Academy of Vocal Arts
AVA Concert Opera Project

Grant amount: $51,345
Grant period: 2003-2004

The Academy of Vocal Arts will offer a concert presentation of Puccini’s rarely performed opera Edgar. With this performance—a regional premiere for Philadelphia audiences—AVA, joined by the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, will make its debut in the Perelman Theatre at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, with an additional performance in Centennial Hall at the Haverford School. The project also includes a radio broadcast over WRTI-FM and outreach performances for local middle and high school students.

Founded in 1934, the Academy of Vocal Arts provides tuition-free vocal training and opera experience to talented young singers who have the potential for international stature. AVA graduates include winners of prestigious vocal competitions, such as the Richard Tucker Foundation Award and the Pavarotti Competition, and frequently perform on the major opera stages of the world. Each year AVA presents its resident artists in fully stages opera performances; recent productions have included Lucrezia Borgia, The Rake’s Progress, and the world premiere of Margaret Garwood’s The Scarlet Letter.

American Harp Society, Philadelphia Chapter
Primosch Commission: Three New Sacred Songs

Grant amount: $2,000
Grant period: 2003-2004

The Philadelphia Chapter of the American Harp Society will commission a new work by Philadelphia composer James Primosch for the Jubal Trio (harp, flute, and voice). The commissioned work will be a set of arrangements of sacred tunes: "How Can I Keep from Singing," "Be Thou My Vision," and "What Wondrous Love is This?" The world premiere will be presented at the national conference of the American Harp Society held in Philadelphia in June 2004.

The American Harp Society fosters the appreciation of the harp, encourages repertoire development for the harp and seeks to improve the quality of performance of harpists. Its Philadelphia Chapter was founded in 1977 and presents recitals by nationally renowned and student harpists, workshops and master classes, and professional development meetings for area harpists.

Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Beyond Belief: A Celebration of Gospel Music

Grant amount: $80,000
Grant period: 2003-2004

The Annenberg Center will present the Philadelphia region’s only gospel music series, pairing nationally renowned gospel soloists and choirs (Pastor Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Choir, Dottie Peoples, and Wilmington Chester Mass Choir) with local artists (the Brockington Ensemble, Freedom Choir of Philadelphia, Tamika Patton, and the David Winslow Singers). The ensembles will perform in residencies and outreach services at West Philadelphia’s Drew Elementary School and University City High School and offer workshops with local church gospel choirs. Dr. Carol Muller, ethnomusicologist and Program Director for Penn’s 2003-04 Humanities Forum "Belief," will develop public academic programs to coincide with the gospel music series, and her students will solicit oral histories from participating artists and choirs as part of their coursework.

Founded in 1971, the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents more than 170 performances each year as part of its PENN Presents series. The Annenberg Center attracts over 175,000 people annually to PENN Presents' performances. In keeping with its tradition of presenting a varied program of established artists and artists new to Philadelphia, PENN Presents' roster for the 2002-2003 season includes a jazz series featuring some of the world’s most acclaimed artists, such as the Michael Brecker Quartet and Juan de Marcos Gonzalez’s Afro-Cuban All-Stars; a classical and choral music series with performances by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Chanticleer, and the Tallis Scholars; a new music series featuring eighth blackbird, Philip Glass, and Philadelphia’s Relâche ensemble; and world music performances by Malian vocalist Salif Keita, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and San Jose Taiko.

Curtis Institute of Music
Roremania: A Festival Celebrating the Life and Works of Ned Rorem (Composition ’44) on the Occasion of his 80th Birthday

Grant amount: $80,000
Grant period: 2003-2004

The Curtis Institute of Music will present "Roremania," a festival celebrating the 80th birthday of renowned composer and Curtis alumnus Ned Rorem. A two-week series of events will begin on Mr. Rorem’s birthday (October 23, 2003) and conclude on November 7th. The festival includes a performance of his song cycle Evidence of Things Not Seen; a retrospective of his songs by students in the Curtis Vocal Studies Department; an all-Rorem chamber music recital featuring performances by Curtis faculty members, including Jeffrey Khaner (flute), Richard Woodhams (oboe), Elizabeth Hainen (harp), and Hugh Sung (piano); and a panel discussion with Mr. Rorem and his former composition students. The festival will culminate in two performances of Mr. Rorem’s opera Miss Julie in the Perelman Theatre.

