| Music Academy of the West | |
|---|---|
){kind=logo} | |
| Address | |
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1070 Fairway Road , , 93108 United States | |
| Coordinates | 34°25′09″N 119°38′56″W / 34.419231°N 119.648933°W |
| Information | |
| Funding type | Nonprofit[1] |
| Established | 1947 |
| President | Scott Reed |
| Chairman | Eileen Sheridan |
| Dean | Tiffany DeVries[2] |
| Campus size | 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Website | www |
The Music Academy of the West is a classical music-training program in Montecito, California.
Overview
The academy hosts an annual eight-week summer music festival, highlighted by concerts and workshops directed by famous composers, conductors, and artists. The festival hosts 140 pre-professional musicians who receive merit-based full scholarships. Programs of study are vocal piano, voice, collaborative piano, solo piano, and instrumental.[3] The academy is partnering with the UC Santa Barbara to preserve historic audio and video recordings of concerts, masterclasses and recitals held at Music Academy of the West.[4] In 2017, 400 early recordings have been digitized, among them recordings of Lotte Lehmann, Marilyn Horne, and Jerome Lowenthal.[5]
History
The first impulse to establish a summer music festival in Santa Barbara came from soprano Lotte Lehmann in 1940.[6] In 1947 the Music Academy of the West was founded by Southern California arts patrons, musicians, conductors and composers.[4] In addition to Lotte Lehmann, founders of the academy where conductor Otto Klemperer, violinist Roman Totenberg, harpsichordist Rosalyn Tureck, baritone John Charles Thomas and composers Ernest Bloch, Darius Milhaud, Roy Harris and Arnold Schoenberg, who served as the academy's first composer in residence.[7] Among the first scholarschip funders where singer-actors Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, violinist Jascha Heifetz and movie producer Daryl F. Zanuck.[8]
From 1954 to 1980 the academy's music director was Maurice Abravanel.[9] Martial Singher was head of the Voice Department from 1962 till 1981.[10] In 1997 Marilyn Horne was named director of the voice program[11] and remained in this position till 2018.[12] In 2018, Horne became the honorary voice program director.[13]
Since 2010, the academy has held the annual Marilyn Horne Song Competition, formerly known as the Marilyn Horne Foundation Vocal Competition.
In the same year, Scott Reed became the academy's president and chief executive officer.[14] Past presidents have included David Kuehn[15] and NancyBell Coe.[16]
In 2014, the Music Academy of the West began an educational partnership with the New York Philharmonic. Under the collaboration, music director Alan Gilbert and orchestra members maintained residencies in Santa Barbara during parts of the festival, and selected Music Academy fellows trained with orchestra members in Santa Barbara and New York City.[17]
In 2018, the academy launched a four-year partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra with music director Simon Rattle,[18] and a free after school choral program called Sing! for children ages 7–11 taking place in elementary schools in Santa Barbara County. Participants perform at the Music Academy of the West and collaborate with the London Symphony Orchestra.[19]
Alumni
Alumni of the Music Academy of the West are former attendants of the conservatory programs. Many of them fill important professional music positions around the world, performing in top-tier orchestras, opera houses, and teaching on music school faculties. Others have gone on to leadership roles in other institutions. Notable alumni include:
Voice
- Lucine Amara (1947)[20]
- John Brancy (2013)[20]
- Grace Bumbry (1956, 1957, 1958)[20]
- Benita Valente[21] (1953, 1955, 1956, 1957)[20]
- Juan Diego Flórez (as Juan Florez, 1995)[20]
- Donald Gramm[22][23]
- Kay Griffel (1958)[20]
- Thomas Hampson (1978, 1979)[20]
- Megan Marie Hart (as Megan Hart, 2010)[20]
- Marilyn Horne (1953)[20]
- Robert W. Jensen (as Robert Jensen, 1949)[20]
- Isabel Leonard (2005)[20]
- Kathryn Lewek (2009)[20]
- Lotfi Mansouri (1957)[20]
- Simone Osborne (2008, 2009, 2011)[20]
- Nadine Sierra (2007)[20]
- Riki Turofsky (1970)[20]
- Erin Wall (2000)[20]
String instruments
Violin
- Pamela Frank (1983, 1984)[24]
Viola
Cello
- Catherine Hewgill (1981)[26]
Double Bass
- Orin O'Brien (1952, 1953, 1955)[27]
Wind instruments
Horn
- Barry Carl (1966, 1967, 1971)[28]
Trumpet
- Anthony Plog (1968)[29]
Clarinet
- David Shifrin (1968)[30]
Piano
- Burt Bacharach (1950)[31][32]
- James Newton Howard (1967, 1969)[31]
- Martin Katz (1964)[33]
- Paul Schenly (1964, 1965, 1969)[31]
Conducting
Other students
Music students using the facilities for music training or performing with visiting orchestras without being enrolled are not considered alumni.[35] Among those students are:
- Susan Allen (with the Santa Barbara Youth Theatre, 1963)
- Judith Beckmann (singing lessons with Harold Reed and Lotte Lehmann)
- Katy Perry (singing lessons at facilities)[36]
Sources
