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FortyYearsYoungBlair celebrates 40 years of precollegiate instruction

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Bring on the festivities!The Blair School ofMusic is 40 years old!

A group of faithful facultymembers started at or nearthe beginning—and stayedon as the academy grewfrom a small precollegiateprogram at Peabody Col-lege to a premier accred-ited precollegiate and collegiate music school at Vanderbilt University.

Curious about the “good ol’ days,” Quarter Note spoke separately to several of these ven-erable faculty members: formerDirector/Dean Del Sawyer; AdjunctProfessor of Organ and University

Organist Emeritus, Peter Fyfe;Associate Dean and AssociateProfessor of Flute Jane Kirch-ner; Senior Artist Teacher ofPiano and holder of theChancellor’s Chair RolandSchneller; Professor of Pi-ano Emerita, Enid Katahn;Joseph Joachim Professorof Violin Chris Teal; andAdjunct Assistant Profes-sor of Violin and former

precollegiate student MaryKathryn Vanosdale.

QN: How did the Blair Academy of Music get started

back in 1964?Del Sawyer: At that time I was a teach-

ing fellow of trumpet at George Peabody

Forty Years Blair faculty reminisce about the formative years

Myra Jackson Blair—mother ofValere Blair Potter—for whomthe Blair School was named

Oval inset photo at top—KathrynPlummer, who celebrates 30years with the Blair School thisyear, back in 1986.

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Young

1964Blair Academy of Music openedin September, as the precol-lege division of the School ofMusic of George Peabody Col-lege for Teachers. Fall enroll-ment: 224 students. Faculty: 1full-time (Roland Schneller), 19part-time. John Friedel (Del)Sawyer, director. Building at1208 Eighteenth Avenue Southon the Peabody campus. Fund-ed by the Justin and ValerePotter Foundation; Valere BlairPotter named it in honor of hermother, Myra Jackson Blair.

1967Blair String Quartet estab-lished. First members wereSheldon Kurland and StephenClapp (violins), Lee Kull (viola),and David Vanderkooi (cello).

1968Suzuki program, one of first programs in the region, begunby Sharon Rogers.

1969Fifth Blair anniversary. Faculty: 10 full-time, 15 part-time.

1971Blair Woodwind Quintet estab-lished. Two of first memberswere Bobby Taylor (oboe) andJane Kirchner (flute).

Blair School of Music–a Timeline

Original members of the Blair StringQuartet–SheldonKurland andStephen Clapp(violins), DavidVanderkooi(cello) and LeeKull (viola)

Cover: Pierce Trey, a member of theChildren’s Cello Choir that touredGermany last summer (see page 8).Photo by Neil Brake.

The BLAIR QUARTER NOTE, the newsletterof the Blair School of Music, is publishedtwice a year in cooperation with theOffice of Advancement Communicationsfor alumni, current students, and otherfriends of the School.

The BLAIR QUARTER NOTE, Volume 29,Number 1, Winter 2005© 2005 by Vanderbilt University.All rights reserved.

Editor, Bonnie Arant ErteltDirector of External Affairs, Cindy SteineContributors, Lisa DuBois, AngelaWibking Fox, Jim PattersonArt Director, Donna DeVore PritchettDesigner, Suzanna SpringExecutive Director of AdvancementCommunications, Ken Schexnayder

Precollege, adult, and undergraduatealumni are encouraged to send their professional or personal news to:

The BLAIR QUARTER NOTE

2400 Blakemore AvenueNashville, TN 37212-3499

Or by e-mail to:quarternote@vanderbilt.edu

Undergraduate alumni news now appears in Vanderbilt Magazine’s classnotes section. Any news sent by under-graduate alumni is forwarded toVanderbilt Magazine.

Visit us on the Web atwww.vanderbilt.edu/Blair/

Vanderbilt University is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action.

Printed on recycled paper

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This is a special year for the Blair Schoolof Music and, accordingly, a special issueof the Quarter Note. Through our con-

cert series, special events featuring faculty,students, and alumni, and through our publi-cations, we celebrate the 40th anniversary ofthe founding of the Blair School.

From its inception, Blair has represented excel-lence in musical performance and instruction,and we are proud that this essential principleremains the guiding force in all that we do. In

1964, there was no music major for Vanderbilt students, but there was an energetic,accomplished, and dedicated faculty with inspired students. Del Sawyer, the first direc-tor and subsequent dean of the Blair School, established a solid foundation of superbquality in the curriculum, faculty hires, and program development. Blair owes him anincalculable debt of gratitude, for none of the progress Blair has made since then couldhave occurred without his principled and forthright guidance.