The Curtis Institute of Music trains exceptionally gifted young musicians for careers as performing artists on the highest professional level. Founded by Mary Louise Curtis Bok in 1924, the Curtis Institute offers tuition-free training with today’s most respected artists and teachers, including Julius Baker, Leon Fleisher, Claude Frank, Gary Graffman, Jaime Laredo, Otto-Werner Mueller, Ned Rorem, and Peter Serkin, among others. Curtis’s ensembles include a symphony orchestra, an opera department, and a small number of students studying keyboard, composition, and conducting.

Mann Center for the Performing Arts
The Movie Music of Spike Lee & Terence Blanchard

Grant amount: $50,000
Grant period: 2003-2004

The Mann Center for the Performing Arts will offer a multi-media production of music by Terence Blanchard featured in the films of Spike Lee. Performers will include Angelique Kidjo, Floetry, and Angie Stone with a jazz ensemble and chamber orchestra. The event, which will be hosted by Mr. Lee, will also feature a specially designed projection of images from Lee’s films.

Originally founded as the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Mann Center for the Performing Arts is the only outdoor cultural arts venue in the Philadelphia region and one of the largest of its kind in the nation. Each summer, the Mann Center presents a diverse range of popular, classical and contemporary musical, theatrical, operatic, dance, and cinematic programs.

Montgomery County Community College
Jazz & the Classics at the Intersection of American Music

Grant amount: $23,500
Grant period: 2003-2004

Montgomery County Community College will present performances by the Ron Carter Ensemble and the String Trio of New York that will explore the commonalities between jazz and classical music and bring together these musical idioms and their historically divergent audiences. The String Trio of New York will present a program of both contemporary and classic jazz compositions. The Ron Carter Ensemble’s program will focus on repertoire by Bach. The project also includes lecture/demonstrations on improvisation and the history of jazz, and a panel discussion with the hosts of WRTI’s "Crossover," Jill Pasternak and Jack Buerkle, with a subsequent broadcast.

The cultural mission of Montgomery County Community College is to serve as a focal point for cultural activities, providing public access to the arts for county residents through arts presenting and educational activities. Over its 14-year history, MCCC’s Lively Arts Series has introduced audiences to the work of exemplary artists representing a variety of performing mediums from different cultural traditions. Recent seasons have included performances by jazz masters Benny Golson, Ray Brown, and the Mingus Big Band.

Philadelphia Classical Symphony
Composer Connections

Grant amount: $60,000
Grant period: 2003-2005

The Philadelphia Classical Symphony will present Composer Connections, a program that brings together Philadelphia-based composers and performers as partners in the creation and performance of new concerti specifically written for underused solo instruments. Maurice Wright and Andrea Clearfield will compose works for Nitzan Haroz (trombone) and Angela Zator Nelson (percussion), respectively. These works will be integrated into thematically unified programs designed to educate listeners about the solo instrument and the ways composers have historically addressed their idiomatic qualities. The project will include two residency programs at the Shawmont School (a magnet school for music) and the High School for the Creative and Performing Arts in downtown Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Classical Symphony was established in 1993 to foster an appreciation for classical music among new and diverse audience groups, as well as to provide a more relaxed, inviting performance format for concertgoers. In an effort to engage audiences, symphony events are organized around thematic programs and historical practices and frequently include elements of audience participation and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Philadelphia Folklore Project
Artists in Residence

Grant amount: $30,000
Grant period: 2003-2004

The Philadelphia Folklore Project will sponsor residencies and performances by local traditional artists Mogauwane Mahloele (South African BaPedi songwriter and performer), Tito Rubio (flamenco guitarist), and John Wilkie (West African and Afro-Cuban drummer). Artists will conduct 18-week residencies at PFP’s new venue, develop new repertoire in their respective traditions, and offer public performances.

The Philadelphia Folklore Project is a 16-year-old multi-disciplinary urban folklife organization committed to identifying, documenting, presenting, and supporting significant local folk artists and to preserving and strengthening the folk cultural life of the Philadelphia community. PFP offers exhibitions, concerts, workshops and assistance to artists and communities; conducts ongoing field research into community-based local arts, history, and culture; preserves a record of Philadelphia’s folklife in its archive; and offers arts education programs that give young people opportunities to study with diverse folk artists.

