieli featuring the National Brass Ensemble was made possible through the gracious support of Markoff, an avid trumpet player and physician.

11

Of Note

Student Accolades

2015 Conservatory of Music Honors & Awards The Walter E. Aschaffenburg Prize Awarded to a graduating senior for outstanding music composition.

Geoffrey King ’15 (Composition) Achtenberg

The Faustina Hurlbutt Prize Awarded to an outstanding graduating student in cello, piano, violin, or voice.

Kayleigh Decker ’15 (Voice) The Louis and Marguerite Bloomberg Greenwood Prize Awarded to a graduating student excelling in cello, piano, violin, or voice.

Kayleigh Decker ’15 (Voice) The Piano Faculty Prize in Accompanying Awarded to a graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence in accompanying singers and instrumentalists.

The Ruth Cogan Memorial Scholarship in Vocal Performance Awarded to an outstanding voice major who has dedicated significant time to the Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center.

Rebecca Achtenberg ’15 (Voice and Comparative Literature) Einav Silverstein ’15 (Voice, Biology, and Neuroscience)

Farshad Tahvildar-Zadeh ’15 (Piano Performance) The Rudolf Serkin Scholarship Awarded to a student demonstrating excellence in piano performance.

Allison Freeman ’16 (Piano Performance) Silei Ge ’16 (Piano Performance) The John Elvin Piano Prize Awarded to a student judged by the Piano Department to be the most talented in the junior class.

The James H. Hall Prize in Musicology Awarded to a graduating senior for excellence in work in musicology.

Dylan McDonnell ’15 (Musical Studies) The Selby Harlan Houston Prize Awarded to a graduating senior whose performance in organ and music theory is of distinguished quality.

Katelyn Emerson ’15 (Organ Performance and French)

The Carol Nott Piano Pedagogy Prize Awarded to an outstanding graduating senior for continued study in piano pedagogy.

The Wendell and Bettye Logan Prize in Jazz Studies Awarded to a graduating student who has demonstrated excellence in performance or composition.

Jingyi Zhang ’15 (Piano Performance)

Daniel Pappalardo ’15 (Jazz Bass and Psychology)

The Marilyn Horne Rubin Scholar Awarded to an outstanding student of voice to support and further professional development.

The Theodore Presser Undergraduate Scholarship Awarded to an outstanding returning double-degree student for excellence in musicianship and liberal arts study.

Joshua Blue ’16 (Voice) Emily Hopkins ’15 (Voice) The Pi Kappa Lambda Prize for Musicianship Awarded to students judged to be the most outstanding of those elected to Pi Kappa Lambda.

Hannah Hammel ’15 (Flute Performance) Benjamin Roidl-Ward ’15 (Bassoon Performance and German Studies)

The Louis and Annette Kaufman Prize in Violin Awarded to an outstanding student of violin.

The Earl L. Russell Award in Historical Performance Awarded to a worthy student majoring in Historical Performance to assist with the purchase of a musical instrument.

Nicholas Capozzoli ’15 (Organ Performance) The Margot Bos Stambler ‘84 Professional Development Award Awarded to an outstanding voice major of great promise to enhance career opportunities.

Yuri Popowycz ’15 (Violin Performance)

Daniel McGrew ’15 (Voice)

Silei Ge ’16 (Piano Performance) Popowycz 12

Sophie Davis ’16 (Violin Performance and Environmental Studies)

ACHTENBERG, POPOWYCZ: YEVHEN GULENKO; TAHVILDAR-ZADEH: TANYA ROSEN-JONES ’97

The Arthur Dann Senior Piano Competition Awarded to the winner of this juried competition for excellence in piano performance.

Farshad Tahvildar-Zadeh ’15 (Piano Performance) Joseph Williams ’15 (Piano Performance) Marika Yasuda ’15 (Piano Performance and Vocal Accompaniment)

Tahvildar-Zadeh

Of Note

The James “Jimmy” Stamp Award Awarded to the most improved trumpet player.

Andrew Jeng ’15 (Trumpet Performance) The Ernest Hatch Wilkins Memorial Prize Awarded to a returning student who has demonstrated academic excellence in the three preceding years.

Candy Chang ’16 (Flute Performance and individual major in Arts Administration) The Avedis Zildjian Conservatory Percussion Award Awarded to a continuing percussion major in recognition of outstanding performance skills.

LIU, YASUDA: WALTER NOVAK; JITTAKARN: YEVHEN GULENKO; MCCANDLESS: SCOTT SHAW; GROUP: TANYA ROSEN-JONES ’97

Randall Chaves-Camacho ’15 (Percussion Performance) The Fulbright Scholar Program Awarded to students for their academic merit and leadership potential with the opportunity to study internationally.

Katelyn Emerson ’15 (Organ Performance and French) Amy Hourcade ’15 (Musical Studies) The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Awarded to students who intend to pursue careers in science, math, or engineering.

Holden Lai ’15 (Percussion Performance and Chemistry/Materials Physics) 2015 Phi Beta Kappa Society Zeta of Ohio Chapter recognizes Benjamin Murray ’16 (Jazz Bass and Economics)

OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

The Rubin Prize for Music Criticism Awarded to a student writer for demonstrating outstanding promise in musical criticism.

Zoë Madonna ’15 (East Asian Studies) The Oberlin Shansi Fellow Award Awarded to current college and conservatory seniors and graduates to live and work in China, India, Indonesia, or Japan.

Teresa Tippens ’15 (Sound Design) The Conservatory Initiative Grants Supporting Imagination and Excellence (CIGSIE)

McCandless

Yasuda

Jittakarn

Liu

Noah Gershwin ’16 (Jazz Studies) Hannah Hammel ’15 (Flute Performance) Emerson Hunton ’16 (Jazz Performance) Eric Krouse ’16 (Jazz Performance) Benjamin Roidl-Ward ’15 (Bassoon Performance and German Studies) Joseph Suihkonen ’16 (Jazz Performance) Paulus Van Horne ’15 (TIMARA and Environmental Studies) 2014-15 Concerto Competition Winners Awarded annually to senior and artist diploma instrumental students.

Jesse McCandless ’15 (Clarinet Performance) Marika Yasuda ’15 (Piano Performance and Vocal Accompaniment) San Jittakarn ’15 (Piano Performance) Yihui Liu ’15 (Piano Performance)

13

The Big Finish For students completing conservatory degrees, senior recital marks the triumphant end of the beginning. Whatever challenges they might pursue next, their posters freeze the precious moments in time.

Senior Recital

with Daniel Michalak Saturday, March 14th 1:30 PM Kulas Recital Hall

“It was probably the fastest hour of my life.”

—Jeremy Reynolds ’15, clarinet

14

‘’

LISTEN UP FIVES, A TEN IS SPEAKING Yasuda

You’re invited to

ISABEL BLOCK’S SENIOR RECITAL

McGrew

Schubert

May 3, 6:30pm, Stull

Dan michalak, piano

‘’

Einav Silverstein

Kulas recital halL

Sunday, ApriL 12, 6:30 PM

featuring works by

wolf, britten, and ravel

“I’m inspired by the mature musicianship that surrounds me daily. Each friend offers a different quality I really admire.”

—Hannah Hammel ’15, flute

For a gallery of senior recital posters— and much more—follow “oberlinconservatory” on Tumblr.

OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

15

Oberlin composers experienced an intensive, inventive, collaborative adventure in 2014-15.

By Daniel Hautzinger ’16

Notated pages from Aaron Helgeson’s Snow Requiem, which premiered at Oberlin in March.

“We like our students to be crazy in terms of their imagination,” says Aaron Helgeson, a visiting assistant professor of composition at Oberlin and a 2005 product of the department.

“Oberlin is great at giving students resources to try out weird projects—stuf that you never in your wildest dreams would be able to do elsewhere.”

Tis might explain why great success stories abound among Oberlin composers.

In the past year, conservatory alumni have won prestigious awards, earned faculty positions at top institutions, had their music recorded for CD releases, and attended premieres of their work by ensembles large and small.

Tey represent the latest links in a long line of compositional achievement at Oberlin, a roll call that includes such luminaries as Pulitzer Prize-winners George Walker ’41 (the frst African American to be so honored) and Christopher Rouse ’71, and a litany of heralded experimental composers.

On campus, the next generation experienced an unusually intensive year: Composition students took part in immersive studies with a host of accomplished guest composers, explored pedagogical methods in master classes and in cofeehouses, and collaborated with a respected string quartet during winter term.

Tey learned how to be better composers, but also how to be teachers.

“My frst goal was to get them to step outside of what they were learning and look at it objectively,” says Tom Lopez ’89, associate professor in the Technology in Music and Related Arts (TIMARA) department. Lopez began the year with a seminar on pedagogical methods, devised to encourage critical thinking about the ways students are taught and how they 54 18

learn composition.

“Teaching is one of the main job opportunities we have as composers,” he says, “and it’s important for the students to think carefully about it.”

Troughout the fall semester, six guest composers visited campus to lecture on orchestration, present master classes, and talk about their own music.

Four of them—Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Stephen Hartke, and the husband-wife duo of Pulitzer Prize-winner Zhou Long and Chen Yi—also attended rehearsals

and concerts of their pieces as composers in residence. Two others, Pierre Jalbert ’89 and Benjamin Broening, taught during non-residency visits.

Each guest also paid a visit to Lopez’s seminar, exposing students to a cross section of pedagogical philosophies.

“I learned so much about teaching composition from the interactions I’ve had with each of these composers and in our discussions between each visit,” says seminar student Nicole Gutman ’16. “It’s to the point where I already have a set of

Composers Chen Yi (left) and Zhou Long collaborate with the Contemporary Music Ensemble in Warner Concert Hall, in advance of the world premiere of Yi’s Sparkle in September 2014.

PREVIOUS PAGES: TANYA ROSEN-JONES ’97, FACING PAGE: WALTER NOVAK

CREATIVE FORCES

rules and methods for myself in teaching composition, even though I hadn’t had any experience with it before.”

“Whenever you can have an outside perspective, it’s a good reminder that there’s a wider world than Oberlin,” says Peter Swendsen ’99, assistant professor of computer and digital arts in TIMARA. “Te visitors brought enough diversity that it gave us a taste of a lot of diferent things, but they also had enough similarities that we came away with a sense of some skills and connections that are important more universally among composers right now.”

Te composition curriculum at Oberlin is designed to emphasize that diversity by capitalizing on students’ variety of backgrounds and experiences. It begins when frst-years take composition together.

“Tey can see all these diferent ways of working because they come in with diferent levels of compositional experience,” says Helgeson. “It’s a community-based program. Tat’s something that I, as a teacher, really appreciate, and something that you don’t get everywhere.”

Timothy McCormack ’07, a PhD student at Harvard who has large commissions in the works for Ensemblekollektiv Berlin and the ELISION Ensemble, found that this culture of interaction shaped his experiences afer Oberlin.

“It’s a really efective way to learn, but it also prepares you for what is a huge part of academic and professional life as a composer and musician,” he says. “Finding, creating, or functioning within a critical community of artists, musicians, and composers with whom you feel trust and are able to give and receive criticism is one of the most important elements to life as a composer.”

Swendsen revels in the way visiting composers and students ofen continue their conversations of the stage or outside of the classroom. “Te enthusiasm for composition and contemporary music at Oberlin is fairly unique, and when guest composers come, they feel that immediately,” he says. “Even if we work them hard, they leave impressed and invigorated by those interactions.”

Teophilus Chandler ’14 took part in four master classes before graduating in December. He earned praise from Chen

Yi and has remained in touch with the composer, seeking feedback on his work via email.

“A lot of what you learn comes from the words the teacher uses rather than the lesson they are trying to teach you,” Chandler says. “I remember being struck when Stephen Hartke momentarily referred to certain musical characters as feeling hotter or colder than others, not even trying to teach anything. I hadn’t thought in that way before.”

When Gabriel Hawes ’18 presented his music in master classes, he found that each guest ofered insight unique to his or her own approach. Even more valuable to Hawes was the opportunity to hear the ways composers discussed their own music.

“I really benefted from—and enjoyed being able to hear—their fundamental compositional ideas, and then thinking about how those ideas applied to my own work,” he says.

The ‘New Music Mafa’

As the chill of winter settled over Oberlin in early January, the alumni string trio Chartreuse returned to campus for a quintessentially Oberlin collaboration, part of the 2015 Winter Chamber Music Intensive and Festival.

Te ensemble’s lineup of violinist Myra Hinrichs ’13, violist Carrie Frey ’14, and cellist Helen Newby ’13 was augmented by two current students and one other alum, clarinetist Zachary Good ’13. Together they performed premieres or updated versions of works by four alumni composers.

Students past and present, faculty, and others packed Clonick Hall to hear their

“Musicians at Oberlin were not only extremely good, but were excited about new music.”

—TIMOTHY MCCORMACK ’07

Before there was an Oberlin Conservatory, there was an exemplary composition student who emerged from the Oberlin campus: In 1874, Elisha Gray (class of ~1858) invented the first electric music synthesizer using self-vibrating electromagnetic circuits that were single-note oscillators operated by a two-octave piano keyboard. He was followed a generation later by Thaddeus Cahill ~1887, creator of the first electromechanical musical instrument—dubbed the telharmonium—in 1902. What follows is a collection of notable Oberlin composers who have followed in their forebears’ footsteps— by charting distinctive paths all their own.

Will Marion Cook 1888 R. Nathaniel Dett 1907 William Grant Still ’19 George Walker ’41, hon. ’85 (1996 Pulitzer Prize) Fred Steiner ’43 Natalie Hinderas ’45 John Kander ’51 Salvatore Martirano ’51 Edwin London ’52 H. Leslie Adams ’55 Margaret Brouwer ’62 Stanley Cowell ’62 John Ferguson ’63 Davis Maslanka ’65 Calvin Taylor ’70 Christopher Rouse ’71 (1993 Pulitzer Prize) Philip Maneval ’78 Jon Jang ’78 Ned Rothenberg ’78 Richard Danielpour ’78 Moses Hogan ’79 James McBride ’79 (Jazz) Robert Ostertag ’80 Leon Lee Dorsey ’81 (Jazz) Michael Mossman ’81 (Jazz) Kamran Ince ’82 John Kennedy ’82 Jonathan Dawe ’87 Russell Platt ’87 Tom Lopez ’89 (TIMARA) Pierre Jalbert ’89 Garrett Fisher ’91 Greg Saunier ’91 Timo Chen ’92 Arlene Sierra ’92 Peter Flint ’92 Keeril Makan ’94 Aurie Hsu ’96 Michael Klingbeil ’96 David Schober ’97 Lisa Kaplan ’97 Andrew Shapiro ’98 Peter Swendsen ’99 (TIMARA) Huang Ruo 2000 Corey Archangel ’00 (TIMARA) Du Yun ’01 Corey Dargel ’01 César Alvarez ’03 (TIMARA) Mario Diaz de León ’04 Ashley Fure ’04 Aaron Helgeson ’05 Alex Christie ’09 Matthew Chamberlain ’13 Theophilus Chandler ’14 19

aural topographies heave and fex under shattering collisions between tectonic plates of sound—a sonic maelstrom of craggy strings, animalistic bass clarinet, fute squalls, snarling bassoon, and ethereal singing.