In 2005, the Blair School has a nationally respected collegiate program, outstandingprecollege and adult instruction, a broad array of courses for Vanderbilt University stu-dents who are not music majors, and talented, accomplished students of all ages. Allthis is made possible by a superb faculty whose achievements on the world’s stages arematched by their wisdom and inspiration in the teaching studio and classroom.

The past year has seen new milestones in the School’s maturation: the first Euro-pean tour by a collegiate ensemble, two European tours by precollege ensembles,a record enrollment in the precollege and adult program, growing audiences for themany concerts in our outstanding new facilities, and active collaboration with civic andregional arts organizations. Our faculty members perform and give lectures through-out the world and provide students at Vanderbilt University and in the Middle Tennessee region with instruction of the highest caliber.

With all these achievements, there is every reason to celebrate a distinguishedpast, a vibrant present, and the promise of a brilliant future. That is what you will findin all of the Blair School’s concerts this year and in this issue of the Quarter Note.

I hope you will join with us in celebrating this remarkable history and, better still,the promise the Blair School holds for generations to come.

From the Dean

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5W i n t e r 2 0 0 54 BLAIR Q u a r t e r N o t e

1972Blair became cosponsor withNashville Symphony Orchestraof Nashville Youth Symphony.Nashville Junior Symphonyorganized. Chris Teal joinedBlair String Quartet.

1974Blair celebrated its 10thanniversary. Informal discus-sion began about a mergerwith Vanderbilt University.Kathryn Plummer was hired asviolist for the Blair StringQuartet.

1977Blair Academy separated fromPeabody and became Blair School ofMusic, Vanderbilt University.

Blair accredited as a non- degree-granti-ng institution by the National Associa-tion of Schools of Music.

1978New building planned on 3.5 acres of theVanderbilt University campus. The BlairString Quartet debuted at Carnegie Recital Hall.

1979Ground broken for the building on Blake-more Avenue. Fall enrollment: 444 prec-ollege, 87 adults, and 94 collegestudents

1980Blair School moved into the new build-ing. The Blair String Quartet performedat the National Gallery in Washington,D.C. Blair Guild founded. Blair becamethe first accredited NASM school to offerbanjo and fiddle for credit.

1981Blair School of Music merged with Vanderbilt University on January 1. Spring enrollment: 489 precollege, 201 adults, and 420 college students(VU and 7 area colleges).

1982Vanderbilt University’s Board of Trustauthorized the development of Blairto the status of a degree-grantingschool of the University. NashvilleContemporary Brass Quintet became official faculty. Connie Heard became second violinist inBlair String Quartet.

1984Blair celebrated its 20th anniversary. Del Sawyer was appointed Blair’s firstdean. Faculty: 17 full-time, 33 part-time;15 faculty in Nashville Symphony.

1985Vanderbilt University Board of Trustapproved beginning the Bachelor ofMusic degree program. Peabody MusicLibrary moved to Blair building. In April,51 faculty with 16 full-time.

1986First class of Bachelor of Music studentsmatriculated. Blair String Quartet wasnamed a finalist in the 1986 NaumburgInternational Chamber Competition. Blair Children’s Chorus was formed byNancy Boone.

1987Minors in music and musichistory developed for studentsin Vanderbilt Universityschools and colleges. John Kochanowski joins BlairString Quartet.

1988Blair and College of Arts and

Science developed new program: musicmajor as a second major, not open toBlair Students. Blair celebrated 25thanniversary.

1990First class of Bachelor of Music studentsgraduated.

1992National Association of Schools of Musicgranted final approval for Bachelor ofMusic in Musical Arts and Bachelor ofMusic in Composition/Theory. BMI Composer-in-Residence program began.

1993Del Sawyer retired,July 1. Mark Waitbecame new dean.

Groundbreaking for the building onBlakemore (1979): Marty Ligon,

Bob Street, Carlyle Apple, Del Sawyer, Ken Roberts, Anne Potter Wilson,

Jean Heard

Mark Wait wasnamed dean in

1993

Violist John Kochanowski joined the Blair StringQuartet in 1987.