Philadelphia Museum of Art
Friday Evening Jazz Quarterly Series

Grant amount: $30,000
Grant period: 2003-2004

The Philadelphia Museum of Art will expand its Friday Jazz Series to feature four performances by jazz artists whose work integrates various musical and cultural influences: Omar Sosa (Cuba), Richard Bona (Cameroon), Brave Old World (Eastern European klezmer), and Luciana Souza (Brazil).

Chartered in 1876, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States and houses collections of works from around the world. The museum presents two weekly concert series: a Wednesday night series featuring eclectic music and dance performances, films, gallery talks, and menus based on themes derived from museum exhibitions; and a Friday evening jazz series that features performances by acclaimed jazz artists.

Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra First Performances

Grant amount: $160,000
Grant period: 2003-2005

The Philadelphia Orchestra will perform 11 works by living composers, including four world premiere commissions by Gerald Levinson, Ned Rorem, Richard Danielpour, and Nicholas Maw; the U.S. premieres of works by Oliver Knussen, Hans Werner Henze, and James MacMillan; and Philadelphia Orchestra first performances of works by John Corigliano, Jennifer Higdon, Roberto Sierra, and John Adams. Performances will feature renowned guest artists Thomas Hampson, baritone; Joshua Bell, violin; Andrés Cárdenes, violin; and Vadim Repin, violin; and guest conductors Roberto Abbado, David Robertson, Oliver Knussen, Marin Alsop, Simon Rattle, and Charles Dutoit.

Founded in 1900, the Philadelphia Orchestra has distinguished itself as one of the leading orchestras in the world through a century of acclaimed performances, historic international tours, and best-selling recordings. Led by Music Director Wolfgang Sawallisch since 1993, the orchestra recently celebrated its 100th Anniversary through a series of activities surrounding the year 2000, with performances, publications, tours, and broadcasts (including the internationally televised gala Birthday Concert on November 16, 2000). In September 2003, Christoph Eschenbach, a passionate supporter of the music of our time, will become the orchestra’s seventh musical director.

Piffaro, the Renaissance Band
The Holly and the Ivy

Grant amount: $30,000
Grant period: 2003-2004

Piffaro will present The Holly and the Ivy, a fully staged and costumed production based on texts and music of 15th and early 16th century English carols modeled after early Tudor "entertainments" of the 16th century. Guest artists include Laura Heimes (soprano), Paul Shipper (voice, lute), Christa Patton (harp, winds), and Mark Jaster (actor).

Piffaro, the Renaissance Band brings to its audiences historically informed performances of music from the late Medieval, Renaissance, and early Baroque periods, in the manner of the civic, court, and chapel wind bands that existed between 1450 and 1650. The ensemble has toured extensively throughout the US and Europe. Piffaro has had successive recording contracts with Newport Classic, Deutsche Grammophon’s Archiv Produktion, and Dorian Recordings, and has released eight recordings.

Prince Music Theater (American Music Theater Festival)
From the Theater to the Opera House: the Works of William Bolcom and Arnold Weinstein

Grant amount: $80,000
Grant period: 2003-2004

The Prince Music Theater will mount a retrospective of the opera and theater work of William Bolcom and Arnold Weinstein as part of the American Music Theater Festival’s 20th anniversary celebration in spring 2004. The Bolcom/Weinstein celebration will feature a theatrical revival of Casino Paradise (American Music Theater Festival world premiere, 1990), starring Joan Morris; a concert of their operatic work (McTeague and A View from the Bridge), which will include a sneak preview of Bolcom’s newest work, Idiot’s Delight (world premiere scheduled for 2005), featuring Joan Morris and Timothy Nolen with William Bolcom at the piano; and a cabaret of Bolcom and Weinstein songs, including The Last Lousy Moments of Love. The retrospective will also include master classes on composition by Bolcom and Weinstein, and on cabaret and opera performance by Morris and Nolen.