Te scene embodied the culture of experimentation that colors the memories of the countless alumni who lived it.

“Musicians at Oberlin were not only extremely good, but were excited about new music,” says Timothy McCormack.

“Obviously, getting great performances and working with incredibly good musicians is necessary for a young composer.

What’s really special at Oberlin is that those musicians also happen to be your colleagues, friends, and dorm-mates.”

Composer Ashley Fure ’04 remembers a similar vibe from her own undergraduate days. “We always joked about the ‘new music mafa’: that clan of virtuosic players all running around, performing the most challenging contemporary music,” she says. Winner of the coveted Kranichstein Music Prize in 2014, Fure will take up an appointment as assistant professor of sonic arts at Dartmouth College this fall.

To Mark Barden ’03, Oberlin was a “violently inspiring place.” Barden, awarded the prestigious Ernst von Siemens Composer’s Prize earlier this year, recalls

“Exciting winter-term opportunities like this are part of why I chose to come to Oberlin.” —GABRIEL HAWES ’18 a fertile combination of “world-class teachers, ravenously curious and ambitious peers,” and “an attitude and infrastructure that supported experimentation and self-initiative.”

“At Oberlin,” he says, “I learned how to think.”

A Formalist Education

In another corner of the conservatory, 10 composition students devoted their winter term to writing and refning pieces for string quartet through studio classes with Professor of Composition Lewis Nielson.

Selected through a competitive process, the students toiled throughout January in preparation for a visit by the Formalist Quartet. Te Los Angeles-based ensemble recorded the students’ compositions in Clonick Hall, providing feedback and suggestions about the music and notation at every turn.

Sage Jenson ’17 devoted his winter

20

Requiem and Recordings

Te spring semester brought another furry of activity. New graduate Chandler returned to hear his composition Afer the Dance performed by the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra in February.

Te following month, Oberlin’s Contemporary Music Ensemble (CME) premiered Aaron Helgeson’s Snow Requiem, inspired by the experience of Norwegian immigrants trapped in the “Children’s Blizzard” of 1888, a freak storm that devastated the plains states. Based largely on transcriptions of Norwegian folk music, the piece draws heavily on the talents of Oberlin students past and present, including Helgeson’s former classmates.

Snow Requiem featured a pair of soloists: Alice Teyssier ’06, who performed in a chamber opera that Helgeson composed, conducted, produced, and assembled the libretto for when they were both students; and David Bowlin ’00, an associate professor of violin. Its premiere was followed the next day by a performance in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gartner Auditorium, one of fve CME performances at the museum throughout the year.

JOSIE DAVIS ’14

Oberlin student John Burnett ’16 (rear left) and composition faculty member Aaron Helgeson study Burnett’s score with the Formalist Quartet during a winter-term residency.

term to Particle Study 2, which involves computerized scores that change each time it’s performed. “Since three members of the quartet are also composers, they gave me some extremely helpful input on my piece in regard to the unconventional notation,” he says.

Dan Karcher ’17, a violist who felt at home writing for strings, was impressed by the ensemble’s investment in each student piece. “What the quartet worked on the most was fnding ways to understand what the composer wanted to communicate, both technically and aesthetically,” he says.

As Gabriel Hawes puts it: “Exciting winter-term opportunities like this are part of why I chose to come to Oberlin.”

TANYA ROSEN-JONES ’97

“Tis kind of project doesn’t happen without a lot of help from a lot of people,” Helgeson says. “In many ways, it’s the kind of thing that I could really only do at Oberlin.”

Helgeson has benefted from other Oberlin resources too. His A place toward other places, written for clarinet professor Richard Hawkins and performed with CME, was recorded along with pieces

by Elliott Carter, William Albright, and Benjamin Broening and released in 2013 on the Oberlin Music label. It was the frst of numerous Oberlin Music recordings that showcase the compositions of Oberlin alumni. In 2014, the label released an album featuring Bowlin as soloist alongside CME in works by Luciano Berio and Huang Ruo ’00. It was joined by Allusions to Seasons and Weather, featuring pieces by Peter Swendsen performed by CME. May 2015 marked the debut of Oberlin Music’s frst-ever surround-sound recording: Toward the Curve, a collection of pieces for piano with electronics composed by Pierre Jalbert and seven other Oberlin alumni. Te project is the result of yet another Oberlin collaboration, this time between TIMARA’s Swendsen and Lopez, and pianist Tomas Rosenkranz ’99.

“All the composers are so diferent, and I think that is what shows their connection to Oberlin,” says Rosenkranz, who wrote four interludes for the album. “Tey all have a unique and distinctive concept of sound, so every piece on the album is a diferent kind of world. Although all these composers went through the TIMARA or composition department at Oberlin, you don’t hear a stamp or an aesthetic sameness.”

Perhaps that—to Oberlin composers of the past, present, and future—is exactly the point.

“Tere’s this great quote from Sol LeWitt that I think could act as Oberlin’s composition credo,” says Timothy McCormack: “‘Irrational thoughts should be followed absolutely and logically.’

“If that’s the basis of where a school is starting from, they’re on the right path.”

DANIEL HAUTZINGER ’16 IS A NATIVE OF CHICAGO PURSUING DEGREES IN PIANO PERFORMANCE AND HISTORY.

Stephen Hartke Takes the Helm As a composer in residence in the fall of 2014, Stephen Hartke experienced firsthand the supportive culture of new music at Oberlin. Beginning July 1, he will assume a new role in developing the next generation of Oberlin composers.

Hartke, whose influential works draw upon inspiration ranging from medieval music to the blues, has been appointed professor of composition. He arrives at the height of his creative powers, following an illustrious career as distinguished professor of composition at the Thornton School of Music of the University of Southern California, where he has taught since 1987.

“Stephen Hartke is a truly brilliant composer whose work encompasses an extraordinary range of influences, styles, and genres,” says Andrea Kalyn, dean of the Oberlin Conservatory.

“He presents a powerful model for the young composers he teaches, and we look forward to the deep experience and perspective he will bring to our

students and our program.”

Hartke will serve as chair of the composition department, part of Oberlin’s robust Division of Contemporary Music, which also includes TIMARA and the Contemporary Music Ensemble.

“Oberlin is a world-class school,” says Hartke, who attended performances of Oberlin student ensembles during his December residency. “I heard the students play, and it’s amazing—I was blown away by how good their playing was. And I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, because that’s been going on here for a long time.”

Honored for his work throughout the world, Hartke has won countless international prizes and grants. He has had major works commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Music America, and the National Endowment for the Arts, among many others.

Hartke’s composition Meanwhile—Incidental Music to Imaginary Puppet Plays, was commissioned by the Oberlinbred new music ensemble eighth blackbird. The 18-minute piece, inspired by Hartke’s love of Asian theater music, won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2013.

(Eighth blackbird also won a Grammy that year for its recording Meanwhile, which featured Hartke’s piece.)

Hartke relishes the opportunity to guide students in an environment where hands-on experience is a fundamental principle.

“One of the things that appeals to me about Oberlin is that it has always been and continues to be a performance-based program,” he says. “There is nothing purely theoretical about what you do here; it’s all practical experience. I want to help mold students who leave here having found out what works. There’s nothing more important for a composer than that.”—Erich Burnett

21

Sully’s Reputation Amid a jazz career that’s catching fre, Sullivan Fortner ’08 returns to his roots.

BY DANIEL HAUTZINGER ’16 PHOTO BY TANYA ROSEN-JONES ’97

22

Count Sullivan Fortner among those who have noticed how remarkable Oberlin students can be. Te 28-year-old pianist experienced it frsthand during the spring of 2015, when he served as the sabbatical replacement for his own mentor, Associate Professor of Jazz Piano Dan Wall.

“Everybody is thinking on higher levels all the time,” Fortner says during an April conversation in his airy ofce in the Bertram and Judith Kohl Building. “If the teacher doesn’t know what he’s talking about, the students will let you know.”

But if anyone knows what he’s talking about, it’s Fortner. Te New Orleans native just won the 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz, with a prize package worth $100,000. In 2012,

he received a $50,000 Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the Arts, which was renewed for another $50,000 in 2013. He plays in the quintet of renowned trumpeter Roy Hargrove.

And his debut album, Aria, is due out this fall on the venerable jazz label Impulse. Yet it’s been only a few years since Fortner was one of those remarkable Oberlin students too.

“Sullivan is one of the most talented students that we have ever seen in the history of our program,” says Professor of Jazz Guitar Bobby Ferrazza, director of Oberlin’s Jazz Studies division. “He has all the necessary tools: relaxed technique, great ears, and great artistic sense and vision. Some folks have more art than craf. Others are the reverse. But Sully has them both, and that’s when there’s magic.”

Fortner himself never seems as convinced of his ability.

“I honestly didn’t think I was going to win the Cole Porter. And now, even though it’s been a month, it’s like ‘Oh yeah, I won!’” he says with a laugh. “Tat whole weekend of the competition was just a blur. But all of us, the semifnalists, we were all cool. I knew all of them—we even share bands. We’re like family, so sharing that experience with them was great and just made

the bond between us stronger.”

And with that, Sullivan Fortner defly steers the conversation away from himself and toward praise of his fellow players. He does this ofen, with a humility that’s as refned as his musicianship.

“During his four years at Oberlin, he was always reaching for something higher, never content with his playing,” says Wall. “His demeanor is that of a truly great musician who understands that it isn’t how much you know and what you’re able to play that’s important.

What is important is how much you don’t know and what you are not able to play. Tat’s why he will always continue to grow as a musician and pianist.”

Amid the growth came moments of awe during Fortner’s stint as a teacher on campus.

He loved the experience, and looks forward to more of it down the road.

“Tis whole thing has been surreal, to be on the opposite end of the classroom,” he says. “I feel like I don’t really know half the stuf the students know. Some of the stuf I tell them, I surprise myself, it’s like ‘You big dummy—if you actually took the advice you give them, you may actually sound good!’”

During breaks in his spring-semester teaching, Sullivan Fortner won a major piano competition.

23

THE CONSERV AT 150 CELEBRATING OBERLIN’S ENDURING MOMENTS AND THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THEM.

VATORY Founded in 1837, Oberlin Musical Union is virtually unrivaled in its longevity.

The ensemble performed Mozart’s Requiem Mass in December 1954, under the direction of Robert Fountain.

THE CONSERVATORY AT 150

SAVORING THE RHYME

BY STEVEN PLANK

The sesquicentennial celebrations of the conservatory, like many of the red-letter days in the life of our school, come to us charged with a certain poetry about them. At anniversaries and dedications, we pause to savor a rhyme between the voices of the past, the realities of the present, and the hopes for the future. And in that rhyme, we begin to discover anew the things that help defne us as a community and inspire our efforts.

26

Sometimes this rhyme is made an explicit part of the occasion. When Professor Herbert May ofered a prayer for the dedication of Warner Concert Hall on October 26, 1963, he defly dissolved the walls between past, present, and future: “As the name [Warner Hall] is perpetuated, so the old lives on in the new; the love and loyalty of administrators, teachers, and students of yesterday binds them in one community with those who tomorrow will fnd enjoyment in the new building.�

At other times, the rhyme is implied in the prominence we give to historical narrative on these occasions. We recite our saga not only to inform and buttress our claims, but also formidably to ritualize that which we celebrate. On January 23, 1884, at the laying of the cornerstone of old Warner Hall, Director Fenelon B. Rice (unsurprisingly) gave an address that recounted the history of music in Oberlin.

Missing no chance to add a strand to the historical weave, President James H. Fairchild used the same occasion to recount the history of laying cornerstones in Oberlin.

Rising up from the northwest corner of College and Professor streets, majestic Warner Hall was built over a span of more than 20 years and two centuries.

It was demolished in 1964, shortly after the completion of Bibbins Hall.

development of music has been lef to secular enterprise, and the result is that there is not a school of music in the world, so far as I know, of a high grade of merit, that is carried forward by earnest Christian teachers.”

Similarly, following the dedication of the “new” conservatory in 1964, Professor James H. Hall published a timely essay entitled “Heritage of the Past.” On the occasion of the conservatory’s centennial, Professor Willard Warch published his still-familiar Our First 100 Years, while Te Oberlin Review ofered its own account of the historical tale. Periodically, then, the narrative history of music at Oberlin has been made familiar, and we have used the telling of the tale as a way to mark and celebrate our special occasions.

In the telling of the tale, what stories emerge?

Tere is, of course, a story of people and personalities, with the likes of Fenelon Rice, Edward Dickinson, and George Andrews brilliantly populating the early landscape. Tere is an architectural story as well, with Warner Hall impressively underscoring Oberlin’s entry into the musical world as a place of distinction and ambition, Bibbins Hall and Warner Concert Hall marking the persistence of Oberlin’s musical quests, and the new Kohl Building advancing our musical breadth. But there is yet another story—a story of ideas and ideals. Although the particularities will change with the passing of time, in the history of the conservatory there has been a strikingly persistent notion that the performance of music is not a world unto itself, but rather a part of larger callings and broader understandings; in many instances, our history claims music as a dynamic social force.

Given Oberlin’s 19th-century evangelical roots, it is not surprising that music would be linked to religious vocation. Symbolizing that this was truly “foundational,” the cornerstone capsule of Warner Hall contained a Bible and hymnals associated with various Oberlin teachers. Rice’s remarks at the laying of the cornerstone were also born of this spirit:

Te cornerstone ceremony featured robust singing of “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” so that “the very walls of the chapel rang with echoes of that chorus of over a thousand voices,” as Te Cleveland Herald wrote on January 24, 1884. Certainly, the evocation of ages past in the text would have reinforced a historical sense of the occasion. And the ceremony also included the earnest singing of a hymn written by the Reverend W.F. Blackman (class of 1877) that leaves little doubt of music’s spiritual efcacy:

“In the spring of 1881 a movement was set on foot, looking toward a larger development of the school with reference particularly to two fundamental features, viz: a broader educational basis and a more distinctively Christian character.”

And he bemoaned the secularism that seemed to shape the “higher development of music”: “[R]ighteous souls have ofen been sorely tried by the ungodliness of musicians. All of the higher

OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

Song thwarts the Tempter’s power Charms sobbing grief to rest, Pours might inspirations Within the human breast, Binds heart with heart together, And tames the venomed tongue; To Tee, O, earth’s Redeemer!

All harmonies belong.

Although the fervor of this religiosity would fade in many quarters, there were surely discernible echoes as late as the dedication of the new Warner Concert Hall and the new conservatory in 1963 and 1964. Professor May’s prayer of dedication in 1963 concludes with language and sentiment that Rice’s generation would easily own: “In thy [God’s] name and in the memory of all those who have faithfully served this college and their fellow man through the ministry of music, we dedicate this new Warner Concert Hall.”