College for Teachers School of Music.The dean of the PeabodyMusic School, C. B. Hunt, was conducting a national searchand had to twist my arm to be a candidate. But C.B. was awonderful man and said he’d back me 100% if I took thejob—and he sure lived up to his promise!

It was a whirlwind. In two and a half months I renovateda building, hired a faculty and made my own flyers. I didn’thave an office, so I worked at the Pancake Pantry and atthe Peabody Student Center. Because I was a performingmusician, I knew all the musicians in Nashville, and I askedmy friends to direct me to the ones known to be both goodteachers and good performers.Those were the people I triedto hire.

But I also had to solicit the students. So I hit the pave-ment. I went to the newspapers, the radio stations, the TVstations. At every interview I told the story of how wewere starting this music academy for children serious abouttheir music. I went into the schools and spoke at generalassemblies. I talked to parents’ groups, ladies’ groups, gardenclubs, Kiwanis Clubs, and Rotary Clubs. It was a lot of work,but I’ve never had so much fun in my life.

The first full-time faculty member I hired was RolandSchneller.

Roland Schneller: I was 24-years old, my wife was pregnant,and I’d spent the summer living in a trailer park at a fine artssummer camp. I desperately needed a job. It was late Augustand by the time I responded to notices about music positionopenings, Blair’s was the only one that hadn’t been filled. Iwas really fortunate to get that job.

Del became a good friend and cohort. We kind of hungaround together and dreamed together, making it up as wewent along. I kept busy helping him do whatever needed tobe done, whether it was administrative, going down to theprinter to proofread something, or shoveling snow off thefront walk. We both treated Blair like it was our baby.

Peter Fyfe: I was an organist and choirmaster at Christ Epis-copal Church, now Christ Cathedral.After Blair opened, thePeabody organ teacher, Scott Withrow, wanted to be awayduring the summers, so he asked me to take over in summer.Several years later, I began teaching year round—organ atBlair, sight singing and ear training at Peabody. I stayed onfor 39 years.

In the first year Blair had no organ, so I taught at ChristChurch. In 1965, I got a little Holtkamp pipe organ installedat the house on 18th Avenue. The room was small, but theorgan just fit in there. I was a little uneasy at first, becausethe floor slanted, and the organ was extremely heavy.

Enid Katahn: I was giving private piano lessons in Nashvilleand Del asked me that first year if I would come and teachat Blair. I said no. In the meantime, I had taken a coursecertifying me to teach groups, which, if I wanted to do that,meant I’d have to put a second piano in my living room.Thenext year, Del invited me again, and this time I said yes.

I taught for 35 years before retiring. Those early days atBlair were a trial in some respects. In the original buildingthe walls were very thin. I was upstairs next to a violinist,and he stopped me one day and said, “Enid, can’t you haveyour students play a little more softly?” I said, “No! Whenthe music says loud, they have to learn to play loudly. I’mnot training them to play in this dinky little room. I’m train-ing them to play on stage!”

Jane Kirchner: I started teaching at 16 and at Blair when Iwas 21 years old. I had been a student at Peabody, and theteacher I’d had for two years resigned in the middle of thesummer, and here I was with my new degree. I was in theright place at the right time, and I worked hard to makemyself valuable. They hired me.

Chris Teal: I didn’t start at Blair until 1972. I came becauseI’d heard through the grapevine that they were auditioningfor a new member of the Blair String Quartet. When I got

the job, I inherited many exceptional collegiate and precol-legiate students from Stephen Clapp, who is now retiring asdean of the Juilliard School.

I had a lot to learn, because I wasn’t a very experiencedteacher. I taught both Connie Heard and Mary Kathryn Vanos-dale during their senior year of high school.They were quiteadvanced and very savvy, had studied with some of thebest people in the region, and went on to study with manyillustrious musicians. I can’t claim to have had a big impacton their careers.

Mary Kathryn Vanosdale: Chris Teal was a great influenceon my career, actually. I started taking lessons at Blair thefirst year it opened, and had a lot of teachers through theyears. I spent a year and a half with Chris and then wentoff to college. He was a lot of fun.You see this green teachercoming at you, and you know he’s an accomplished player,and that he’s got to get used to teaching. He was just aboutour age, and we liked that. He was really hip and had longhair, and he showed us that you could be cool and also be agreat violinist. He was young and fresh and he took an inter-est in all of us personally and professionally.

