School Notes: School of Music
September/October 2014

John Adams conducts Philharmonia

Composer/conductor John Adams conducts the Yale Philharmonia in two concerts, October 17 in Woolsey Hall and October 19 as part of the Yale in New York concert series. The latter will mark the orchestra’s return to Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Adams’s Absolute Jest, a concerto for string quartet and orchestra, will feature the Brentano String Quartet in their first year as the school’s quartet-in-residence. Adams will also lead the orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 (a piece that influenced Adams’s own) and Stravinsky’s ballet Orpheus.

Four alumni join Ensemble ACJW

Four YSM graduates will become fellows of the Academy/Ensemble ACJW, a program of Carnegie Hall, Juilliard, and the Weill Institute of Music in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. This two-year fellowship is one of the leading teaching artist training programs in the country and is extremely competitive. The incoming fellows from Yale are Garrett Arney ’14ArtA, percussion; Phillip Browne ’14MusM, horn; Jean Laurenz ’13MusM, ’14ArtA, trumpet; and Michael Zuber ’14MusM, bassoon.

Hendrie Hall vacated for renovations

Hendrie Hall was vacated on August 1 so that an extensive expansion and renovation project can begin this fall. Numerous musical organizations at Yale use Hendrie, both School of Music departments—including brass, percussion, and Yale Opera—as well as undergraduate ensembles: Yale Bands, Yale Glee Club, and Yale Symphony Orchestra. The building will be closed for two years while the renovation takes place; all activities in Hendrie will temporarily be moved to other nearby locations. The renovated building, which will reopen in 2016, will offer state-of-the-art rehearsal facilities, faculty studios, and practice rooms, as well as a student commons space.

Yale Percussion Group honored

The Yale Percussion Group, directed by Robert van Sice, was among the winners of the PASIC Ensemble Competition organized by the Percussive Arts Society. As a winner, the ensemble is invited to perform a daytime showcase concert at PASIC 2014, which will be held in November in Indianapolis.