Religion was not the only broader context on such occasions. When Cleveland Orchestra maestro George Szell appeared to say a few words at the 1964 dedication, his remarks focused on the composer, “without whom we all would be out of a job.” If one is to render the composer’s message, he suggested, then one has to understand that message, an understanding that requires more than mastering an instrument. In Szell’s memorable words, “[A] conservatory of music is a conservatory of music, not a conservatory of skills or instruments related somehow to music.”

Here, Szell seems to echo educational distinctions that Edward Dickinson describes in his 1923 history of the conservatory. For example, as he assesses the infuence of Rice’s Leipzig training on the conservatory, Dickinson points to the importance of

theoretical studies, not only for what they bring to the music, but also for their “tendency to inculcate habits of thoroughness and power of mental concentration.” He observes, “Te best thought of the conservatory in the long period of its two directorates [that of Rice and Charles W. Morrison] has been devoted to the development of this department [of musical theory].”

In other instances, the broader perspective was focused on institutional life. President Henry Churchill King went to signifcant lengths to encourage the conservatory to participate fully in the life and governance of the college. His annual report for 1911-12 reveals that he urged this for several reasons— that he went to such great lengths is suggestive that he encountered resistance. First, he notes the potential advantage: “Te facing and discussing of problems a little wider than those pertaining to one’s own special work can hardly help re-acting to advantage on one’s own specifc employment.” Tis was followed by an appeal to fairness: “Te work of the conservatory is naturally so diferent from the work of the other departments of the college that it is not strange that the conservatory interests ofen seem to stand quite by themselves; and yet it ought not to be forgotten that it would not be possible to furnish the kind of life for the conservatory students that they ought to have without the general arrangements of the whole college life, and the conservatory faculty may be reasonably asked, therefore, to take a considerable share of responsibility for the plans made for the life of the students, since their own students constitute no small part of the entire student body.”

And fnally, he urged the conservatory faculty to remember that they “were not simply an isolated school of music, but a musical department in a great college, with a much larger and richer life just on that account.”

At age 150, as we pause and listen for a rhyme, it is perhaps this sense that we are not “simply an isolated school of music,” that our music-making has historically been embedded in broader enterprises and understanding, that gives cause for some of our more robust celebration. In it we fnd the excellence of our performance tradition to be in counterpoint with diverse strivings: a harmony that compellingly reveals the human face beneath.

STEVEN PLANK IS THE ANDREW B. MELDRUM PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSICOLOGY.

27

THE CONSERVATORY AT 150

KEEPING TIME TRACING THE ROOTS AND FORMATIVE MOMENTS IN OBERLIN CONSERVATORY’S FIRST 150 YEARS ▼

Oberlin College is founded.

1835

Elihu Parsons Ingersoll is named professor of sacred music at the Oberlin Collegiate Institute—the first music professor at any American college.

▲ 1867

George Whipple Steele is named the first director of the conservatory and serves until 1871.

1837

Oberlin Seminary student George Nelson Allen takes charge of musical activities on campus and holds the position for 30 years.

He had nearly 100 students in his classes in 1839—and almost 250 by 1841. Allen helped found what is known today as Musical Union.

▲ 1871

28

Oberlin’s first instrumental music department is formed, headed

by George Nelson Allen.

1865

Oberlin Conservatory of Music is opened— independent of the college—by George Whipple Steele and John Paul Morgan. Both were star students of George Nelson Allen and had become Oberlin College instructors.

Founding fathers George Whipple Steele and John Paul Morgan were among the performers at the first conservatory concert, circa 1865.

1866

Oberlin Conservatory unites with Oberlin College. It numbers 152 students, plus a choir of 300.

Fenelon B. Rice, a former student of George Whipple Steele at the Leipzig Conservatory, succeeds his mentor as Oberlin’s second director.

Over 30 years in the role, Rice led the conservatory through a period of great growth, including the creation of Warner Hall.

▲

1855

Theology student Charles Henry Churchill builds the campus’ first pipe organ with the help of a college carpenter.

(Churchill later founded the Oberlin physics department and taught math and history.)

Oberlin appoints the nation’s first full-time chair in music history and appreciation, Edward Dickinson.

1893 ▲

1833

▲1839

1892

1877

Oberlin Conservatory becomes an all-Steinway school.

1884

Construction begins on Warner Hall and continues until 1905.

The conservatory catalog of 1884 claimed: “When completed it will unquestionably be the finest building ever erected for the use of a school of music, either in this country, or so far as we know in Europe.”

Warner Hall construction took 21 years; it remained for only 59 more.

Conservatory graduate Arthur Heacox ’93 joins the faculty to teach a brand-new course in ear training, beginning his 42-year career in the theory department. The author of more than a dozen textbooks, he pioneered an integrated approach to teaching music theory.

1902

The first uniform grading system is instituted, before which only informal records were kept by teachers. Ratings were E (excellent), G (good), F (fair), P (poor), and U (unmusical). Traditional letter grades took hold in 1916.

1902

Pianoforte professor Charles W. Morrison ’80 is named the third director of the conservatory. Over 22 years, he raised standards for admission and established the first degree programs.

Finney Chapel is completed, with seating for 1,200. It was the first of numerous buildings on campus designed by renowned architect Cass Gilbert.

1910

Rice Hall, named in honor of Fenelon B. Rice, is built just west of Warner Hall. It consists of four floors and includes 114 practice rooms and six classrooms.

1910

Oberlin offers a six-year course of study to complete a BA in the college and a BM in the conservatory—the first such program of its kind.

By 1920, it was offered in five years.

1919

Smoking (men only) and dancing is legalized on campus.

1919

The Cleveland Orchestra performs its first Oberlin concert in Finney Chapel.

The ensemble was founded a year earlier through the generosity of Oberlin’s John Long Severance ’85. It has returned each year since.

1920

Oberlin’s organ department is deemed the world’s largest, with 125 students and five teachers.

1921

Oberlin establishes America’s first four-year college degree program in music education.

1929

Oberlin College Choir is founded by Olaf Christiansen.

1931

George W. Andrews retires from the faculty after 48 years. Originally a standout 14-year-old student in the conservatory, he remains its longest-tenured faculty member.

1944

A local jazz sextet led by Frank “Count” Williams performs in Finney Chapel—the first jazz concert on campus.

1949

David Robertson is named the conservatory’s fifth director, beginning a tenure of 11 years.

▲

▲1908

1951

Oberlin hosts the first Festival of Contemporary Music, which evolved into a series of lectures and concerts.

The festival cemented the conservatory’s reputation as a safe haven for composers of contemporary classical music.

1952

Oberlin Orchestra, under the direction of David Robertson, makes its first New York City tour stop. “The young men and women did themselves proud,” wrote The New York Times.

▲ 1953

Music for Jazz at Oberlin, a live album featuring the Dave Brubeck Quartet, is recorded in Finney Chapel. The record is hailed for bringing jazz out of the nightclub and onto the concert stage. Brubeck returned in 2003 to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

1924

Frank H. Shaw ’07 is named the fourth director. Imposing and stern, he was also unquestionably engaged: He is said to have attended every student recital in his 25-year tenure, and always in the same back-row seat.

PREVIOUS: COURTESY OBERLIN ARCHIVES; FINNEY, FESTIVAL PROGRAM: COURTESY OBERLIN ARCHIVES; JAZZ AT OBERLIN: TANYA ROSEN-JONES ’97

29

THE CONSERVATORY AT 150

1964

▲

Oberlin College Choir embarks on a groundbreaking tour of the Soviet Union, featuring 40 concerts in 55 days.

▲ ▲ 1958

For the first time, students spend their junior year at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.

The program was discontinued in 1963.

1963

Norman Lloyd is named the conservatory’s sixth chief administrator— and the first to be referred to as dean. He served until 1965.

▲ ▲ 1958

The Suzuki method is introduced to campus by a Japanese student in the School of Theology. Oberlin becomes a leading advocate of the method in America.

30

1963

Igor Stravinsky visits Oberlin as part of the Festival of Contemporary Music. The composer scrawled a grateful message on the wall of old Warner Hall during his March visit. The wall was preserved when Warner Hall was razed.

1965

Choir director Robert Fountain begins a five-year tenure as the conservatory’s seventh chief administrator.

▲1969

The conservatory pioneers a program in electronic music. By 1974, it would come to be known as Technology in Music and Related Arts, or TIMARA.

▲

1964

Oberlin dedicates its new conservatory complex, designed by Minoru Yamasaki and consisting of Bibbins and Robertson halls, as well as the Central Unit.

1971

Faculty members James Caldwell and Catharina Meints establish the Baroque Performance Institute.

1970

Some 250 Oberlin instrumentalists and singers perform the Mozart Requiem at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., in response to the Kent State shootings a week earlier.

1970

Longtime piano professor Emil Charles Danenberg becomes the conservatory’s eighth chief administrator, ushering in a major curriculum expansion.

In 1975, he was named president of Oberlin College.

1973

Jazz is incorporated into the conservatory curriculum with the arrival of Wendell Logan.

He led Oberlin’s jazz department for 37 years.

1975

Organ professor David S. Boe is named the conservatory’s ninth chief administrator. He served as dean until 1990 and taught till 2008.

2007

▲

Oberlin Orchestra performs nine concerts in 13 days in five cities across China, beginning in December and ending in January 2006.

2008

▲

2005

Oberlin, in a coproduction with the Miller Theatre, presents the U.S. premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s opera Lost Highway in Oberlin and New York City.

▲ 2009

President Barack Obama presents Oberlin Conservatory with the National Medal of Arts.

Oberlin acquires the Selch Collection of American Music History, consisting of 800 instruments, 9,000 rare books, and a large collection of artworks depicting musical themes.

1988

Oberlin creates the American Soviet Youth Orchestra, an ensemble of 100 musicians from the U.S. and former Soviet Union—the first arts exchange produced jointly by the two countries. The program continued through 1991.

1989

Major in jazz studies is offered for the first time.

1989

The Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Laboratory is the first of its kind to be incorporated into a program of vocal instruction in the United States.

1991

Karen L. Wolff begins an eight-year term as the 10th dean of the conservatory.

1999

The Oberlin Music label is launched with a pair of releases: The Oberlin Orchestra in China and Beauty Surrounds Us, featuring the conservatory jazz faculty.

2010

James Neumann ‘58 and wife Susan gift their collection of more than 100,000 jazz recordings and memorabilia to Oberlin.

2013

▲ 2010 ▲ 2007

2010

The Bertram and Judith Kohl Building, dedicated to the study of jazz music, is christened.

Oberlin and the Cleveland Orchestra launch the Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition for piano and violin.

Andrea Kalyn is named acting dean of the conservatory. In 2014, she was appointed the 13th chief administrator in conservatory history.

2014

Oberlin hosts the Symposium for Voice Performance and Pedagogy, a multidisciplinary conference hailed as a pivotal event in the study of vocal health.

Constructed using green design principles, the Kohl Building fully integrates jazz studies into conservatory life.

Robert K. Dodson is named the 11th dean of the conservatory, serving until 2003.

2003

The Community Music School is established as a precollegiate program for the conservatory, with offerings for ages 3 through adult.

2003

David H. Stull ’89 is named acting dean of the conservatory.

A gifted fundraiser and outspoken champion of the conservatory, he served as its 12th chief administrator until 2013.

PREVIOUS: ALL COURTESY OBERLIN ARCHIVES, COOPER COMPETITION: ROGER MASTROIANNI, KOHL: KEVIN G. REEVES

31

THE CONSERVATORY AT 150

GLIMMERS OF YESTERDAY OBERLIN WAS BORN OF ITS FOUNDERS’ GREAT AMBITION. ITSNAPSHOTS IS FORTIFIED BY CONSERVATORY THAT OF ITS STUDENTS.

All images courtesy Oberlin College ArchivesNulparcilique accust, ipis pari in rat fugia voluptam in cum quam voluptatem. Modignist plicidunt velicae cerersped quidion nes autet doluptas es dolo excersperum, si vel

All images courtesy of Oberlin College Archives.

All images courtesy Oberlin College Archives For more photos, search “Oberlin Conservatory” on Flickr. Submit your photo memories at bit.ly/con150photos.

Founded in 1896, the Conservatory Orchestra was conducted for its first 20 years by George Whitfield Andrews.

Performances in Warner Hall often included an organ, which could simulate numerous underrepresented instruments.

THE CONSERVATORY AT 150

Top: The Oberlin Black Ensemble was founded in 1971, during a period of unprecedented focus on African American musical studies. This photo was taken circa 1976. Above: A student playing the recorder waits for a practice room in Robertson Hall in this undated photo from the 1980s. Right: Students performed from the rooftop of the Co-op Bookstore on College Street in this 1970s photo. A century earlier, the newly formed conservatory was housed on the building’s second floor.

34

Dedicated in 1964, Robertson Hall offered an incredible 182 practice rooms, all of them with windows.

Left: Organ major Roy Kehl ’58 searches the upper reaches of Warner Hall’s sheet music library in 1957.

BEAT GENERATIONS The walls of studio C38 tell the stories of countless percussionists—and the professor who loves them all.

BY ERICH BURNETT PHOTO BY TANYA ROSEN-JONES ’97

38

Michael Rosen has devoted a lifetime to teaching percussion at Oberlin. The evidence can be found in the litany of talented students he has sent forth to careers in music—and in movies, ministry, medicine, and other disciplines.

And it’s all over the walls of the only space he’s called home in 43 years on campus: C38 in the conservatory’s Central Unit. There, Rosen has amassed innumerable instruments and concert posters and framed pictures—including a makeshift shrine made up of dozens of photos that chronicle four decades of smiling percussionists and their amiable teacher, posing at the picnic he has hosted for them every single spring since the beginning.

Interspersed among them are photos of friends,

colleagues, and mentors who have passed through Rosen’s orbit over the years.

And when Rosen himself was celebrated last fall by the Percussive Arts Society, a flood of those same memories flowed straight from the walls of C38 and out through his humbled words. “I am so grateful to all the students I have had, for teaching me and for giving me the honor of allowing me to pass on to them my knowledge and experience,” he said in acceptance of the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

“I came to Oberlin with every intention of having a place where I could practice and prepare for my next audition. To my delight, I realized that I had actually found my calling, and that teaching was my future.”

Michael Rosen forged a standout career as principal percussionist in the Milwaukee Symphony. Then he did it again as a mentor at Oberlin.

39

The Elephant New laws to squelch illegal ivory tra

By Michael Lynn | Still-life pho

in the Room ding could wipe out musicians too. tos by Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97

T there may not be a single musician who isn’t fully persuaded by the reasons for protecting elephants. Tey are glorious creatures that have survived on earth for ages.

Today, their populations are in great danger, and society and politicians are taking strong actions to protect them. And this, of course, is a good thing.

But new laws concerning the use of African elephant ivory are inadvertently causing havoc throughout the musical world. Recent legislation severely restricts musicians’ ability to travel internationally with instruments that contain ivory and prohibits their sale in most instances.

Te resulting conundrum, then, is how to protect elephants and musicians alike.