- Randel, Don Michael (1996). Randel, Don Michael (ed.). The Harvard biographical dictionary of music. Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674372999. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
References
- ^ "Financials". musicacademy.org. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ "Administration". musicacademy.org. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ "Programs of Study & Audition Requirements". Archived from the original on 2014-07-25. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
- ^ a b "Collection: Music Academy of the West archives". 18 January 2020. Archived from the original on 18 January 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ "Music Academy of the West's Archives Find Home at UCSB Library". library.ucsb.edu. 2 July 2017. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ Crawford, Sharon. "Music Academy of the West | Lotte Lehmann League". lottelehmannleague.org. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ Greenberg, Robert (26 August 2019). "Music History Monday: Lotte Lehmann". robertgreenbergmusic.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "History | Music Academy". www.musicacademy.org. Archived from the original on 2018-12-28. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
- ^ Randel 1996, p. 2.
- ^ Randel 1996, p. 841.
- ^ Brozan, Nadine (8 January 1997). "Chronicle". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ Brittingham, Joanie (2014-01-01). "From Student To Teacher : Marilyn Horne". csmusic.net. Archived from the original on 2019-06-24. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- ^ "Marilyn Horne | Music Academy". www.musicacademy.org. Archived from the original on 2018-12-28. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
- ^ "Scott Reed | Department of Music". www.music.ucsb.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-10-23. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- ^ DeVries, Tiffany (2011-12-15). "Music Academy of the West | North Texan". northtexan.unt.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-10-23. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- ^ Dougherty, Tim (2009-11-23). "NancyBell Coe to Retire as Music Academy President". www.noozhawk.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-23. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- ^ Kozinn, Allan (2014-03-14). "New York Philharmonic to Team With Music Academy of the West". artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-07. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
- ^ "London Symphony Orchestra - Music Academy of the West". lso.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2019-10-23. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- ^ Giorgi, Raiza (December 4, 2018). "Music Academy creates free choir for elementary students". santabarbarafamilylife.com. Archived from the original on 2019-02-22. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Alumni Roster, Voice". musicacademy.org. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ Randel 1996, p. 937.
- ^ Randel 1996, p. 328.
- ^ "Alumni Search". musicacademy.org. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ "Alumni Roster, Violin". musicacademy.org. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Alumni Roster, Viola". musicacademy.org. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Alumni Roster, Cello". musicacademy.org. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Alumni Roster, Double Bass". musicacademy.org. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Alumni Roster, Horn". musicacademy.org. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Alumni Roster, Trumpet". musicacademy.org. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Alumni Roster, Clarinet". musicacademy.org. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ a b c "Alumni Roster, Piano". musicacademy.org. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ Randel 1996, p. 40.
- ^ "Alumni Roster, Vocal Piano". musicacademy.org. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Alumni Roster, Conducting". musicacademy.org. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ Montgomery, Alice (15 September 2011). Katy Perry – The Unofficial Biography. Penguin. ISBN 9780718158248. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
The reality is somewhat different, according to Tim Docherty, [sic] who works at the Academy: 'Katy was never involved in our programme,' he said. 'She was never a fellow, as we call our students. We are one of the most prestigious music schools on the West Coast, inviting vocalists from all over the world. What actually happened was that she might have taken a music lesson from rooms we rent out. There's no suggestion that Katy herself was responsible for the story, but it certainly didn't hurt her musical credentials to be associated with the school'
- ^ Panda, Priya (17 January 2020). "Katy Perry Wants to Draw on Your Face". toonage.ca. Archived from the original on 16 March 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2020.