Longy School of Music of Bard College is a private

music school A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

. Founded in 1915 as the Longy School of Music, it was one of the four independent degree-granting music schools in the

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

region along with the New England Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, and

Boston Conservatory Boston Conservatory at Berklee (formerly The Boston Conservatory) is a private performing arts conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, music, and theater. Boston Conservatory was founded ...

. In 2012, the institution merged with

Bard College Bard College is a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic District—a National Historic Landmark. Founded in 1860, ...

to become Longy School of Music of Bard College.Longy School of Music (April 2, 2012)
Press release: "Longy School of Music Becomes a Part of Bard College"
Retrieved 3 April 2012. As of the 2018–19 academic year, the conservatory has 300 students in its degree programs from 35 states and 23 countries.

History

Longy School of Music was founded in Boston in 1915 by Georges Longy, a French-born oboist and graduate of the

Paris Conservatory The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

who had joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1898. Upon his retirement in 1925, his daughter, Renée Longy-Miquelle, succeeded him as director. She recruited several of Georges Longy's Boston Symphony colleagues as faculty members, and established

Dalcroze Eurhythmics Dalcroze eurhythmics, also known as the Dalcroze method or simply eurhythmics, is one of several developmental approaches including the Kodály method, Orff Schulwerk and Suzuki Method used to teach music to students. Eurhythmics was develope ...

as an important part of Longy's curriculum. The school moved across the

Charles River The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles b ...

to Cambridge in 1930, and in 1937 took up residence in the stone mansion at One Follen Street; originally built in 1889 by railroad baron

Edwin Hale Abbot Edwin Hale Abbot (1834–1927) was a lawyer and railroad executive, active in Boston and Milwaukee. Biography Abbot was born in Beverly, Massachusetts on January 26, 1834. His relatives included brother Henry Larcom Abbot and nephew Fred ...

. During that time, Longy had a close relationship with Harvard and Radcliffe colleges. Many of Harvard’s most talented music students, including

Elliott Carter Elliott Cook Carter Jr. (December 11, 1908 – November 5, 2012) was an American modernist composer. One of the most respected composers of the second half of the 20th century, he combined elements of European modernism and American "ultra- ...

and

Daniel Pinkham Daniel Rogers Pinkham Jr. (June 5, 1923 – December 18, 2006) was an American composer, organist, and harpsichordist. Early life and education Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, into a prominent family engaged in the manufacture of patent medicines ( ...

, crossed the

Cambridge Common Cambridge Common is a public park and National Historic Landmark in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. It is located near Harvard Square and borders on several parts of Harvard University. The north end of the park has a large playground. T ...

to study with Longy’s performance faculty. Between 1938 and 1944, the pedagogue and theoretician

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

taught advanced courses in harmony, composition and counterpoint at Longy and established a tradition of focus on music theory and composition that continues to characterize the school to the present day. The school's Preparatory and Continuing Studies program (part-time private lessons, classes, and ensembles offered to area residents) evolved from its beginnings in the 1920s when it began offering classes for children. In 1978, a Saturday program of theory, private lessons, and other music classes for children was added.Kahn, Joseph P. (7 March 2013)
"Longy School of Music to disband nondegree programs"
''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' Previous leaders of the school include violinist

Roman Totenberg Roman Totenberg (1 January 1911 – 8 May 2012) was a Polish-American violinist and educator. A child prodigy, he lived in Poland, Moscow, Berlin, and Paris, before formally immigrating to the U.S. in 1938, at age 27. He performed and taught nat ...

, director from 1978 to 1985, pianist Victor Rosenbaum, director from 1985 to 2001, and Kwang-Wu Kim, president from 2001 to 2006. Rosenbaum's tenure as director saw the establishment of the opera and modern American music departments as well as a growth in student numbers from 600 to 1,200, and in the annual budget from $600,000 to $3.5 million. The current president is Karen Zorn, who took up her post in 2007. On April 1, 2010, the ''

'' reported that Longy was in negotiations to become a graduate school of

.Geoff Edgers
"Cambridge music school cuts jobs, seeks partner"
''Boston Globe'', April 1, 2010. Accessed 1 April 2010. President Zorn began preliminary talks with Bard's president,

Leon Botstein Leon Botstein (born December 14, 1946 in Zürich, Switzerland) is a Swiss-American conducting, conductor, educator, and scholar serving as the President of Bard College. Biography 1946–1975: Early life, education, and career Botstein was ...

in July 2009. The merger with Bard College in June 2011 established a Master of Arts in Teaching in Music degree program, located in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. The program is based on the tenets of the Venezuelan movement of social empowerment through music education known as

El Sistema El Sistema (which translates to The System) is a publicly financed, voluntary sector, music-education program, founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Venezuelan educator, musician, and activist José Antonio Abreu.Lesniak It later adopted the motto "M ...