Te use of ivory has been restricted since 1976, and current instrument builders who use ivory make use of “pre-embargo” materials, or those certifed as originally having been purchased before 1976. In July 2013, however, President Obama signed Director’s Order 210, a new law created to crush the illegal trade of ivory, much of which is obtained through the poaching of elephants, with the largest percentage going to China for carving. Tis was followed by additional regulations, issued in February 2014 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, that restrict international travel with instruments containing even the smallest amounts of ivory and make it illegal to sell any instrument that contains the material.

Te restrictions were not intended to complicate the lives of musicians, but they were enacted with what appears to be total ignorance of the impact they would have.

Individuals and large musical associations—

42

including the American Musical Instrument Society, the League of American Orchestras, and the American Federation of Musicians— have lobbied for changes that would allow the musical world to resume functioning as it has for centuries.

In response to the outcry, Fish & Wildlife has created a means to permit musicians to travel with ivory—though the necessary hoops may prove too expensive and complicated to be navigated by many musicians. For each instrument owned, a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) certifcate must be obtained from Fish & Wildlife. Valid for up to three years, these certifcates—commonly referred to as “instrument passports”—cost $75 per instrument, and they require extensive documentation that many owners simply don’t have, including original purchase receipts and a complete accounting of all biological species used. In many instances, the costs associated with obtaining such documentation are much higher than the price of the certifcate itself.

Once the passport has been procured, the instrument may travel only through one of 18 designated ports authorized to permit ivory or other restricted animal-based materials into and out of the country. (Tere are even fewer ports authorized to permit transport of rare woods and other plant materials, and fewer still that are equipped to handle both plant and animal materials.) Te musician assumes responsibility for making arrangements in advance to ensure that proper inspection personnel will be available, and this too comes with a price: typically around $95 per inspection, not including potential overtime fees.

Problems can be exacerbated by diferences in interpretation of the rules from country to country. It is not safe to assume that customs agents throughout the world will understand

these regulations or trust the paperwork they are presented, let alone have the expertise to properly distinguish materials.

It’s a taxing gauntlet for a lone traveling musician, but it becomes infnitely more complex for ensembles. Many European orchestras are considering no longer traveling to the U.S. until the system is simplifed and assurances can be made that instruments will not be confscated at ports of entry. Tis issue came into stark relief when U.S. Customs ofcials at New York’s J.F.K. Airport seized seven violin bows from the Budapest Festival Orchestra and assessed a fne during the group’s June 2014 tour. Te problem stemmed from the U.S. inspectors’ disagreement with a Hungarian expert’s documentation stating the bows did not contain ivory.

Te Munich Philharmonic nearly canceled three performances at Carnegie Hall when its string players could not produce passports for their bows. Only through the intervention of Carnegie ofcials and the German Embassy was the orchestra able to clear its instruments through customs.

To avoid hassles at the outset of their annual European tour, many members of the Cleveland Orchestra purchased carbon fber bows and lef their fne bows at home.

“Te travel ban has been a nightmare,” says Scott Dixon ’01, a teacher of double bass at Oberlin and a member of the Cleveland Orchestra’s bass section since 2007. “I would typically take three or four bows on a European tour, but for the last one I took just one.”

Tat single bow originally featured a tip made of mastodon ivory. Tough the material is not included among federal restrictions, it looks virtually identical to outlawed elephant ivory, presenting a travel risk that Dixon wasn’t willing to take. He paid $500 to have the tip replaced with plastic, dramatically reducing the bow’s value in the process.

The restrictions were not intended to complicate the lives of musicians, but they were enacted with what appears to be total ignorance of the impact they would have.

“Te biggest hassle was the paperwork, photographs of equipment, tracking down authentication papers, and proving sources,” says Dixon. “It was an endless headache.”

Bows used by string instrument players represent the most common instances of ivory in a modern symphony, though there are numerous others.

Oberlin Professor of Bassoon George Sakakeeny plays a Heckel instrument made with ivory near the top and around the bell—a design common among high-quality bassoons.

Unlike the ivory on a bow, however, bassoon ivory is strictly ornamental.

“I have not had to travel internationally since the ban began, so I have not had to deal with it,” Sakakeeny says. But he has heard from numerous students, past and present, who have taken various approaches when traveling internationally. Benjamin RoidlWard ’15 had the ivory ring removed from his instrument in order to simplify travel—and to satisfy his moral opposition to the use of ivory.

(Sakakeeny says he too will likely switch to synthetic materials when the time comes.)

When former Sakakeeny student Michael Matushek ’10 recently sought a passport for his Heckel bassoon, he submitted his application and payment, along with his purchase receipt and documentation from the manufacturer detailing when the instrument was made and who initially purchased it.

(Te instrument in question dates to 1952; Matushek bought it in 2007.)

Two months later, Matushek heard from a Fish & Wildlife agent, who requested additional documentation confrming the residence of the original purchaser.

“Te good news here is that everything looks like it will go smoothly once I have the permit in hand,” says Matushek, a member of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. “Te bad news is the cost. I’m not thrilled about spending almost $300 to use the tool of my profession.”

Ivory at Oberlin Oberlin is well known for its Steinway pianos—more than 230 of them, all available for student use. The average age of those instruments is 50plus years, which means that many were manufactured with ivory keyboards.

As older pianos are updated with new keyboards or keytops, they are replaced with various imitation ivory materials—a legal necessity that has spawned a whole new industry developing products that approximate the feel of real ivory. Many pianists still strongly prefer

ivory to synthetic materials, and it is still possible—though expensive—to purchase ivory with proper CITES certification. This has become too costly except in the rarest of circumstances. Today, only two of Oberlin’s modern pianos are equipped with ivory keyboards, and those are special instruments that were restored using certified antique ivory.

Oberlin’s extensive collection of historic and antique instruments that contain ivory includes dozens of pieces from the Selch Collection of American Music History

and numerous instruments of ethnic origin.

“While I don’t condone the hunting of elephants, having access to historic instruments made from or otherwise incorporating ivory and other prohibited species is important,” says Jennifer Fraser, associate professor of ethnomusicology and anthropology. “These instruments tell us about material and cultural values from human pasts and the choices people have made across time and space for physical and sonic effects of instruments.”

Playing It Safe

String instruments, ofen the work of European crafsmen from several hundred years ago, tend to have much longer and murkier histories than most other instruments in today’s orchestras.

For this reason, their owners ofen face greater challenges—and costs—in obtaining sufcient documentation for passports. In some instances, DNA testing is needed to prove a given material’s type and origin.

OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

Built in 1887, this Steinway model-A piano is the oldest in Oberlin’s collection of modern pianos—and one of only two that still features an all-ivory keyboard.

43

Of course, the likelihood of instruments containing ivory increases dramatically among antiques—and virtually any historical instrument may have ivory ornaments on it. Not surprisingly, the new laws have had an extreme impact on the felds of historical performance and instrument and art museums. Te laws as they relate to antiques are particularly confounding, given that whatever ivory exists on a historic instrument obviously has been there for 100-plus years and has nothing to do with our modern problem of elephant poaching.

(Author’s note: In my own area of interest—antique futes—ivory rings were included routinely on the majority of the instruments made from 1680 until the early years of the 19th century. In my collection of 45 original futes, just under 50 percent contain ivory. I have been asked to ofer a presentation on French futes from 180080 at an international musical instrument conference in Portugal in the fall. In light of the new laws, I will not be able to bring many of the instruments that I would normally use in such a presentation. Frankly, I am even nervous about bringing instruments that have imitation ivory—plastic!—rings, as inspectors may not have adequate knowledge to be able to distinguish between allowable and prohibited materials.)

Te situation is made worse by an increasing number of state governments that have passed their own, largely unenforceable laws with further restrictions—even prohibiting the transportation of ivory and other protected materials over state lines.

Some have gone so far as to propose rules against use of mammoth ivory—which has become a popular substitute for elephant ivory in recent years—despite the absence of a single living mammoth within the past 4,500 years.

“Although the public ofen sees museums as static, monolithic institutions, there is a tremendous amount of activity behind the scenes,” says Cleveland Johnson ’77, director of the National Music Museum at the University of South Dakota. “New This solid ivory flute, crafted in 1818 by Louis Drouet of London, was once in great demand for its elaborate materials and fine finish. The flute—part of Michael Lynn’s extensive collection—and other historical instruments like it are under fire from regulations aimed at snuffing out illegal ivory.

44

If that old upright piano in your grandmother’s basement happens to have ivory keys, it is illegal for Grandma—or anyone else—to sell it. objects are obtained through purchase and donations, and institutions engage in a lively exchange of materials on loan for special exhibitions. Most of these activities require the transport of objects across state and national boundaries.

“While the logistics of moving rare objects have never been without complications,” Johnson says, “the current situation places an unreasonable burden on the owner of any object consisting of restricted materials and/ or origin.”

Founded in 1973, the National Music Museum boasts a collection of 15,000 instruments representing virtually all cultures and historical periods. Johnson notes that under current law, untold hundreds of instruments in the museum’s collection would be restricted. Amid this climate, he is loath to take on any more.

“My institution simply does not have the resources to even dream of getting caught up in this confusion, so we elect to play it safe and do nothing,” Johnson says. He cites recent opportunities to acquire collections of unique European bagpipes and early keyboards; in both instances, the museum reluctantly took a pass. Likewise, Johnson is more cautious than ever when considering loans to other institutions. Recently, state regulations in California prevented the museum’s loan of an 1832 Pleyel piano to the San Diego Museum of Art. Te plight of museums and instrument dealers can be felt on a small scale everywhere: If that old upright piano in your grandmother’s basement happens to have ivory keys, it is illegal for Grandma—or anyone else—to sell it.

But for professional musicians, the consequences of owning unsellable instruments can be far more punitive.

Many spend their entire adult lives trying to acquire the best possible instruments to support their performing careers. For them,

those instruments represent a very sizable percentage of net worth. If instruments containing ivory or other restricted materials can no longer be sold, countless lifelong fnancial and artistic strategies will be thrown out of balance.

Over many years, Associate Professor of Viola da Gamba and Cello Catharina Meints amassed one of the world’s fnest collections of antique viols with her late husband, James Caldwell. Like most musicians, Meints supports laws prohibiting the sale of new ivory, but she believes exceptions must be made in the case of antique works of art.

“I have been avoiding the issue of sale of any of my instrument collection for many reasons, and this is certainly one of them,” says Meints.

Her richly decorated viols actually contain very little ivory—though she has little means of proving as much without subjecting the pieces to costly testing.

“I really don’t know what I will do when I do decide to sell instruments,” she says. “If they cannot be sold outside the United States and even outside of Ohio, the values have plummeted.”

Don’t Ask and Don’t Tell

While restrictions on elephant ivory have caused an uproar across the music world, ivory is not the only prohibited material commonly found in fne instruments.

Tortoiseshell, certain types of rosewood, pernambuco, and other endangered woods very commonly used in string instrument and bow making are also restricted in how they can be used and transported across borders.

Tere has also been discussion among international governments of adding various types of ebony to this list, which would create huge additional difculties with many more instruments. Already, the ofcial list of species

Shock and Paralysis

by Cleveland Johnson ’77, Director, National Music Museum

The tightening of regulations by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the trade and transport of ivory has made for some strange bedfellows. As the director of the National Music Museum (the nation’s largest collection of musical instruments), I find the interests of my organization curiously aligned with the National Rifle Association and Safari Club International. When the museum’s curator of strings, Arian Sheets, testified last summer before the relevant congressional subcommittee, she found herself avoided by Democrats yet courted by members of the G.O.P., who interpret ivory regulation as an example of administrative overreach. (If you’re on the liberal end of the political spectrum, you may finally have cause for leveraging the current Republican majority in Congress!)

No, the National Music Museum doesn’t want to hunt elephants or import trophy tusks. In fact, I’d dare say the majority of museum professionals are staunch, committed environmentalists and conservationists.

The world of museums and antiquities, however, does need to be able to develop its collections and share them across state and national borders without fear of confiscation, destruction, and felonious indictments. (It goes without saying that performing musicians also require such freedom of movement.)

The museum recently declined to pursue a clavichord of interest, from the auction of

OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

Christopher Hogwood’s historic keyboard collection in the U.K., because clearing Fish & Wildlife import hurdles was a risk we were not prepared to take. Even domestically, just this spring, we have cautiously declined a loan request from a major California museum for a beautiful 19th-century Pleyel piano because the instrument’s ivory keys could run amuck of California’s ivory code. (Currently, New York and New Jersey are equally problematic, and similar legislation is being considered in many additional states.) In short: The museum community is in a state of shock and paralysis.

CLEVELAND JOHNSON IS DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL MUSIC MUSEUM AND CENTER FOR STUDY OF THE HISTORY OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS IN VERMILLION, SOUTH DAKOTA. A FORMER ORGAN STUDENT OF HARALD VOGEL, HE EARNED A PHD IN MUSIC HISTORY FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY. HIS STUDY INTERESTS RANGE FROM THE GERMAN BAROQUE TO MUSIC OF SOUTH INDIA.

regulated by CITES and their characteristics is a whopping 880-page document.

Tus far, eforts by musicians’ groups to call attention to the new laws’ unintended consequences are outpacing interdiction eforts. Tough elements of the laws have been in efect for a year and a half, customs agents have yet to be specially trained for instrument inspections, and no funding has been earmarked for enforcement.

George Sakakeeny notes that many of his former students are passing through borders freely without certifcation. “Most use the ‘don’t ask and don’t tell’ method and just travel with their bassoon hoping that no one will notice,” he says. “And that has worked for everyone I have heard of so far.”

Even those who support strict regulations have had their eyes opened to the problems stemming from them.

“Musicians with teeny bits of old ivory in their bows are not the problem,” Susan Lieberman, VP of international policy for the Wildlife Conservation Society, told the League of American Orchestras in an article published in Symphony. “Te Director’s Order was an attempt to control the ivory trade, not to control musicians.”

Musicians’ groups quickly gained traction in their early opposition to Director’s Order 210, and their eforts are ongoing. Te National Music Museum has aided the cause of the National Association of Music Merchants and the American Musical Instrument Society, both of which have taken up the cause.

“Te Feds are perfectly aware that the complete lack of nuance in their enforcement has caused painful, needless disruption in the worlds of arts and culture,” Director Johnson says. He believes additional modifcations to the laws are likely in the works, but notes that any proposed changes would be open to public scrutiny.

“It will be interesting to see if the environmental lobby takes exception to any loosening of enforcement. Especially in this age of celebrity endorsements, it is easy for a superfcial understanding of a “feelgood” issue—like wanting to end elephant poaching—to overlook deeper complexities.”

Catharina Meints puts it more succinctly: “I am hoping sane minds will prevail eventually.”

MICHAEL LYNN IS PROFESSOR OF BAROQUE FLUTE AND RECORDER AND CURATOR OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, EMERITUS. HE IS NOTED FOR HIS EXPERTISE IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, ESPECIALLY HISTORICAL WOODWINDS. HIS WEBSITE CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.ORIGINALFLUTES.COM.