Founded in 1984 as the annual American Music Theater Festival, the Prince Music Theater is dedicated to developing the unique American art form of music theater over a wide aesthetic range, including opera, music drama, musical comedy, and experimental work. In its 18-year history, the Prince has mounted more than 100 major productions, including more than 50 world or American premieres, featuring the work of Philip Glass, Julie Taymore, Patti Lupone, David Henry Hwang, Bright Sheng, Harold Prince, and many more.

Relâche
Future Sounds 2003/04

Grant amount: $30,000
Grant period: 2003-2004

Relâche will commission new works by Tiyé Giraud, Ikue Mori, Kamran Ince, and Uri Caine to be performed on the ensemble’s 2003-04 concert series, Future Sounds. The series follows an inter-cultural exchange thematic framework, with elements of inter-disciplinary collaboration that include improvisatory dance by Phrenic New Ballet in Uri Caine’s work. Each program will be co-curated by the commissioned composer and performed twice in Philadelphia. Tiyé Giraud, Ikue Mori, and Uri Caine will appear as guest artists with the ensemble.

Founded in 1979, Relâche is an eight-member variable instrumental ensemble dedicated to supporting, performing, and promoting music by living composers. Its repertoire maintains a close connection to the high art of classical composition and performance, but also succeeds in embracing the breadth of contemporary music culture, incorporating aspects of jazz, rock, popular, electronic, and world music. The ensemble maintains a repertoire of more than 400 pieces, including commissions by such well-known composers as Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, and Pauline Oliveros.

Sedgwick Cultural Center
Unexpected Light

Grant amount: $20,655
Grant period: 2003-2004

Unexpected Light brings together the jazz quartet of Jane Ira Bloom and lighting designer James F. Ingalls for two concert performances in which the interactions of music and light create a new improvised work. Bloom will conduct a residency session on improvisation with the Sedgwick Cultural Center’s Teen Jazz Workshop, and Bloom and Ingalls will hold a panel discussion on interdisciplinary art practice with members of the community and theatre and music professionals.

The Sedgwick Cultural Center, dedicated to building community through the arts, provides a common meeting ground in the heart of Philadelphia’s historic northwest. Highlights of past seasons include concerts by nationally known jazz, world, folk, and classical music artists, including Benny Golson, Doc Gibbs, Sam Newsome, and Odean Pope.

SRUTI, the India Music and Dance Society
Sangeetha Anubhava (Experiencing Music)

Grant amount: $22,500
Grant period: 2003-2004

SRUTI will present performances by Kadri Gopalnath, the only saxophone player in Indian classical music, accompanied by Kanyakumari (violin) and Thenkanikottai Mani (thavil); and Ali Akbar Khan, one of the pioneering figures in introducing Indian music to the West, on the sarode, accompanied by Swapan Chaudhuri (tabla), Alam Khan (sarode), and Manik Khan (tanpura). SRUTI will also present lecture/demonstrations by Geetha Ramanathan Bennett (vina) and Trichy Sankaran (mridangam) on melody and rhythm, respectively, in Indian classical music.

SRUTI, the India Music and Dance Society strives to enhance the cultural awareness of the region by presenting live Indian classical music and dance programs. Founded in 1986, SRUTI has organized over 85 concerts featuring more than 300 distinguished artists, including acclaimed sitarist Ravi Shankar.

Strings for Schools
Latin Meets Jazz

Grant amount: $30,000
Grant period: 2003-2004

Strings for Schools will offer a performance featuring highly regarded Latin jazz artists Paquito D’Rivera and Giovanni Hidalgo alongside Strings for Schools roster artists John Blake, Jr. and Marlon Simon, with Simon’s band, the Nagual Spirits. The main concert will be presented at a downtown venue, with an additional performance held at a high school located in the Hispanic community and a student workshop at the Asociación de Músicos Latino Americanos.

Founded in 1974, Strings for Schools presents educational programs on jazz, classical, and multicultural/multiethnic musical traditions to students in Philadelphia and the surrounding communities. Strings for Schools offers over 500 school and public concerts a year and has collaborated with such renowned artists as Billy Taylor, Quincy Jones, and Geri Allen.