QN: What are your fondest memories?Schneller: Because the school was so small, everybody knew

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Poster for a 1977 Carnegie Hall Recital with Chris Teal and Enid Katahn

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everybody and everyone was involved in just about everything.Many of our best ideas and programs developed out of infor-mal discussions around the coffee pot. It was exciting to dream and share ideas and then watch these ideas cometo life.

Fyfe: There were no jealousies, no fighting over students, nohurt feelings.

Sawyer: We were like a family. I didn’t have a secretary atfirst, but this young woman, Euline Behm, was recommendedto me. She couldn’t type worth a hoot, but she was devotedto Blair. The next year I made her the registrar and hired asecretary who could type.

Katahn: I remember the Chen brothers, Melvin and Irwin,who studied with me for years. They both took piano andviolin and were wonderful on both instruments. One timeat a recital Irwin was playing the violin from memory, andMelvin was accompanying him on the piano.Well, Irwin gotstuck and kept going around and around the same loop.Melvin just kept backing up and played right with him untilIrwin found his way out, and they came to a close.They wereadorable. Melvin is now the head of a music department ata college in New York. I think he also has a Ph.D. in physics.

Kirchner: I remember one time the electricity went off andI was in a room with no window. So I led my student intothe big, old Victorian bathroom with a large window and lotsof light coming in. We sat on the lavatory and the bathtuband finished the lesson!

QN: How has Blair changed over the years?Vanosdale: In the old days there was just a small group ofus, and it was really elite. Everybody wanted to go into acareer in music. I felt sentimental when we left the old build-ing and moved into the new building. When you join auniversity you lose that quality of intimacy in exchange formaking an impression nationally.

Kirchner: I would never have imagined Blair taking up a fullblock between 24th and 25th Avenues and with the mar-velous facilities we now have. Nobody could have foreseenthis!

Teal: The Quartet’s goals have changed over time. Now it’smore professionally aggressive and has more performancegoals. The School has also made dramatic leaps in what itoffers. Mark Wait (I keep calling him our “new Dean,” buthe’s been here for 10 years!) has greatly respected what westarted. He’s cherished the things that were good aboutthe School and has tried to continue them.

Connie Heard has been making—and teaching—beautiful music at Blair since 1982,when the acclaimedviolinist joined the Blair String Quartet and the fac-

ulty of Blair as an artist teacher of violin. Her musical rootsat Blair, however, stretch back to the earliest days of theschool. “When my family moved to Nashville in 1963, mymother signed me up for lessons with Wilda Tinsley (laterWilda Moennig), one of Blair’s original faculty members,”Heard recalls. “I still have my notebooks from those days, andI like to show them to even my most advanced students,because they emphasize the fundamentals of violin playingthat apply to all levels.”

Although the basics of violin haven’t changed, Blair itselfhas evolved during Heard’s long association with the School.“Of course, the School has grown so much in terms of thebuilding and the number of full-time faculty,” Heard agrees.“But the emphasis has remained on the students and on cre-ating a nurturing environment for them.”

Heard continued her studies at Blair throughout highschool and then went on to study with famed teacher DorothyDeLay at Juilliard. The legendary DeLay remains Heard’s

most immediate inspiration. “She was just a delightful per-son with a great sense of humor,” Heard recalls. “As a teacher,she believed in breaking down complex problems intosimple building blocks, so that the student could be successfuleach step of the way. My job as a teacher today is the same—to help students play as best they can—although there is adifferent recipe that works for each student.”

Heard, who received her BM and MM from Juilliard andalso holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence, credits her love ofmusic to her mother, violinist Jean Keller Heard. “My moth-er played with the North Carolina String Quartet, and I grewup hearing her rehearse and perform,” says Heard, whosefather is Chancellor Emeritus Alexander Heard. “My threebrothers also played instruments, but I’m the only onewho went into music professionally.”

Heard and her husband, bassist Edgar Meyer, may havepassed the musical gene on to their 11-year-old son George,who began violin studies several years ago. “He plays verywell, but if you ask him what he’s really into, he’ll proba-bly say soccer,” says Heard. Nevertheless, George is follow-ing in his parents’ tradition of spending summers makingmusic. He attended the Greenwood Chamber Music Campnear Boston while Heard and Meyer traveled to Oregonfor Chamber Music Northwest, one of the couple’s festivalstops last summer. “Our family leads a rich but hectic life,”says Heard, in something of an understatement.