45

THE WOLFGANG GANG

J.P. Jennings ’17 formed the Mozart Players because nobody else had thought to.

BY JOSIE DAVIS ’14 | PHOTO BY TANYA ROSEN-JONES ’97 a rarely spoken truth about conservatory life got j.p. jennings to thinking.

“Mozart is widely regarded as one of the most important composers in all of history, and yet music schools don’t play much of his music.”

A vocal studies major entering his third year at Oberlin, Jennings found himself in search of an ensemble to hone his conducting skills back in May 2014. And when he found himself in need of a musical direction, he turned to one of his favorite composers.

With that, the Oberlin Mozart Players were born. Te adventurous, student-run chamber orchestra was established by Jennings in an efort to create an opportunity for like-minded musicians to study works of the underperformed master. In only its frst year, its roster swelled to 32 members.

“I felt that it was the best way to not only get people to join—everyone wants to play more Mozart—but to grow appreciation for the repertoire within the community, since we’re playing works now rarely heard in Oberlin,” says Jennings.

Raised in Coto de Caza, California, Jennings frst held a baton during a yearlong introductory conducting course, followed by additional work with Associate Professor of Conducting Raphael Jiménez and Director of Choral Ensembles Jason Harris. Inspiration for the Mozart Players originated at the Oberlin Summer Choral Conducting Workshop, afer a master class with maestro John Nelson.

“Nelson gave me a phenomenal piece of advice: If you really want to be a conductor, try to get in front of an ensemble as much as

46

possible and conduct the repertoire now that you hope to do again later in your career.”

Students from the college and conservatory are invited to register for the Mozart Players through the Experimental College, or ExCo, system—a student-run organization that sponsors courses taught by members of the Oberlin community. While course credit is available, many players aren’t in it for the curricular payof.

“It was an incredible opportunity to perform with the Oberlin Mozart Players,” says Teodosia Roussos, an artist diploma candidate who was the featured soloist in the ensemble’s March performance of Mozart’s Oboe Concerto. In the past year, the group has performed a movement from Mozart’s third violin concerto and arias from Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, and Die Zauberföte, in addition to Mozart’s orchestral masterworks. “Te energy of the group was incredible,” Roussos says.

“As an instrumentalist, concerti are studied much more ofen than performed as a solo with orchestra, so it was a real rush for me to play with an orchestra.”

Jennings chooses repertoire that refects the musicians’ desire to be challenged musically. He compiles sheet music online or from the conservatory’s ensemble library and meticulously notates specifc dynamic, bowing, articulation, and tempo markings. In the remaining years he has at Oberlin, he plans to dive deeper into Mozart’s catalog.

“I would very much like to keep this ensemble alive as long as I can,” he says. “And if someone decides to take the helm when I graduate, I would love to see it continue.”

J.P. Jennings started a Mozart ensemble to pay homage and get some extra practice.

He wouldn’t mind if it outlives his tenure on campus.

47

Pulling Out the Stops

Oberlin is known throughout the world for its outstanding organ collection—and for its outstanding organists.

BY DANIEL HATHAWAY

though they are not particularly familiar to the general public, the names Tariverdiev, de Manchicourt, Sweelinck, and Chartres command an imposing reputation in the world of international organ playing.

Over the span of a year, a trio of Oberlin organ students took part in these competitions across Europe—and each one brought home a major prize.

Add to that an Oberlin sweep of frst and second place at the respected Taylor Organ Competition in Atlanta this spring.

It was a year like no other in Oberlin history, and it underscored the conservatory’s continued prominence in the training of young organists. Te students’ teacher, Professor James David Christie ’75, is a giant in international organ circles. A winner of both the frst prize and the audience prize at the Bruges International Organ Competition in Belgium, he has served on the jury of more than 50 organ competitions—including all three of his students’ international competitions last year.

“Te frst thing I ask when a competition jury meets for the frst time is whether we should disqualify ourselves if we have a student in the competition,” the jovial Christie says. “Tere’s nothing I hate worse than that nonsense about Well, his teacher was on the jury, so he won. Frequently, my students have been tossed out in the frst round—and more ofen than not, tossed out by me! All I care about is that the best person wins.”

Whatever the outcome, Christie never accepts credit for his students’ performances. His message to each one: “Te only person who can win this competition is you.”

48

Finney Chapel is home to many of Oberlin’s signature events. It also plays an integral role in day-to-day organ study on campus.

Parker Ramsay (left and below) at the Fairchild Chapel organ, which was built in early 17thcentury style.

Parker Ramsay

50

appointed as organ scholar at King’s College, where he was heard around the world during the famous Christmas Eve Festival of Lessons and Carols in December 2013. “I faked an accent,” Ramsey jokes, when asked how an American got tapped for the position.

Named for the famed Dutch musician of the late Renaissance, the Sweelinck Competition suggested itself when Ramsay was working on Dutch music for a lecture recital. Ah, that sounds like the competition for me, he remembers thinking. “It ft the bill for what my passions were, and I was enthusiastic in preparing for it. Tere was a prescribed list of music for the pre-selection, but not for the rounds. You were required to play one Sweelinck work and two Bach works, then creatively form programs related to Bach and Sweelinck that were appropriate for the instruments and their tuning systems.”

PREVIOUS PAGES: WALTER NOVAK

In the old days, a frst prize in the Sweelinck International Organ Competition guaranteed the winner a series of recitals in addition to a cash prize of more than $3,000. Problem was, the Dutch contest’s judges almost never deemed any player worthy of the top honor.

By the time the 2014 competition rolled around in September, it seemed they had become so accustomed to not handing out a frst prize that they never bothered to arrange any recitals. And so Parker Ramsay MM ’15 gave them a problem they hadn’t counted on.

Over the past two years, the Nashville native completed the master’s program in historical performance—the frst full-time musical studies of his life. He arrived in Oberlin by way of Cambridge University, where he earned a BA in history in 2013. While there, he had the distinction of being the frst American

Tose instruments were the 1964-65 Jürgen Ahrend choir organ at the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam—where Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck himself once performed as city organist—and the 1738 Christian Müller instrument at the Grote Kerk in Haarlem. Ramsay was fascinated by the Müller, though he found the lack of practice time during the competition daunting.

He attributes his level of preparation to Oberlin’s great access to organs. “Oberlin is very special,” he says. “Students have four or more hours a day on practice and recital instruments, while many European organ students struggle to practice more than two or three hours a day.”

“He’s a complex musician and a Renaissance person,” Professor Christie says of Ramsay. “He can play early music like a god, but he does all periods, and his Liszt Ad nos was one of the best student performances I’ve heard. At the Sweelinck, I felt like I’d never heard those pieces before. If the curtains were up, you wouldn’t know it was him, and that’s the way it should be.”

By the time the 2014 Sweelinck International was over, Ramsay had pulled of a coup: He rose above eight fnalists to claim a rare frst prize, and perhaps encouraged the organizers to start arranging those victory recitals again.

Above and right: Katelyn Emerson at Finney Chapel’s mammoth C.B. Fisk pipe organ.

TANYA ROSEN-JONES ’97

Katelyn Emerson Hailing from southern Maine, Katelyn Emerson ’15 arrived in Oberlin fascinated by organ performance and French, and she departs this year with degrees in both disciplines.

“Katelyn has a wonderful musical talent,” Christie says. “She works hard, and she’s a repertory hound. She’s learned a staggering amount of music at Oberlin.”

In the span of just over a year, Emerson was invited to take part in a pair of prestigious competitions, beginning with the VIII Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition in Kaliningrad, Russia, where she was one of four Americans selected to compete against 21 semifnalists from throughout the world in September 2013.

It was followed in fall 2014 by the Organ Competition Pierre de Manchicourt, which required a recording as the frst round, followed by performances on two diferent organs in successive rounds—one each in Béthune and St. Omer, French cities separated two hours by train.

Unlike piano competitions, where all instruments have 88 keys and the same three pedals, organs can be wildly diferent in style and accoutrements.

OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

“Te second round in the Russian competition was at the Philharmonic Hall, where the organ had a strange pre-set system for the stops,” Emerson says, referring to the controls that allow the organist to pre-select combinations of pipes. “In France, there were no pre-sets at all. One organ there was a recent instrument in the 17th-century North German style, and the other was an early Cavaillé-Coll.”

Emerson and other organ students at Oberlin are aided by the sheer number and variety of organs on campus: an incredible 28 in all, more than any other school in America—and more than some large U.S. cities can boast, Christie is fond of saying.

Still, the demand of competition is exhausting.

“You prepare as much as you can, but there were seven fnalists in the last round of the Russian competition, which lef less than two hours of practice time on the instrument,” Emerson says. “You learn to set stops quickly and hope they stay.”

In Russia, she won third place and the prize of a concert at the Krasnoyarsk Philharmonic Society. In France, she earned second place. And since then, she has been honored yet again: In late March, Emerson was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship. Her destination? France, of course.

51

In between earning his bachelor’s degree and artist diploma at Oberlin, Dexter Kennedy (left and below) pursued a master’s degree at Yale. He is seen here at Warner Concert Hall’s Flentrop organ, built in classical North European style.

Right: Nicholas Capozzoli (seated, right) and Alcee Chriss III finished first and second in the 2015 Taylor Organ Competition. They are pictured at the 1984 BozemanGibson organ in Peace Church, modeled after an 18th-century German design.

Dexter Kennedy

52

International Organ Competition in late October and November of 2014.

“I never set foot in Chartres Cathedral,” he says with a palpable twinge of irony. While the frst two rounds of the Grand Prix are routinely held in Paris—because of the great number of available practice organs in the capital—the fnal round in 2014 was also held there, at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, because of a nave renovation project at Chartres Cathedral. It marked the frst time since 1971 that the Chartres Competition didn’t end in Chartres.

In many organ competitions, participants are faced with repertoire options, and so the pieces chosen are considered an artistic statement open to critique. At Chartres, there are no such decisions to be made. “Te exact same pieces in the exact same order,” says Kennedy.

An odd veil of anonymity surrounded the proceedings. “Tere were 22 candidates in the frst round. You picked numbers and didn’t know anyone’s identity. What surprised me was that in the second round you received a new number, so there was no way to judge a candidate cumulatively.”

By the end, however, Kennedy’s number came up: He was awarded the top prize of more than $5,000, in addition to what he calls “a full dance card” of 30 future concerts in hallowed venues around the world. Among them are recitals at the Berliner Dom, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Hall, England’s St. Alban’s Cathedral, and a return to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, in addition to venues in Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Iceland, and Slovakia.

TANYA ROSEN-JONES ’97

When Dexter Kennedy ’12 was shopping for undergraduate schools, Oberlin was his frst stop.

“I knew from the frst moment that it was a good match,” he says today. “Te organ collection is second to none, and Jim Christie has a real interest in and involvement with his students. I didn’t want an intimidating teacher.

I wanted one you could crack a joke with if things weren’t going well.”

Kennedy—who is commonly referred to by the nickname “Tripp”—completed a bachelor’s degree at Oberlin, then pursued a master’s at Yale. Now he’s back at Oberlin for an artist diploma, commuting to campus from his home in Michigan, where he is the assistant organist at Christ Church Grosse Pointe. He also recently accepted a faculty position at the College of Wooster, where he is charged with rebuilding the organ program.

Kennedy’s frst overseas competition came at the Grand Prix de Chartres 24th

The Mentor’s Misadventure

Nicholas Capozzoli & Alcee Chriss III “We’re not going on any cruises or buying any cars,” Alcee Chriss III ’14, MM ’15 says.

But afer fnishing second at the 2015 Taylor Organ Competition in Atlanta, Chriss found himself $5,000 richer. Earning the top prize— and $10,000—was fellow Oberlin organist Nicholas Capozzoli ’15.

First held in 2012, the Taylor is a triennial competition established by the Atlanta Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

It has quickly come to be regarded among the top two organ competitions in America.

In mid-April, fve fnalists chosen from a preliminary round few to Atlanta to compete at the All Saints Episcopal Church before a panel of three judges. Of those fve, three were students of Christie at Oberlin: Capozzoli, Chriss, and Mitchell Miller ’17 (pictured with Christie in Finney Chapel on pgs. 48-49).

“I think Jim’s students win competitions because he doesn’t approach the organ as a technical springboard for showing of,” says Chriss, a resident of Burleson, Texas, who will begin doctoral studies this fall at McGill University in Montreal. “He’s all about approaching it as a musical instrument.”

“Jim teaches us to play how we are, instead of how other people want us to play,” Capozzoli adds. “Hopefully, that will come through to OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

listeners, and apparently it did at the Taylor.” A native of Pittsburgh, Capozzoli will spend the 2015-16 year in Oberlin completing a master’s degree in historical performance.

In addition to cash, Capozzoli’s prize includes a 75-minute recital in October on the same Atlanta organ he used in the Taylor Competition. “I’ll be playing some of the same pieces I competed with,” he says, “but I’m also excited to add some pieces from my senior recital and learn some new things over summer.”

Part of the challenge of being an organist is adapting to vastly diferent instruments.

“Every organ is unique, so you have to treat each diferently,” Capozzoli says. “It’s not like other instrumentalists, where you carry your instrument with you and always play the same instrument. We only had so much practice time on this organ, so we had to be careful about how we used our time: selecting the right stops to make your pieces sound good on this organ. So you want to choose repertoire that travels easily, meaning you can easily adapt it to diferent organs.”

Chriss chuckles ruefully at the notion. “I didn’t do that,” he says. “So I spent a large portion of my practice time just choosing stops instead of actually running through the pieces!”

Professor of Organ James David Christie has judged more than 50 international organ competitions. But he’s also a seasoned competitor.

One of his most memorable moments came at the Bruges International Competition in 1976.

“I was going to win, and I prepared like you wouldn’t imagine,” Christie recounts today.

“I had the whole repertoire memorized four months in advance. One day in Bruges, I was playing through the Bach G-Major Prelude and Fugue, BWV 551. The girl who was practicing after me said, ‘How do you have time to practice a piece that’s not required?’”

Christie discovered to his horror that he was supposed to have prepared the other Bach G-Major—BWV 550, a piece he had never even heard. His perfectly laid plan for victory had suddenly fallen apart.

“I sweet-talked my way into a cloister of nuns and stayed up all night learning the piece on an eight-foot flute stop. The sisters came in to sing a service at 4 a.m. and brought me coffee and cookies.”

Having nearly memorized BWV 550, Christie managed to calm himself down the next day when his turn came to play—at least until the pedal cadenza, “when my ear failed me for the first time in my life. I finally dived for a note and got to the end. One of the jurors told me afterwards that if I’d played that right, I would have moved on.

“Anyway, I stayed to the end of the competition and played cheerleader and court jester for the rest of the team!”

Three years later, Christie returned to the Bruges Competition. He came home the first American ever to win its grand prize. —Hathaway DANIEL HATHAWAY IS FOUNDER AND EDITOR OF CLEVELANDCLASSICAL.COM AND AN INSTRUCTOR OF OBERLIN CONSERVATORY’S INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC CRITICISM CLASS. DANIEL HAUTZINGER ’16 CONTRIBUTED TO THIS STORY.