Panelist Biographies

Emil Kang (panel chair), President and Executive Director, Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Emil J. Kang was named President and Executive Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in June 2000. He joined the staff of the DSO in April 1999 as Vice President of Operations. Previously, Kang served as Orchestra Manager for the Seattle Symphony (1996 to 1999) and was an Orchestra Management Fellow through the American Symphony Orchestra League with the San Francisco, Houston and Grand Rapids (Michigan) symphony orchestras. Mr. Kang has served on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. Active in the metropolitan Detroit community, Mr. Kang is a graduate of Leadership Detroit and has served on the boards of the University Cultural Center Association, the United Neighborhood Centers Association, and as a member of metropolitan Detroit’s Cultural Coalition. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Rochester in New York, and a Certificate of Management Studies in Accounting/Finance from the university’s William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives for Non- Profit Management Programs.

Carmen Balthrop, soprano, Associate Professor of Music, University of Maryland
Carmen Balthrop made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflote. With a repertoire ranging from Baroque opera and song to contemporary literature, she has performed leading roles with some of the world’s major opera companies and symphony orchestras, including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Washington Opera, Canadian Opera, Deutsche Oper (Berlin), Teatro La Fenice (Venice), the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the National Symphony. While her international appearances have taken her to concert halls in Austria, Amsterdam, the Bahamas, China, Mexico, and Russia, in the United States, Ms. Balthrop has performed recitals in the White House, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. On Chrismas Day 2000, NPR chose to air the live performance of her Christmas art song recital, which was performed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Ms. Balthrop’s discography, found on the Deutsche Grammophon, Elan, New World, and Fonit Cetra labels, includes the title roles of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha, Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, John Knowles Paine's Mass and Leslie Burrs Vanqui. Ms. Balthrop is scheduled to release her CD entitled Art and Tradition of Christmas in the fall of 2003.

Michael Cain, pianist, Professor of Piano and Improvisation, New England Conservatory
After growing up on soul and R&B, then studying jazz, classical, African and Indonesian music, pianist/composer Michael Cain began a performing career working with flutist James Newton, Marlena Shaw, Gerald Wilson, Billy Higgins, and the New American Orchestra. After moving to New York, Mr. Cain began working with members of the M-Base collective such as Greg Osby and Robin Eubanks, joined Jack DeJohnette’s Special Edition, and worked with artists such as Dave Holland, Steps Ahead, Dewey Redman, Marty Ehrlich, Bobby McFerrin, Stanley Turrentine, and Meshell N’degeocello. From 1995 to 1997, Mr. Cain was an assistant professor in the Jazz and Contemporary Media department at the Eastman School of Music. He directed small ensembles and taught a variety of subjects including improvisation, contemporary techniques in composition, pedagogy, history and analysis, and piano. In 1997, Mr. Cain joined the faculty at the New England Conservatory of Music where he currently directs an ensemble, teaches classes on rhythm analysis, and teaches private piano. Mr. Cain’s most recent recording as a leader is called Brooklyn Waters, a duo project with drummer and composer Pheeroan akLaff for Telepathy Records. He has recorded several records as a leader, including Circa, a 1996 ECM release.

Karen Chester, Director, Merkin Concert Hall
Karen Chester, Director of Merkin Concert Hall at the Elaine Kaufman Cultural Center, leads both the artistic and administrative aspects of Merkin Hall, developing its concert presentations, programs, and partnerships within the performing arts community. Ms. Chester is an award-winning recording and film producer, as well as an executive arts consultant. As founder and President of Sound Vision Inc., she has supported and promoted organizations as diverse as the Colorado Symphony; the International Association of Jazz Educators; Classical Action: Performing Arts Against AIDS; and Global Music Network, Inc. (GMN.com) in fulfilling their artistic visions and corporate needs. Ms. Chester was involved in the creation and launch of Koch International Classics, where she was involved with one of Koch’s first releases—the Grammy award winning world premiere recording of Leonard Bernstein’s Arias and Barcarolles. From there she moved to Angel/EMI Classics where she served as consulting producer from 1992 through 1994, and in 1995 she was chosen to head BMG Classics’ Catalyst label, where she became the Artists & Repertoire and Label Manager. As an independent recording producer, Ms. Chester produced, edited, and mixed recordings for RCA Victor/Red Seal, Angel/EMI, Sony Classical, Virgin Classics, Nonesuch, Teldec, New Albion, Harmonia Mundi, Point, and MusicMasters. She has recorded and worked with such artists and arts organizations as Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Placido Domingo, Lynn Harrell, the Brentano String Quartet, Michael Tilson Thomas, Hugh Wolff, and the Saint Paul Orchestra.