In the fall, Heard resumed performing with Blair StringQuartet, which has a new Naxos recording due out. Mean-while, Heard’s status as a teacher undergoes a significantchange as she becomes a full professor, and the first tenuredfaculty member at the Blair School. “I am enormously grate-ful to be a tenured professor at Blair, and it is a special honorto be the first one.” Heard says. “Although I did not initiallyfavor the tenure system for the Blair School, I think it maybe very significant in terms of recruiting and retaining excel-lent faculty and putting Blair on the same footing with thevery best schools in the country.”

Sound FundamentalsProfile: Connie Heard

1994Blair celebrated its 30th anniversary.Faculty: 23 full-time, 60 part-time.Michael Kurek won 1994 Academy Awardin Music from the American Academy ofArts and Letters.

1995First program in Conversation Series iswith Chet Atkins.

1998The five-year M.Ed., a joint effort of Blair and Peabody, begins in fall.

1999Felix Wang became cellist with Blair String Quartet. Blair Recital Hall renamed Steve and Judy TurnerRecital Hall.

2000Completion of Phase 1 addition: 40,700sq. feet; classrooms, studios, practicerooms, courtyard, and gathering space. In 2000-01: 168 concerts at Blair.

2001The grand opening of the Martha RiversIngram Center for the Performing Arts

(phase 2) held in November. Two en-dowed faculty chairs established: the Joseph Joachim Professor of Violinheld by Chris Teal and the Chancellor’sChair held by Roland Schneller.

2002Official opening of Ingram Hall. Faculty include 20 members of Nashville

Symphony. Blair faculty perform more than 1,100 concerts in the US and 15 foreign countries. Edgar Meyer named aMacArthur Fellow.

2003Collaboration between Nashville Balletand Blair School: Emergence! NashvilleYouth Symphony renamed Curb YouthSymphony, a collaborative effortbetween Blair and Nashville Symphony.

2004Blair celebrates its 40th anniversarywith a series of events throughout theacademic year. Mark Wait named holderof the Ingram Dean’s Chair.

2014Blair will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

–compiled by D.B. Kellogg

Chet Atkins was the featured guest atthe first Conversations Series programin 1995.

Edgar Meyer, Blair faculty member andMacArthur Fellow, playing at Nash-ville’s Caffe Milano in the late 90s.

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In a manner of speaking, you know you’ve arrived whenyou hit the road, and that was true this past summer forthree Blair School of Music ensembles. The first Euro-

pean tour by the collegiate Vanderbilt Chamber Windsand European tours by two precollege ensembles—the BlairSuzuki Cello Choir and the Blair Children’s Chorus—meantthat the Blair School had student musical ambassadors work-ing hard this summer, showcasing their expertise and versa-tility to neighbors far beyond Nashville.

To the Land of Bach and HandelThirteen Suzuki string student musicians, all under the ageof 15, traveled on their first international performancetour in a nine-day visit to Germany in June. Under the lead-ership of Anne Williams, Blair Suzuki Cello Choir director,and accompanied by Celeste Halbrook Tuten, senior artistteacher of Suzuki violin, the group performed three concertsin as many days, including a full evening concert in Magde-burg, Nashville’s sister city.

Following the path of the great Johann Sebastian Bachand Frederic Handel, they began a musical and cultural tourin Eisenbach, a town with close associations to Bach and thegreat reformer Martin Luther.

The students visited the Museum of Musical Instrumentsand stopped in at the Bosehaus, the repository of the Bacharchives, as well as St. Thomas Church, where the compos-er worked for many years as church organist. They visitedthe Handel House, the composer’s birthplace, which hasbeen restored as a museum outlining his life and work. InNaumberg, the group saw the city’s famous cathedral, themarket square, and St. Wenzel’s Town Church, which hasthe biggest Bach organ in Germany.

In Magdeburg the group visited such historic sites asthe Domplatz, the Town Hall, the Elbe Promenade, and theJohanniskirche with its Luther Monument.As a final rewardfor a successful working tour, the entourage spent their finalday in Germany at Kassel, visiting Wilhelmshohe, Europe’sbiggest mountain park.

On through Germany and the Czech RepublicOn June 17, the 23 members of the Blair Childrens Chorusdeparted Nashville for an exciting 10 day concert tour. Underthe leadership of Pam Schneller, director, and Roland Schneller,accompanist, this was the choir’s third European tour.