53

Fire Starter

Karen Gebhart Flint ’64 fosters entrepreneurship through student grants.

BY ERICH BURNETT | PHOTO BY TANYA ROSEN-JONES ’97

54

Karen Flint plays the Gräbner-style harpsichord she commissioned and gifted to the conservatory.

The exemplary reproduction by John Phillips has been called the finest harpsichord in Oberlin’s considerable collection.

Cold rain is falling on a gray day in March, but it’s a welcome reprieve from the loop of snow that has played continuously for what feels like three years now.

And it’s not the only glimmer of hope on the horizon.

Seated in the lobby of the Oberlin Inn, Karen Gebhart Flint is talking fondly of her days as an Oberlin student. The longtime trustee studied organ here. She fell in love with the harpsichord here. And from here she was set on a path that has yielded a fruitful career in musical performance, administration, and education. She wants to ensure that today’s conservatory students are equipped to do the same.

As Flint’s Oberlin history takes shape in her mind, Oberlin’s future is taking shape just outside the picture window. Her words are accompanied by the mechanical purr of an enormous crane that’s dangling an I-beam from its hook amid a muddy abyss at the corner of North College and East Main. It’s the site of what by 2016 will be the Peter B. Lewis Gateway Center, a hub of activity that will house an expanded hotel and conference center, commercial and office space, a culinary training facility, and a restaurant. It will also feature an innovative performance space: an artistic and entrepreneurial incubator for students, and a key element of Oberlin’s campus-wide mission to mold graduates who are prepared to exceed the challenges of the 21st-century job market.

“Nobody teaches you how to run an organization,” Flint says, rattling off a list of skills—writing grants, forming a nonprofit, creating a board—that she learned through trial and error. “Students today are much better prepared than they used to be. But there’s still a learning curve.”

Flint herself is the living embodiment of the modern musician’s do-ityourself ethos. Raised in an era when women were expected to be secretaries

or nurses, she founded Brandywine Baroque in 1973. The early music ensemble still thrives today through annual concert series and festivals in and around Flint’s home state of Delaware. In 2003, she established the Dumont Concerts, a weekend festival that showcases the world’s top performers playing antique harpsichords. Flint’s record label, Plectra Music, creates eight recordings each year, with a focus on Baroque repertoire and vintage instruments. An avid performer, she also teaches harpsichord at the University of Delaware.

Amid all her success, Flint gives back to her alma mater at every turn, through her time and through generous contributions. In October 2014, she returned to campus to celebrate the dedication of a Gräbner-style harpsichord, like those Bach would have played. Built by renowned craftsman John Phillips, it was commissioned and gifted to Oberlin by Flint and her husband Peter, with whom she collects rare and vintage keyboards.

The Flints are also committed to fostering the entrepreneurship of future conservatory students. They have created a permanent fund to support grants through Oberlin’s Creativity & Leadership Project. Flint Initiative Grants will be awarded each year for projects to be undertaken during winter term. These grants, previously known as Conservatory Initiative Grants Supporting Imagination and Excellence, have allowed students to arrange tours in Norway, pore over early music manuscripts in England, and teach at a community music school in India in recent years.

“I’m happy to do anything that gives students a leg up in establishing themselves in some way,” Flint says. “The music industry has always been very competitive, but in this day and age, you have to create your own career path.

Anything that helps you decide what happens after Oberlin is a good thing, and I’m hopeful that this initiative does that.”

55

Class Notes 1950s Composer H. Leslie Adams ’55 was honored with a $10,000 Life Achievement Award from the Cleveland Arts Prize in June. A native of northeast Ohio, Adams studied composition at Oberlin with Herbert Elwell and Joseph Wood, voice with Robert Fountain, and piano with Emil Danenberg.

He serves as music minister and choir director at Grace Presbyterian Chuch in Lakewood, Ohio.

1960s

1980s

In May, former Oberlin classmates and flutists Adrianne Greenbaum ’70 and Jane Lenoir ’70 teamed up with harpsichordist Derek Tam for a performance of dance, gypsy, and jazz music on historical and modern flutes in Berkeley, Calif.

Dale Lewis ’73 will head the new Arts Reach Fund of the Long Island Community Foundation beginning in fall 2015. The fund addresses critical issues in the arts and arts education.

Cellist Rhonda Rider ’78 performed with her trio Triple Helix at Indian Hill Music’s chamber music series in November 2014. She serves on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory.

Pianist Terry Eder-Kaufman ’79 performed a program of Beethoven, Chopin, Bartók, and Dohnányi on March 28 at the Colly Soleri Music Center in Arizona. She specializes in the music of 20th-century Hungarian composers, including dances and folk tunes marking all aspects of life in rural Eastern Europe. Eder-Kaufman teaches in her independent studio in Manhattan. Also an attorney, she has served on the board of the Leschetizky Association since 2008.

Michael Morgan ’79 and Robert Spano ’84 were selected from a pool of hundreds of nominees across the international performing arts community to be included among Musical America’s top 30 professionals of 2014. Morgan was also honored by the American Composers Forum Board of Directors, which named him one of three Champions of New Music for 2015. Also honored was Claire Chase ’01, flutist and artistic director of the International Contemporary Ensemble.

British cellist Steven Isserlis ’80 is praised for playing with “crazed brilliance” in the May issue of BBC Music Magazine, which published a five-star review of his new recordings of Prokofiev’s Cello Concerto, Op. 58 and Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 on Hyperion.

Gramophone magazine called it “a fascinating...unmissable project.”

Isserlis collaborated with Paavo Järvi and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Conductor, pianist, and composer Charles Floyd ’80 led the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Classical Roots concert in March. The program included music by Brahms, Verdi, Samuel Coleridge Taylor, and William Dawson.

The Cleveland-based periodinstrument ensemble Les Délices was featured in The New York Times and in Early Music America’s spring 2015 issue. The ensemble, which specializes in French

Charles Floyd ’80 56

Baroque music, includes Baroque cellist and gamba player Emily Walhout ’83, Baroque oboist Debra Nagy ’00, MM ’02, and harpsichordist Michael Sponseller ’97, AD ’00. The ensemble performed at Columbia University’s Miller Theatre in New York on March 28.

Todd Thomas ’84 brought the role of Alberich in Wagner’s Das Rheingold to the stage of Pacific Opera Victoria in October 2014. He had “an actor’s flair, and his pursuit of the flirtatious custodians of the gold was physically nimble and vocally theatrical,” according to American Record Guide.

1990s Composer Timo Chen ’92 wrote the score for the sci-fi film Advantageous, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and captured the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Collaborative Vision.

Gavin Chuck ’93 is a founding partner and managing director of Alarm Will Sound, a 20-member ensemble dedicated to pioneering new music. The group performed at Cleveland State University in March, in a program that highlighted the music of two Cleveland composers.

“We want to showcase the variety and fluidity of styles that exist today,” he told The Plain Dealer.

Alarm Will Sound has performed in noteworthy venues including

FLOYD: LYONSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

In April, Sharon Davis Gratto ’66, professor and chair of the music department at the University of Dayton, received the College of Arts and Sciences’ Outstanding Faculty Service Award for her extensive work and volunteer service on the Dayton campus, in the region, and in several professional organizations in her field of choral music education and multicultural music. Gratto is a founding trustee of the newly organized Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, which unites the Dayton Opera, Ballet, and Philharmonic into one administrative unit. She is also a board member of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, one of only five African American dance companies in the U.S.

1970s

Gerber ’96 is associate professor at Georgia State University and co-founder of the new music ensemble Bent Frequency.

West Virginia University violin professor Mikylah Myers McTeer ’97 was named Outstanding Teacher in the College of Creative Arts.

Currently the university’s only violin professor, she teaches 23 students and performs internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player.

Todd Thomas ’84

Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Disney Concert Hall.

Soprano Amy Hansen ’93 performed a program of Schubert songs at the Oregon Coast Chamber Music Society in January. Hansen has performed as a resident artist of the Portland Opera and in notable venues in the U.S. and around the world.

Philadelphia composer David Ludwig ’94 scored the music for Michael Almereyda’s film Cymbeline.

Although Ludwig has composed for documentaries and animated shorts, Cymbeline marks his first featurelength scoring project.

economic recession was realized.

She led it “through the greatest economic turmoil of our lifetime— and we not only survived, but are actually thriving now,” interim CEO Patricia Richards told The Salt Lake Tribune. “I think that is nothing short of spectacular.”

The Miró Quartet returned to Ohio in January for a regional premiere performance of Kevin Puts’ How Wild the Sea with the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra. The group, initially formed at Oberlin, still features two original members in Daniel Ching ’95 and Joshua Gindele ’97. The quartet will appear as part of Oberlin’s Artist Recital Series on March 10, 2016.

THOMAS: DAVID COOPER

Praised by The New York Times as a musician of “consummate virtuosity,” percussionist Stuart

Melia Tourangeau ’94 was named manager of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in May. She previously served as CEO of the Utah Symphony/Utah Opera.

Tourangeau took over Utah’s largest arts organization in 2008, just before the full impact of the OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

French mezzo-soprano Marie Lenormand ’99 enjoyed a robust 2014-15 season. This spring she was featured as Ottone in Boston Baroque’s Agrippina; as Marguerite in Le pré aux clercs with Paris’ Opéra-Comique; as a soloist in Berlioz’ Les Nuits d’été at the 2014 Festival de Laon; and in a solo appearance in Carmina Burana with Orchestre National d’Ile de France.

She wrapped up the concert season with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in four performances of Bernstein’s Candide, under the direction of Marin Alsop.

2000s In November 2014, Cory Arcangel ’00 teamed up with Chris D’Eon for a performance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The program featured 11 works by Arcangel from Dances for the Electric Piano,

Cory Arcangel ’00

his series of 24 short pieces based on vintage house and techno riffs.

Baritone Kevin Moreno ’00 is featured in the documentary film Operatic, which opened in European theaters in May. The film captures the young opera ensemble The Cast during a year of touring. A self-styled “opera band,” The Cast was founded in 2012 in Cologne, Germany, and features six professional singers from around the world, including Moreno. Their goal is to introduce opera music to a wider audience outside established venues.

In February, pianist Spencer Myer ’00 hosted a public master class sponsored by the University of Montana Keyboard Society.

Following the class, Myers performed Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Missoula Symphony Orchestra and Chorale.

His previous engagements this year included solo recitals in South Africa and in venues across the U.S.

Miró Quartet

In April, Rob Reich ’00 performed original music from his new recording Shadowbox at the Red Poppy Art House in California. The album features compositions for accordion.

57

Class Notes

Percussionist David Schotzko ’00 was featured in Arraymusic’s concert series, performing music by John Mark Sherlock and Eldritch Priest.

Schotzko is a founding member of the International Contemporary Ensemble and has premiered more than 300 works across the globe.

Oboist Ian Shafer ’00 made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Voxare String Quartet on February 14. He presented the world premiere of Locales by Mohammed Fairouz, a piece commissioned by Shafer.

Soprano Alyson Cambridge ’02 made history as the first opera singer to perform at the Soul Train Music Awards. Her performance, which aired on November 30, 2014, reached an estimated audience of more than 4.5 million viewers.

Highlights of Cambridge’s 2014-15 season included performances at the Kennedy Center and with the San Diego Opera. She graced the cover of the October 2014 issue of Classical Singer magazine, which profiled her opera career and her crossover work in jazz, musical theater, and spirituals, as well as modeling and acting.

John Austin Clark ’05 of Bourbon Baroque performed Bach’s Concerto in C for two harpsichords in Anchorage, Ky., in February.

This summer, the ensemble will relocate from Louisville to New York City. “This is an exciting time in the maturation of our organization, and we look forward to returning to Louisville periodically to present projects that will transform preconceptions and open minds,” says Clark.

58

In March, conductor James Feddeck ’06 led the San Francisco Symphony in a performance of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8. Earlier this year, Feddeck had engagements with the Milwaukee Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, among others. He returns to conduct the Chicago Symphony in his Symphony Center debut on October 17 and 20.

Conductor Michael Sakir ’06 appeared with the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra and served as guest conductor for the university’s production of Jake Heggie’s opera Dead Man Walking. In the past year, he also led performances with New Vintage Baroque and Boston Opera Collaborative, which inspired The Boston Musical Intelligencer to praise him for his “vivid lightness and fluency.”

In May 2014, trumpeter Theo Croker ’07 released his third album, AfroPhysicist (DDB Records, OKeh/ Sony Masterworks). It features Croker’s own compositions and new interpretations of music by Stevie Wonder and others. A review in the August 2014 JazzTimes said Croker’s “straightforward but imaginative soloing marks him as an avatar of genre-defying postmodernism.”

’10 was elected president of Music EdVentures at the conference, which draws teachers from across the U.S., Canada, and Japan.

Nordquist also published an article, “Supporting English Language Arts Standards Within the Context of Early Singing Experiences,” in the April 2015 issue of the music education journal General Music Today. In March, Fox was awarded the 2015 Fleurette Sweeney Fellowship for Emerging Pioneers in Education by Music EdVentures.

Fox is a music specialist at Prospect Elementary and Langston Middle School in Oberlin.

Tenor Andrew Owens ’07 won the 2015 Zarzuela Prize in January at the Francisco Viñas International Singing Competition in Barcelona.

He is the first American in the competition’s history to win the award. Owens was nominated for Best Emerging Artist at the Austrian Music Theater Awards for his performances in La Cenerentola and La Clemenza di Tito at Theater an der Wien.

Matthew Cook ’08 won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium in February for his work on Plectra & Percussion Dances with the percussion ensemble Partch. Also nominated in the category of Best Chamber Music Performance, Partch is a Los Angeles-based group committed to performing the music of Harry

This spring, violinist Joseph Kneer ’07 performed the complete Brahms Sonatas with pianist Shirley Yoo in a Mid-Atlantic and Midwest tour.

Kneer is assistant professor of violin, viola, music theory, and aural skills at Mercyhurst University.

Retired Professor of Music Education Peggy Bennett presented an April talk at the annual SongWorks Conference, hosted by Music EdVentures Inc. in Denver. Three Obies were inducted as Emerging Pioneers in Education: Alice Nordquist ’07, Bronwen Fox ’08, MMT ’09, and Max Mellman ’13, MMT ’14. Samantha Meese Smith

Theo Croker ’07

Andrew Owens ’07

Partch. Cook boasts three previous Grammy nominations, following nods for work with the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet, whose new album, A Year Before Yesterday, was selected as iTunes’ best classical music album of 2014.

James Riggs ’09 was appointed principal oboist of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra. He is also a member of South Florida’s Grammy-nominated ensemble Seraphic Fire and oboe instructor at Gracias Music at Mahanaim on Long Island.

2010s Ukrainian violinist Tatiana Chulochnikova MM ’10 won the American Bach Soloists’ 2016 Jeffrey Thomas Award,

Concerto No. 3 with the Cincinnati Symphony also earned the Final Round Audience Favorite Prize.