. The Los Angeles Philharmonic is also a partner in the MAT program, with hands-on teacher training taking place at the LA Phil's premier El Sistema-inspired site, Heart of Los Angeles (YOLA). The Master of Arts in Teaching in Music was created in association with Take a Stan

a partnership between Longy, Bard, and the LA Phil that was formed to promote and support the El Sistema-inspired music education movement throughout the US. ''

Facilities

Zabriskie House

Longy's original home in Cambridge is the Edwin Abbot House, a well-appointed landmark building originally designed by Longfellow, Alden, and Harlow. As is the case with the firm's designs for Cambridge City Hall, the house's extensive Richardsonian detailing, and winding open stair, recall two of the partners' previous work in the office of legendary Boston architect, H. H. Richardson. The building is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. The structure now holds rooms for teaching, administration, performance and practice. Following the construction of Pickman Hall in 1970 (see below), Longy began a program in the 1990s to add facilities and renovate existing ones. The program included construction of the Bakalar Music Library, which opened in 1992; acquisition and restoration of the Rey-Waldstein Building; and renovation and expansion of the Edward M. Pickman Concert Hall.

The Rey-Waldstein Building

In 1998, Longy purchased a new building at 33 Garden Street to add further performance and practice space as well as classrooms and offices. Originally built in 1905, and renovated by Longy in 2005, the historic structure is now named in honor of Margaret Rey and H.A. Rey, the creators of '' Curious George,'' along with longtime supporters of Longy, and Margaret Rey’s parents,

Felix Felix may refer to: * Felix (name), people and fictional characters with the name Places * Arabia Felix is the ancient Latin name of Yemen * Felix, Spain, a municipality of the province Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, ...

and Gertrude Waldstein. In 2006, the Cambridge Historical Commission recognized Longy with a Preservation Award for the quality of its restoration and renovation, designed by Wolf Architects of Boston. In addition to providing universal access into the building, Longy restored the original polychromatic exterior, improved the public spaces, and, among other renovations, provided attractive new lounge space and practice rooms in the basement.

Edward M. Pickman Concert Hall

The Edward M. Pickman Concert Hall, built in 1970, is Longy School of Music of Bard College's primary performance space. Named in honor of Edward M. Pickman, president of the board of trustees from 1955 to 1959, the 300-seat birch-lined hall provides a setting for masterclasses, and solo and chamber performances. The addition to the historic Abbot House was designed by Huygens and Tappe. Its juxtaposition of abstract contemporary volumes of brick and stone, with the historic masonry forms of the Abbot House, has been admired over the decades as a model combination of old and new. The completion of a renovation in 1993 was marked with a concert that included the world premiere of

Howard Frazin Howard Frazin (born 1962) is a composer based in Somerville, Massachusetts. His works are published by Edition Peters and he has served as president of Composers in Red Sneakers. He served on the faculty of the Longy School of Music and has taught ...

's ''Amid a Crowd of Stars''. In 2010, Longy undertook another round of renovations to fine-tune the Hall's acoustics, expand the lobby, and create a new entrance pavilion. Over 250 concerts now take place in Pickman Hall each year, many of which are free and open to the public.

Academics

Through its conservatory, Longy School of Music of Bard College offers two four-year undergraduate programs: ''Undergraduate Diploma'', and ''Bachelor of Music Degree'' (the latter in conjunction with Emerson College). At graduate level the school offers three two-year programs: ''Master of Music Degree'', ''Graduate Performance Diploma'', and ''Artist Diploma'' (for exceptionally gifted performers). In the Fall of 2021, Longy plans to launch of a fully online Master of Music in Music Education degree program (MM/ME) designed especially for educators who seek an advanced degree without taking time off from their careers.

Notable alumni

Notable former students and alumni of Longy School of Music of Bard College include:Distinguished Alumni Awards
Longy School of Music *

(composer) *

Schuyler Chapin Schuyler Garrison Chapin (February 13, 1923 – March 7, 2009) was a General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera, and later Commissioner of Cultural Affairs for New York City during the administration of Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He also served as the de ...

(former General Manager

New York Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

, Dean of Columbia University School of the Arts) * Alexandra du Bois (composer) *

Ralph Farris Ralph Farris (born Ralph Howard Farris, Jr., 1970) is an American violist, violinist, composer, arranger, producer and conductor, best known as a founding member and artistic director of the ensemble ETHEL. Farris is an electric string player wi ...

(violist, violinist, composer, and conductor) * Robert Freeman (pianist, musicologist, and long time director of the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music ...

) *

Anton Kuerti Anton Emil Kuerti, OC (born July 21, 1938) is an Austrian-born Canadian pianist, music teacher, composer, and conductor. He has developed international recognition as a solo pianist.Noël Lee Noël Lee (December 25, 1924 – July 15, 2013) was an American classical pianist and composer. Born in 1924 in Nanjing, China, Lee studied music in Lafayette, Indiana, then attended Harvard University, studying with Walter Piston, Irving Fine, ...

