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Juilliard School

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Established 1905
School type Private
President Joseph W. Polisi
Location New York, New York, USA
Enrollment approximately 800
Campus Urban
Homepage www.juilliard.edu

The Juilliard School is recognized as one of the best performing arts conservatories in the world. Centrally located in New York City, it is informally identified as simply Juilliard, and most famous for its musically trained alumni. Now located at Lincoln Center, the school instructs about 800 undergraduates and graduate students. It is one of the world's leading music conservatory and drama schools.

History

The school was founded in 1905 as the Institute of Musical Art; it was then located at Fifth Avenue and 12th Street. In its first year, the institute enrolled 500 students. It moved in 1910 to Claremont Avenue. In 1920, the Juilliard Foundation was created, named after textile merchant Augustus Juilliard who bequeathed a substantial amount for the advancement of music in the United States. Established in 1924, the foundation's Juilliard Graduate School merged with the Institute of Musical Art two years later. As of 1946, the combined schools were named The Juilliard School of Music. The president of the school at that time was William Schuman, the first winner of the Pulitzer Prize for music.

The school gradually branched out, first adding a dance division and later one for drama, and since 1969, when it moved to the Lincoln Center, it has carried its present name. In 2001, the school established a jazz performance training program. In September 2005, Sir Colin Davis conducted an orchestra which combined students from the Juilliard and London's Royal Academy of Music at the BBC Proms. Currently, the building is undergoing extensive renovation, along with a part of Lincoln Center, aimed at overhauling its appearance. The project is estimated to take about three years to complete.

The Juilliard School Pre-College

A major part of the school, the Pre-College Division is that part of the school which teaches students that are enrolled in elementary, junior high, and high school. It does not teach beginners, but students who are advanced and have a wish to learn and become professional instrumentalists. Many Pre-College faculty also teach in the College Division.

The Pre-College Division is divided into the following areas of study:

  • orchestral instruments,
  • composition,
  • keyboard instruments, and
  • vocal majors.

In addition to these, all students take Music Theory and Solfege, and have the option to study conducting. Basic theory is considered to be key signatures, while more advanced students study species counterpoint. Composition students must minor in piano. If a student has completed all the levels of required theory and Solfege, he or she may continue on to college courses, which are held during the week. During the course of the year, master classes are held, and guest conductors are called in to conduct the orchestras.

The orchestral instrumentalists are put into three orchestras on the basis of age:

  • The Pre-College Chamber Orchestra,
  • The Pre-College Symphony, and
  • The Pre-College Orchestra.

Each orchestra performs three concerts per season, usually consisting of a concerto, a full length symphony, and other works from world-class composers. On occasion, the Pre-College Orchestra is invited to play at Alice Tully Hall located next to the usual venue, the Peter Jay Sharp Theater. A student composition is chosen for the final orchestra concert, as well as an open concerto. Each orchestra rehearses 2.5 hours every Saturday in the Walter Bruno Orchestral Studio.

Andrew Thomas, a noted composer and pianist, has been the director of the program from 1994 until just recently (2006), when he decided he would not return as director for the 2006-2007 school year. Dr. Thomas will, however, remain for his thirty-sixth year on the Pre-College composition faculty. Robert Ross, director of Performance Activities, and Katya Lawson, office manager will serve as co-administrators for the Pre-College Division until a new Program Director is chosen. This was decided by Juilliard School president, Joseph Polisi. The Pre-College Division is held on every Saturday from September to May in The Juilliard Building at Lincoln Center.

Noted alumni include Yo-Yo Ma, James Gaffigan, David Fein, Axl Rose, Leonard Nimoy, Bonnie Tyler and Itzhak Perlman. Noted faculty members include principal bassoonist of the Mostly Mozart Festival, Marc Goldenberger, principal bassist of the NY Philharmonic, Eugene Levinson, associate principal trombonist of the NY Philharmonic, James Markey, principal timpanist of the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, Jeffrey Milarsky, noted composers Daniel Ott, Eric Sessler, Behzad Ranjbaran and Andrew Thomas, and world-famous violinist, Itzhak Perlman.

Juilliard Manuscript Collection

In 2006 Juilliard received a trove of precious music manuscripts from the billionaire collector and financier Bruce Kovner. The collection includes autograph scores, sketches, composer-emended proofs and first editions of major works by Brahms, Schumann, Schubert, Beethoven, Chopin, Stravinsky, Bach, Liszt, Ravel, Copland, Mozart and other masters of the classical music canon. Many of the manuscripts have been unavailable for generations. Among the items are the printer's manuscript of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the version that went to the printer with Beethoven's emendations and that was used for the first performance in Vienna in 1824, Mozart's autograph of the wind parts of the final scene of "The Marriage of Figaro," Beethoven's arrangement of his monumental "Grosse Fuge" for piano four hands, Schumann's working draft of his Symphony No. 2 and manuscripts of Brahms's Symphony No. 2 and Piano Concerto No. 2.

The New Juilliard

Major construction is now underway for the New Juilliard, an expansion of the original 1969 building that will yield over 3900 square feet of space for classrooms, rehearsal studios, teaching studios, and offices. Also in the plans is a multi-functional performance space, and a multi-use writing and public speaking center. The lobbies of the Juilliard theatre and Alice Tully Hall will be merged, creating new entrances to the venues. Much of the original Juilliard facade will be restored or expanded. Demolition of the Milstein Plaza is now taking place, along with preparatory work inside the school such as removal of asbestos and placement of supportive columns. Work is expected to be completed in the fall of 2009. For more detailed information, see the Juilliard School official Website.

Divisions

Juilliard also offers a joint program degree with Barnard College, Columbia University [1]

Notable students

Notable teachers

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