Flutist Beomjae Kim ’12 was invited to join Ensemble ACJW as a 2014-16 fellow. Ensemble ACJW is a collective of young professional musicians. The two-year program supports the fellows’ innovation and career-building efforts in their respective communities.

Matthew Cook ’08 (far right) and fellow members of Partch accepted the Grammy for Best Classical Compendium in February.

The Zorá Quartet, featuring violinist Dechopol Kowintaweewat ’12 and cellist Zizai Ning ’12, won

the grand prize and gold medal in the Senior String Division at the 2015 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in May. Earlier this year, the quartet was one of 12 selected to participate in the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. The ensemble is quartet in residence at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

Percussionist Christian Smith ’12 received a Fulbright award in the form of a Swiss Government Excellence scholarship to study at

given annually to a musician of unusual promise and precocious achievement. Chulochnikova has performed with many of the nation’s leading Baroque ensembles, splitting her time between New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

CHULOCHNIKOVA: COURTESY AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS, GIDDENS: DAN WINTERS

Piano soloist Scott Cuellar ’11, winner of the 2009 Friends of the Symphony Young Artist Competition, performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Lima Symphony Orchestra in February.

Mezzo-soprano Julia Dawson ’11 was a top prize winner in the 2015 George London Competition.

Dawson was the only Canadian among the six who received a $10,000 award. Past winners have included Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming, and Dawn Upshaw.

Dawson is currently a resident artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts.

In March, organist Colin Lynch ’11 performed at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in New York. Described

by The American Organist magazine as “an impeccable performer with compelling musicality and technical command,” Lynch maintains an active performance career and serves as associate director of music and organist at Trinity Church of Copley Square in Boston.

OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

Positively Giddens

Tatiana Chulochnikova MM ’10 (with Jeffrey Thomas ’78) won the American Bach Soloists’ Jeffrey Thomas Award.

The Verona Quartet, featuring violist Abigail Rojansky ’11, has been named graduate resident string quartet at the Juilliard School beginning in September.

As Lisa Arnhold Fellows, they will work closely with members of the Juilliard String Quartet and teach during the 2015-16 academic year. Earlier this spring, the quartet captured second prize and ProQuartet-CEMC Prize at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in London.

Moye Chen ’12 was named gold medalist in the 2014 World Piano Competition in Cincinnati. Chen’s performance of Rachmaninoff’s

Rhiannon Giddens ’00 is part of the creative team that released Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes in November 2014. Produced by T Bone Burnett, the album was written and performed in collaboration with Elvis Costello, Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), and Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons). They gathered in Capitol Studios in March 2014 to create music for recently discovered lyrics handwritten by Bob Dylan in 1967, during the period that generated the legendary Basement Tapes.

In February, Giddens made her solo recording debut with Tomorrow Is My Turn (Nonesuch), followed by her solo television debut on CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman and a profile on the April 15 broadcast of PBS NewsHour. New York Times critic Jon Pareles called Tomorrow Is My Turn “a showcase for Ms. Giddens’s glorious voice, which merges an opera singer’s detail and a deep connection to Southern roots … She can summon the power of a field holler, Celtic quavers, girlish innocence, bluesy sensuality, gospel exaltation, or the pain of slavery ... For all her technical control, her voice is a perpetually soulful marvel.”

Most of Giddens’ 2014 tour included her American roots band the Carolina Chocolate Drops. This spring and summer, she is touring North America and Europe on her own. One stop was an April 15 concert at the White House, a celebration of the role gospel music has played in shaping American history and culture.

“What they taught me at Oberlin is indispensable,” Giddens told the San Diego Union-Tribune in April. “The older I get, the more grateful I am.” —Cathy Partlow Strauss ’84

59

Class Notes

the Basel Hochschule für Musik with Christian Dierstein for the 2014-15 academic year.

This spring, Colin Wheatley ’12, MMT ’15 won the Tuesday Musical Winifred Collins Music Education Scholarship, the Suzuki Association Teacher Development Scholarship, and the Herbert Henke Merit Scholarship in Music Education.

The Chicago duo Sun Speak, featuring Matt Gold ’13 and Nathan Friedman ’13, performed at Indiana’s Merrimans’ Playhouse in March. The duo returned to Oberlin earlier this year for a performance and master class in Clonick Hall.

Finding His Nitsch

Sam Fisher ’14 was the 2014-15 Kulas Composer Fellow at Cleveland Public Theatre. The fellowship provides young composers with firsthand experience creating music and sound design for theater. Fisher’s projects included productions of Spirits to Enforce, Fire on the Water, In a Word, and Conni’s Avant Garde Restaurant, as well as a sound installation at the CPT event Pandemonium ’14: Take Flight.

Violinist Wyatt Underhill ’14 was reviewed by The New York Times for his performance of Ein Heldenleben as concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra. “He played as if he, like [Juilliard Dean and Provost Ara]

60

Guzelimian, were glancing next door at the Philharmonic, aware of its vacancy in the position of concertmaster. With a few more years and a little more experience, he could be thinking such thoughts.”

In May, students and faculty participated in the Smithsonian Symposium on Historically Informed Performance in American Higher Education in Washington, D.C. Oberlin Baroque’s performance was a staging of Charpentier’s divertissement Les Plaisirs de Versailles. Opera professor Sally Stunkel staged the work, and musical direction was led by Webb Wiggins, with assistance from historical performance faculty Catharina Meints and Kathryn Montoya.

Student performers included four vocalists—sopranos Kathryn Spurgin ’15 and Christine Jay ’17, tenor Daniel McGrew ’15, and baritone Aaron Keeney ’15—and an ensemble featuring flutists Zoe Sorrell ’15 and Sarah Lynn ’17, violinists Jeff Girton ’15 and Dorisiya Yosifova ’15, violist Hannah Santisi ’15, viol player Nick Loucks ’17, and harpsichordist Alcee Chriss ’14, MM ’15.

During winter term 2015, Chelsea Desouza ’15 and her sister Chloe ’17 teamed up with concert and music education organizations in cities around southern India to perform, present master classes, and work with local music students. Their project was funded by a Shansi InAsia Grant.

Soprano Morgan Griffith ’16 won third prize and $500 at the 2015 Opera Carolina Guild Vocal Competition, singing arias by Verdi, Mozart, and Donizetti.

TIMARA major Christy Rose ’17 co-wrote, edited, and produced “Last Fall” with cinema studies major Maya Mariner ’16 during their semester abroad at the Prague Film School. The short film, about a relationship from beginning to end, was selected as a finalist for the Trinity Film Festival at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.

TIMARA major Mitchell Herrmann ’17 won the student category of the Klang International Composition Competition with his piece Impulse Repulse. On April 25, he presented Alchemical at the Kennedy Center as part of the institution’s annual Conservatory Project performance.

Thomas Cooper ’17, a violin and viola student in the studios of Milan Vitek and Peter Slowik, won the Coeur d’Alene Symphony 2015 Young Artist Competition College Strings Division, including $750 and two performances with the orchestra.

Cooper performed Chausson’s Poème at the Kroc Center in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in March. In April, he took first prize at the Ohio Viola Society Competition.

This spring, Aida Badalian ’18 won the grand prize of $2,000 at the Tuesday Musical Scholarship Competition in Akron, Ohio.

DESOUZA: ANNA NORRIS

Throughout his first few years at Oberlin, Daniel Nitsch ’15 loaded up his course schedule to bursting each semester.

He figured it was the best way to stay on target for twin degrees in classical guitar and arts administration.

Between his studies, Nitsch stockpiled relevant work experiences in every corner of campus and beyond: with the conservatory dean’s office, admissions, and the con library, as well as the Community Music School and the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra. All the while he was learning what he loved, inside the classroom and out.

Then, prior to his final year on campus, Nitsch took a summer job at Yellow Barn, the renowned music school and festival in southeastern Vermont. “It was an all-encompassing internship,” says the native of Rochester, N.Y. “There was lots of operations work, but also marketing, publicity, fundraising—pretty much everything.”

By the last week of summer, Nitsch’s dream job opened up one year too early: Yellow Barn needed an operations manager, and it offered him the gig without requiring so much as a résumé.

Nitsch managed to strike an agreement that allowed him to accept the job and finish his degrees. Finally coasting through a light course load for the first time in his life, he split his final year between Oberlin studies and Yellow Barn business: One month he was hosting residencies in Vermont, the next he was running auditions in cities across the country.

“It’s a matter of being in the right place at the right time,” Nitsch says of his happy landing. Then he reflexively adds a nod to his Oberlin years.

“But it’s also about having the skills to make something out of being in the right place at the right time.” —Erich Burnett

Chelsea Desouza ’15

In April, Aram Mun ’17 won the Central Ohio Flute Association Young Artist Competition, held at Ohio State University in Columbus. Oberlin students also participated in two competitions at the 2014 National Flute Association convention in Chicago. Zoe Sorrell ’15 won the Baroque flute master class competition, and Hannah Hammel ’15 took first place in the orchestral audition competition. Hammel also won the Atlanta Flute Club’s Young Artist Competition and the master class competition of the Rochester Flute Association. Both are students of Alexa Still.

Faculty Notes The House of Night, released this year by Nimbus Records, features Philip Cashian’s Cello Concerto played by cello professor Darrett Adkins ’91. Recorded at Oberlin, the concerto features members of the Contemporary Music Ensemble, conducted by Tim Weiss.

MARGOLIS: YEVHEN GULENKO

Music theory professor Brian Alegant contributed an analytical essay titled “On Robert Morris’ Refrains (1995)” to the Perspectives of New Music Festschrift for Robert Morris. In addition, Alegant performed and recorded Robert Morris’ Refrains with cellist Paul Dwyer ’07. Alegant also authored and published several articles including “On Scuba Diving, or the Advantages of a Less-is-More Approach,” which appeared in Engaging Students: Essays in Music Pedagogy, and “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Road Maps as Analytical Tools,” published in Current Musicology.

In December 2014, music education professor Joanne Erwin presented a lecture titled “The Use of the Fifth in Developing Intonation in String Ensembles” at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. She also presented a lecture with Amanda Ellerbe ’12 titled “Developing a String Program in an Elementary School for all Students” at the New Jersey State Music Educators Convention in February.

The Panama Project, coordinated

by Erwin, had stunning success in January 2015 under the baton of Raphael Jiménez, assisted by students Elizabeth Castro-Abram ’15, Clara Engen ’15, Brea Warner ’15, Rachel Mills ’16, Oliver Villanueva ’16, and Leo Harrington ’16.

Erwin is also creating an online video series of student performers demonstrating various techniques for playing stringed instruments.

Students in her courses will use the videos to improve their techniques for teaching young children. The project is supported by a grant she received under the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

Pianist Sanford Margolis played Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Oberlin Orchestra in September 2014. The concert marked the final faculty performance for the longtime professor, whose tenure at Oberlin began in 1972. Through the years, Margolis’ mentorship has launched the careers of a multitude of accomplished musicians and distinguished faculty members at institutions around the country. “I feel pretty good about retiring,” he said in a spring conversation about his career. “I’ve been teaching for over 50 years, and I’ve loved my time here. But isn’t that long enough?”

The Reckless Heart, the new CD by vocal professor Kendra Colton ’83, was released on the Oberlin Music label in April. It was recorded with collaborative pianist Kayo Iwama ’83, a longtime friend of Colton’s.

Bassoonist Dana Jessen, the conservatory’s director of professional development, performed Michael Gordon’s Rushes at Vancouver New Music in November 2014. Her chamber ensemble, Splinter Reeds, performed at the Mondavi Performing Arts Center, San Francisco Center for New Music,

and the Presidio Officers’ Club. The group received the 2015 New Music USA Commissioning Grant, the 2014 Zellerbach Foundation Grant, and the 2014 San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music’s Musical Grant. In addition to collaborative performances, Jessen gave solo performances and master classes at the Avant Music Festival (New York City), American Academy (Rome), Splendor (Amsterdam), and the Netherlands Amsterdam Conservatory of Music.

At the annual meeting of the Music Library Association, held in Denver in late February, Conservatory Librarian Deborah Campana was appointed to a five-year term as the new editor of the association’s journal, Notes.

Campana also presented the paper “From the Virtual to the Sublime: Special Collections Come to the Oberlin Conservatory Library” at the International Association

of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres, whose meeting was held at the Royal Conservatoire in Antwerp, Belgium.

In March, collaborative pianist Thomas Bandy and conservatory students presented a multimedia lecture-recital celebrating the 100th birthday of Vítězslava Kaprálová (1915-40). “The concert is part of an ongoing interest I have in Slavic vocal literature,” says Bandy.

“It’s becoming more commonly sung around the conservatory and music schools around the country, as more people discover the vast body of literature behind the language barrier, which I enjoy breaking down and making accessible to students.” Kaprálová died at 25, but had already made a name for herself through her accessible style and instinctive writing for the voice.

61

Faculty Notes

Collective Portrait, the new album from visiting trumpet teacher Eddie Henderson, was rated No. 1 on jazz stations across the country for the month of March.

In November, visiting TIMARA faculty Joo Won Park was a guest composer at WIRED: Electronic Music at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, where he led workshops and performed. In March, Park was a keynote speaker at the National Student Electronic Music Event (N_SEME) at Bowling Green State University. N_SEME is the largest electroacoustic music conference for students in the U.S. In April, the NoRemixes record label released Park’s new album, Overundertone.

In the spring, Professor of Music Education Jody Kerchner premiered Eurydice, which was written for the Oberlin College Women’s Chorale by Thomas Stumpf of Tufts University.

In July 2014, Kerchner presented her research at the International Society for Music Education World Congress Meeting in Brazil.

Kathryn Montoya and her colleagues in the Boston Early Music Festival won a 2015 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording of Charpentier’s La Descente d’Orphee aux Enfers and Couronne de Fleurs. Montoya also participated in a world-premiere studio recording of Agostino Steffani’s Niobe, Regina di Tebe— featuring Philippe Jaroussky and Karina Gauvin—on the Erato/Warner Classics label. The recording received the Diapason d’Or in February.

62

Bass and jazz studies professor Peter Dominguez served as chair of the jazz division for the 2015 International Society of Bassists Double Bass Performance Competition held in June at Colorado State University.

Dominguez collaborated with an array of national and international performers in the past year, including Ann Hampton Calloway, Eric Alexander, Vanessa Rubin, Helen Sung, Don Braden, and Joshua Breakstone. His recording activities included an Azica production with Jamey Haddad, Jason Vieaux, and Julian Labro.

Jazz trombone faculty Robin Eubanks, a member of the SFJAZZ Collective, has released a new live CD featuring arrangements of classic and lesser-known Joe Henderson numbers in addition to original music composed by members of the group.

Professor of Baroque Flute and Recorder Michael Lynn established the Medici Charitable Foundation in 2013 as a fundraising opportunity for medical charities and organizations through the presentation of high-quality benefit concerts. In October 2014, Medici hosted “Encore,” a major benefit concert for LifeBanc at the Akron Civic Theatre, with support from Steinway Piano Gallery Cleveland.