(pianist) * Janice Lourie (computer scientist and graphic artist) * Susana Naidich (singer, musicologist, phonologist, voice teacher, and speech-language pathologist) *

Dmitri Nabokov Dmitri Vladimirovich Nabokov (russian: Дми́трий Влади́мирович Набо́ков; May 10, 1934February 22, 2012) was an American opera singer and translator. Born in Berlin, he was the only child of Russian parents: author Vlad ...

(opera singer and translator) *

Jean Papineau-Couture Jean Papineau-Couture, (November 12, 1916August 11, 2000) was a Canadians, Canadian composer and academic. Born in Montreal, Papineau-Couture is the grandson of conductor and composer Guillaume Couture (musician), Guillaume Couture. As a child ...

(composer) *

(composer, organist, and harpsichordist) *

Greg Sandow Greg Sandow (born June 3, 1943) is an American music critic and composer. Education Sandow is a graduate of Harvard University, with a bachelor's degree in government. He is also a graduate of Yale University, with a master's degree in composi ...

(music critic, composer) * Polyna Savridi (soprano)

Notable faculty

Notable faculty at Longy include: * Kenneth Amis (tuba player) * Anne Azéma (voice, early music) * Laura Anne Bossert (violinist and violist) *

Phoebe Carrai Phoebe Carrai (born October 15, 1955 in Boston) is an American cellist. Carrai studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where she earned both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. In 1979, Carrai undertook post-graduate stud ...

(baroque cellist) *

Jonathan Cohler Jonathan Cohler (born June 19, 1959) is an American classical clarinetist, conductor, music educator and record producer. Early career Jonathan Cohler graduated from Harvard University in 1980 with a degree in physics. He studied clarinet with P ...

(clarinetist) * Pamela Dellal (voice and diction) *

Isaiah Jackson Isaiah Allen Jackson (born 22 January 1945) is an American conductor who served a seven-year term as conductor of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, of which he has been named Conductor Emeritus. He was the first African-American to be a ...

(conductor) * John Howell Morrison (composer) *

Kenneth Radnofsky Kenneth A. Radnofsky (born July 31, 1953 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania) is an American classical saxophonist. He specializes in the alto saxophone, but plays the soprano and other sizes as well. He currently teaches at the New England Conservatory o ...

(classical saxophonist) * Jayne West (soprano) Past faculty have included: *

Olga Averino Olga Averino (November 15, 1895 – January 17, 1989) was a Russian-born soprano and voice teacher. A white émigré to the United States in the wake of the Russian Civil War, she was prominent in the musical life of Boston for over 60 years ...

(soprano and vocal pedagogue) *

Charlie Banacos Charlie Banacos (August 11, 1946 – December 8, 2009) was an American pianist, composer, author and educator, concentrating on jazz. Banacos created over 100 courses of study for improvisation and composition. His concepts of teaching and his c ...

(jazz and improvisation) * E. Power Biggs (organist) *

(composer, conductor, and music theorist) *

Sarah Caldwell Sarah Caldwell (March 6, 1924March 23, 2006) was an American opera conductor, impresario, and stage director. Early life Caldwell was born in Maryville, Missouri, and grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She was a child prodigy and gave publ ...

(conductor and opera company director) * John Ernest Cook (composer and organist) *

Edward Downes Sir Edward Thomas ("Ted") Downes, CBE (17 June 1924 – 10 July 2009) was an English conductor, specialising in opera. He was associated with the Royal Opera House from 1952, and with Opera Australia from 1970. He was also well known for hi ...

(musicologist and critic) *

Thomas Meglioranza Thomas Meglioranza (born October 7, 1970, New York, New York) is an American operatic baritone. Biography Meglioranza was born to an American father of Italian Americans, Italian and Polish Americans, Polish descent and a Thai people, Thai mother. ...

(baritone) *

Walter Piston Walter Hamor Piston, Jr. (January 20, 1894 – November 12, 1976), was an American composer of classical music, music theorist, and professor of music at Harvard University. Life Piston was born in Rockland, Maine at 15 Ocean Street to Walter Ha ...

(composer and music theorist) *

Eric Rosenblith Eric Rosenblith (December 11, 1920 – December 16, 2010) was an Austrian-born American violinist. He was the former concertmaster of the Indianapolis and San Antonio Symphony Orchestras, and had performed as a soloist and chamber musician thro ...

(violinist) *

Peter Serkin Peter Adolf Serkin (July 24, 1947 – February 1, 2020) was an American classical pianist. He won the Grammy Award for Most Promising New Classical Recording Artist in 1966, and he performed globally, known for not only "technically pristine" pl ...

(pianist) *

(violinist) * Pacifica Quartet (Visiting Artists in Chamber Music) * Nicholas Van Slyck (composer)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Longy School Of Music Music schools in Massachusetts Educational institutions established in 1915 Universities and colleges in Cambridge, Massachusetts Bard College Educational institutions disestablished in 2011 Harvard Square 1915 establishments in Massachusetts