Robert Garfias, Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Irvine
Robert Garfias received a B.A. in music and anthropology from SFSU and an M.A. and Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from UCLA. He is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that awards the Grammy, and past national president of the Society for Ethnomusicology. In 1987 he was a White House appointee to the National Council on the Arts where he served for ten years. He is a former member of the Council of the Smithsonian Institution, former dean of the School of the Arts at UCI, and former Director of the University of California Education Abroad Program in Costa Rica. Dr. Garfias has conducted research in Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Mexico and Central America, Burma (Myanmar), Romania, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, Okinawa, and, most recently, Turkey. He speaks eight languages and has written on the music of many cultures as well as on policy concerning the status of the folk and traditional arts in the United States.

Mark Kausch, Manager, Classical & Cultural Programming, Public Radio International
Mark Kausch, a graduate of the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University and St. Olaf College, manages classical music and cultural program marketing for Public Radio International. In recent years, he has successfully launched From the Top, a program heard by over 500,000 weekly listeners on 240 public radio stations nationwide, and Studio 360, also heard by over 500,000 listeners on 150 stations. During his 12-year tenure at PRI, he has orchestrated the launch of programs including Schickele Mix, American Routes, Sound & Spirit, and the 24-hour live classical music service Classical 24. Collectively, these programs are heard on over 300 stations by nearly 3 million listeners each week. As a member of the Early Music America Board of Directors from 1992 until 1998, Mr. Kausch served as board secretary and nominating committee chair. He served as board president for the Twin Cities–based Lyra Baroque Orchestra from 1999 until 2001. In his current role as Acting Executive Director for Lyra, Mr. Kausch is presently in charge of a strategic planning process for the organization, focused primarily on expanding Lyra’s audience. Mr. Kausch maintains an active presence within the Twin Cities early music community as a viola da gamba, double bass, and violone performer and teacher.

Robert Porco, Director of Choruses, Cleveland Orchestra
Robert Porco became director of choruses for The Cleveland Orchestra in 1998. In addition to preparing the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and Blossom Festival Chorus for performances, Mr. Porco conducts the Cleveland Orchestra, Chorus and Children’s Chorus for the annual Christmas concerts each December, and for the last two summers he has led the Orchestra in concerts at Blossom Festival. A regular guest conductor and director of choruses for the Cincinnati May Festival, he has guest-conducted the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and other orchestras in the United States and Europe. From 1989 to 1998, he served as artistic director and conductor of the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir (which performs regularly with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra). Mr. Porco has prepared choruses for such prominent conductors as Pierre Boulez, James Conlon, Sir Andrew Davis, Christoph von Dohnányi, Raymond Leppard, James Levine, Jesús López-Cobos, Zubin Mehta, John Nelson, André Previn, Kurt Sanderling, Leonard Slatkin and Robert Shaw and Franz Welser-Möst, among others. Robert Porco served as chairman of the choral department at the Indiana University School of Music from 1980- 98.

Joan Tower, composer, Professor of Music, Bard College
Joan Tower is the Asher Edelman Professor of Music at Bard College, where she has taught since 1972. She is composer-in-residence at the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York and at the Yale/Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. Inducted into the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1998, Ms. Tower also was the recipient of the 1990 Grawemeyer Award in Composition and the 1998 Delaware Symphony’s Alfred I. DuPont Award for Distinguished American Composers. From 1969 to 1984, Ms. Tower was pianist and founding member of the Naumburg Award-winning Da Capo Chamber Players, which commissioned and premiered many of her most popular works. Her orchestral compositions have been featured in performances by orchestras including St. Louis, New York, San Francisco, Minnesota, Tokyo NHK, Toronto, the National Symphony and London Philharmonia. She has also received chamber music commissions from the Tokyo String Quartet and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Ms. Tower has been the subject of television documentaries on WGBH (Boston), CBS Sunday Morning, and MJW Productions (England). Tower’s music can be heard on the Koch, Nonesuch, RCA, and d’Note labels.