LifeBanc is a nonprofit organdonation effort that serves nearly four million people and works with 80 hospitals in 20 counties.

In the spring, Lynn published an article in Traverso entitled “On Playing Original Flutes,” which discusses the contrasts between playing original historical instruments and reproductions.

Lynn also authored the article “The Elephant in the Room,” about the impact of recent protected-species laws on musicians, in this issue.

Associate Professor of Jazz Percussion Billy Hart was voted No. 1 jazz drummer in the 2015 Modern Drummer Readers Poll. Hart’s CD, Enjoy the View, with Bobby Hutcherson, David Sanborn, and Joey DeFrancesco, was nominated for a 2015 Grammy Award.

Kathy Abromeit, public services librarian in the Conservatory Library, has created a new book titled Spirituals: A Multidisciplinary Bibliography for Research and Performance, co-published by the Music Library Association and A-R Editions Inc. To make sense of the immense impact spirituals have made on music, culture, and society, the book—an annotated bibliography consisting of some 1,000 entries—cites writings from a multidisciplinary perspective including music, literature, poetry, American history, religion, and African American studies. It documents articles, books, and dissertations published since 1920 and contains indices by author, subject, and spiritual title.

Abromeit was also appointed to the editorial board of the Music Library Association’s Basic Manual Series, which publishes bibliographies and thematic catalogs used by librarians, scholars, and performers worldwide.

Professor of Musicology Charles McGuire ’91 has been awarded a Humanities Writ Large Visiting Faculty Fellowship at Duke University for the 2015-16 academic year. At Duke, McGuire will be working on a monograph, The British Musical Festival, 16951940: A Social History of Taste, that investigates the musical festival in Great Britain, which was one of the most important means of concert music production in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries. Through such festivals, the middle classes ultimately became arbiters of

EUBANKS: KEVIN G. REEVES

In March, Associate Professor of Opera Theater Jonathon Field directed Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde in San Francisco. The production featured two children’s choirs: the Ragazzi and the San Francisco Girls Chorus.

Voice professor Timothy LeFebvre performed Handel’s Messiah with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and the Downtown Singers in Binghamton, N.Y.

Bassoon professor George Sakakeeny was interviewed on the January 4, 2014, podcast Greenroom Conversations, a series about what it’s like to work in the performing arts industry and how to build a career in the field.

Sakakeeny describes how teaching complements his own playing and how his path to Oberlin was shaped.

He also appears on composer Zae Munn’s March 2015 CD release, They Were Mysterious Guests, a collection of chamber works.

musical taste. In addition, McGuire will continue the development of the Musical Festivals Database, a fully searchable index of programs, personnel, ensembles, and venues of musical festivals held in the United Kingdom between 1695 and 1940. This will be important to musicologists, music theorists, and social historians in allowing one to see the creation of the musical canon as we know it today; it also shows how malleable that canon has always been.

Associate Professor of Jazz Arranging Jay Ashby spent 10 days in October 2014 giving master classes and workshops and performing as a featured guest artist in several cities in Germany. He appeared with the Bavarian National Youth Jazz Orchestra in Marktoberdorf, gave classes at the Hochschule für Musik and was guest soloist with Unterbiberg Hoffmusik in Munich, and performed with the Daniel Schay Ensemble in Augsberg. In March, Ashby performed with the Jon Faddis New York Jazz Orchestra for a live recording of Duke Ellington’s jazz symphony Black, Brown and Beige.

Associate Professor of Historical Performance David Breitman was a guest of the Shanghai Music Middle School (associated with the Shanghai Conservatory) last January, serving on the jury of its piano competition and giving a presentation as part of a teachertraining week. The invitation came from Ting Zhou ’97, AD ’99, now chair of Shanghai’s piano department. Breitman was shocked to hear the young students give flawless performances of Liszt études. For an audience of about 300 teachers from all across China, he gave a presentation entitled “Time Travel: What Today’s Players Can Learn from Yesterday’s Instruments.” Normally, he would cover the stage with a variety of keyboards, but because there are no fortepianos in Shanghai, he and videographer Zach Christy of Oberlin’s Office of Communications produced a collection of demo OBERLIN CONSERVATORY MAGAZINE 2015

clips. The combination of video material, live demonstration on the Steinway, and expert Chinese translation by Franz (CheungYu) Mo ’95—a former fortepiano student of Breitman’s now on the piano faculty of the Shanghai Conservatory—made for an engaging show.

“What impressed me most was the intense commitment to music that I found among students and their families,” Breitman says. “The high level of the performances, the attentiveness during lessons and lectures, and the seriousness of the questions I received all testify to the extraordinary place that Western classical music now holds in Chinese culture.”

Associate Professor of Flute Alexa Still was a headliner at the 2014 National Flute Association Convention, appearing twice in recital and leading a panel workshop on the breathing pedagogy of Arnold Jacobs. Still has been appointed principal flute of the Brevard Music Center’s 2015 Institute and to the faculty for the 2015 Round Top Festival in Texas.

In spring, her newest recording—of Matthew Hindson’s 2006 work House Music (Flute Concerto)—was released on the Oberlin Music label.

The release is a collaboration with the Oberlin Orchestra under the direction of Raphael Jiménez.

Associate Professor of Harpsichord Webb Wiggins released Variazioni on the Smithsonian’s Friends of Music label. His performances of harpsichord works by Girolamo Frescobaldi, Antonio Cabezón, Luzzasco Luzzaschi, Tarquinio Merula, and Bernardo Storace were

played on two historic instruments from the Smithsonian collection, made by Giovanni Battista Giusti in 1693 and Nicolaus DeQuoco in 1694.

Composition faculty member Aaron Helgeson ’05 was awarded a grant from the Aaron Copland Fund for his forthcoming portrait album Poems of Sheer Nothingness: Vocal Music of Aaron Helgeson. Featuring Grammy-winning soprano Susan Narucki and the Talea Ensemble (whose members include Oberlin alumni Chris Gross ’03 and Beth Weisser ’03), the album includes world-premiere recordings of two new works for voice and ensemble. The first, Poems of sheer nothingness, presents a song cycle commissioned by Narucki based on the poetry of early French troubadours and sung in their original Occitan, a beautiful yet almost forgotten romance language revived in Helgeson’s five chamber settings. The second, Notes on a page (of Sappho), offers a musical reincarnation of poetic fragments by the provocative and erotic Greek poet Sappho in an English translation by MacArthur Fellow and acclaimed Canadian author Anne Carson. The CD is scheduled for release on Innova in summer 2015.

Assistant Professor of Organ Jonathan Moyer ’12 performed at the College of the Holy Cross as part of its Chapel Artist Series in November 2014. The program featured music by Liszt, Oley, Mendelssohn, and Brahms. Moyer also performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in September, a concert later broadcast nationally on WGBH’s Great Performances.

Professor of Composition Lewis Nielson retired from Oberlin at the conclusion of the 2014-15 academic year. Nielson had served on the faculty since 2000.

Howard Lubin, opera coach and musical coordinator for Oberlin Opera Theater productions, retired after the 2014-15 academic year.

He began at Oberlin in 2005.

Piano professor Alvin Chow served as guest artist and faculty member at the Shanghai International Piano Festival, where he played with the Shanghai Symphony and in a recital with Angela Cheng and his brother, Alan Chow. He was also Conference Artist with Cheng for the Hawaii Music Teachers Association State Convention, performing a four-hand recital and giving a master class.

Cheng performed as a member of the Zukerman Trio (with violinist Pinchas Zukerman and cellist Amanda Forsyth) in Italy, Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Africa, Canada, and numerous concerts across the United States. The past year also brought performances as soloist with the orchestras of Victoria, British Columbia; London, Ontario; and Annapolis, Md.

63

Losses MARCUS BELGRAVE (1936-2015)

Shortly before retiring, Marcus Belgrave (left) joined fellow jazz faculty members in an October 2010 tribute to Wendell Logan, founder of the Jazz Studies program at Oberlin.

64

solo spotlight. In 1988, he became an original member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and toured with the ensemble for many years. In 2009, he was presented the Eminent Artist Award from the Kresge Foundation, one of numerous honors he received in his lifetime.

Belgrave also derived particular delight in sharing his gifts with future generations. Beginning in 1970, he taught at numerous colleges and universities, including schools in the Detroit area. He co-founded a jazz program for young people at the Detroit Metro Arts Complex, created the city’s Jazz Development Workshop, and launched the jazz program at Oakland University.

He joined the Oberlin faculty as a visiting professor in 2001 and served as a bridge from the program’s roots in historic Hales Gymnasium through its rise to glory in the Bertram and Judith Kohl Building, which opened in 2010, the same year Belgrave retired.

He appeared alongside his fellow jazz faculty members on the 2007 Oberlin Music recording Beauty Surrounds Us, which includes the Belgrave-penned piece “All My Love.”

A versatile musician with a latent love of cello, Belgrave sent forth numerous young trumpet players to prominent careers of their own—but he also guided

I love you dearly, Marcus, and will miss you eternally.”

In recent years, even as failing health required him to receive oxygen 24 hours a day, Belgrave remained faithful to his practice schedule—and he continued to play with friends even in his final weeks.

“Marcus was a world-class musician with a big heart,” says Bobby Ferrazza, chair of Oberlin’s Jazz Studies division and a longtime colleague of Belgrave’s. “He was also a world-class mentor. Many of our greatest jazz musicians today know him not only through his work as a great trumpet player, but also because he took so many musicians under his wing and contributed to making them great.”

Belgrave is survived by his wife Joan, two daughters, and two sons.

DORIS MAYES (1933-2014)

Doris Mayes, a mezzo-soprano whose voice graced concert halls from New York to Switzerland, was an assistant professor of singing at Oberlin from 1968-74 and the first black woman to teach singing at the conservatory. During that time, she frequently performed in recital with students and fellow faculty members, and she served as director of the Oberlin Black Ensemble.

A native of Philadelphia, Mayes earned a bachelor of music degree and teacher’s certificate from the Philadelphia Academy of Music.

She pursued additional studies at the Hochschule for Music in

Munich, Germany, and at the Juilliard School. Prior to joining the Oberlin faculty, she taught voice at Syracuse University.

Mayes earned numerous honors, including the Philadelphia Orchestra Youth Award; first place at the International Competition in Geneva, Switzerland; the Grande Prix award in Toulouse, France; and a Fulbright prize. She performed with numerous orchestras, and she made her Carnegie Hall debut in 1961.

Mayes was married to Jürgen Ploog, with whom she had a daughter, Flavia. Mayes died June 15, 2014, at her home in Philadelphia.

BELGRAVE: KEVIN G. REEVES, MAYES: OBERLIN COLLEGE ARCHIVES

Marcus Belgrave, the beloved trumpet player and teacher whose prodigious performance career intersected with a who’s who of jazz, blues, and pop legends, died May 24 at age 78. A longtime resident of and advocate for his home city of Detroit, he was a member of the Oberlin Conservatory’s Jazz Studies faculty from 2001-10.

The son of a World War I bugle player, Belgrave was born near Philadelphia and took to music from a young age, playing his first professional gigs by age 12.

Diminutive in stature but abundant in musicianship, he joined the Ray Charles Band in the late 1950s and went on to perform alongside Charles Mingus, Aretha Franklin, Joe Cocker, Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, and Ella Fitzgerald, among countless other top musicians.

In 1962, Belgrave moved to Detroit and settled into life as a studio musician for Motown Records, playing on such legendary hits as “My Girl,” “Dancing in the Street,” and “The Way You Do the Things You Do.” When Motown moved to California in the 1970s, Belgrave co-founded Tribe Records, a Detroit collective through which he released albums and produced concerts.

Belgrave never strayed far from the stage, continually fortifying his reputation as a charming and soulful player who shined in the

pianists, violinists, saxophonists, and others. Among his former students are trumpet player Theo Croker ’07, pianist Geri Allen, bassist Robert Hurst, and saxophonist Kenny Garrett.

Shortly after Belgrave’s passing, Croker paid tribute to his mentor on Facebook: “You taught me more than anyone about life, music, and humanity, and I will miss your mentorship and guidance. You never left me hanging with any obstacle I faced.

You treated me like a son when you saw me begin to lose my way. You taught me how to seriously deal with harmony and rhythm with your free-flowing, acrobatic-like approach to improvisation. It was a mere reflection of your high-flying, free-spirited approach to life itself.

Oberlin College & Conservatory

Artist Recital Series 2015-16 A CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS AT OBERLIN SINCE 1878.

Lake Como Academy Pianists SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Christian Tetzlaff, violin OCTOBER 30, 2015

John Relyea, bass-baritone Warren Jones, piano FEBRUARY 3, 2016

Andrรกs Schiff, piano FEBRUARY 12, 2016

Master Classes with Marilyn Horne

FEBRUARY 19 AND 21, 2016

Mirรณ Quartet MARCH 10, 2016

Robin Eubanks & the Mass Line Big Band MARCH 13, 2016

The Cleveland Orchestra Jane Glover, conductor Joshua Smith, fute Yolanda Kondonassis, harp APRIL 17, 2016

Artists and dates are subject to change. Subscriptions and partial-season packages are available.

For ticket information, please call 800-371-0178 or visit oberlin.edu/artsguide.

The Offce of Conservatory Communications 39 West College Street Oberlin, OH 44074 -1576

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID OBERLIN COLLEGE PERMIT NO. 8

“My entire double-degree experience was somewhat of a continuous freakout of one kind or another.”

—JEREMY DENK ’90, PIANO (TO THE NEW YORK TIMES )

“During my time at Oberlin, I came to an understanding that fnding my own path was the most important part of being an artist. Now I don’t fear failure as much because I had the space to experiment and sometimes fail, and I’ve come to accept this as an important part of the artistic process.”

—JENNIFER KOH ’97, VIOLIN

“Oberlin was not simple! Lucy Lewis taught me how to play the harp.

She taught me how to practice and how to learn. The incredible noise in the old Con taught me to concentrate. The endless piano and organ recitals gave me valuable exposure to the great Baroque and Classical repertoire so lacking for the harp. My years singing in the Oberlin Choir with Robert Fountain taught me the power of a phrase, the physical joy of harmonic sounds, and the miracle of dynamic shading.

The year in Salzburg made me fluent in the German language. What Oberlin did not give me then was orchestral experience. I was totally inexperienced when I joined one of the world’s leading orchestras...

Maestro Pierre Monteaux told the Israel Philharmonic to ‘hire the girl from Ohio. She has no experience but she knows how to play the harp! She will learn the orchestra repertoire!’”

—JUDITH LIBER ’61, FIRST SOLO HARP IN THE ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA FOR 37 YEARS

“The Oberlin community has an amazing connection to music that can’t be found anywhere else. Music in every form is ubiquitous at Oberlin, and that is truly special.”

—ED HELMS ’96, ACTOR, COMEDIAN, MUSICIAN (TO U.S. NEWS )