After arriving in Berlin, the Concert Choir enjoyed twodays in Magdeburg. Hosted by the Exaudi Choir of Magde-burg, the girls enjoyed a day as villagers in the Medieval TownProject and later received a standing ovation at their stand-ing-room only concert. In Wernigerode, they celebratedthe city’s 775th anniversary and enjoyed homestays withfamilies after presenting a concert in a local church.Visits toEisenach and Dresden were thoroughly enjoyed as was thethrill of performing a concert in St. Michael’s Church inLeipzig.

In the Czech Republic, the choir was honored to visit and sing at Terezin, the former Nazi concentration camp.A joint concert with the Prague Children’s Choir was pre-sented in the ornate Mozarteum in Prague’s beautiful oldcity center, and on June 25, the weary but happy travelersreturned home.

Musical AmbassadorsTwo precollegiate and one collegiate ensemble toured Germany, Spain, and the Canary Islands last summer

Posing in front of the Alcázar castle in Segovia, Spain, are members of the Vanderbilt Chamber Winds: Amy Cutright, Don Schwartz, director Tom Verrier, DannyChapa, Julie Syler, Neala Swaminatha, Paul Epp, Chris Wilson, Erin Lavin, and faculty guest artist Karen Ann Krieger.

Blair Children’s Chorus enjoying the Old City center in Prague.

Fantasia en EspañaIn Spring 2004, the newly formed Vanderbilt Chamber Windsand director Thomas Verrier accepted an invitation to per-form at the World Conference of the International Societyfor Music Education (ISME) in Tenerife, Canary Islands, inJuly, a concert event that capped a week-long “whirlwind”performance tour of Spain, with a schedule of four concertsin five days.

Embarking on their journey in Madrid, the ensembleimmediately drove to the ancient mountain village of Segoviafor a late evening performance in the city square. A Sun-day afternoon performance held in the headquarters of thefamous Osborne vineyards drew a crowd of over 200 locals.Tiny Utiel in the hills of La Mancha was the third per-formance stop, with the ensemble performing in a joint con-cert with the Union Musical Utielana, then joining with thehost performers and their families for a home-cooked fiestadinner that went on until the wee hours of the morning.

“This was a high point of the whole experience for us,”notes Verrier. “Though virtually no one in the town spoke

English, the connection we made through music proved to be all the language we needed. It was the basis for a greatcollaborative spirit and a continued friendship.” Indeed,the conductor of the Union Musical Utielana, Belgian-born Frank DeVuyst, will visit Blair in March to conduct theVanderbilt Wind Symphony in the premiere of his own crit-ical edition of Ricardo Villa’s Gran Fantasia Española as partof a concert that will be recorded for broadcast by SpanishNational Radio. And Verrier is invited back to Spain thissummer to teach a two-week conducting course for banddirectors.

From Utiel, the Chamber Winds traveled to the bustlingMediterranean port city of Castellon for a late-night outdoorconcert, then rushed back to the Madrid airport for a flightto Tenerife and their performance in the brand new Audi-torio de Tenerife.

A recording of the ensemble will be distributed in Spainby the arts council of Tres Cantos. In addition, portions ofthe performance in Tenerife will be included on the compi-lation CD from the ISME convention.

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BLAIR Q u a r t e r N o t e

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PRECOLLEGIATE AND ADULTCaroline Awh, violin student of KatherineMansouri, and Katie Awh, violin studentof Celeste Halbrook Tuten, attended theHartt School of Music Summer SuzukiInstitute in August.

Will and Annie Bender, violin students ofKatherine Mansouri, gave a joint Suzukirecital last October. Will, Annie, andSammy Bender (also a student of Kather-ine Mansouri) and Mary Grace and DavidBender, students of Anne Williams, attend-ed the Ottawa Summer Suzuki Institute.Hannah Bergmann, also a student of Mansouri’s, performed a Suzuki violinrecital at Blair assisted by Brenna andMadeline Wheeler on violin.

Erin Cassel, Margaret Cerjan, JoshuaHenderson, Cecilia Huerta, Sam Quig-gins, Austin Stevens, and Claire Whit-comb, all members of the Curb YouthSymphony, directed by Carol Nies, re-ceived McCrory Foundation ScholarshipGrants to attend music festivals last summer. McCrory Grants are based ontheir CYS audition and outstanding orchestral work throughout the year.Cassel, Cerjan, Abi Coffer, Huerta,Jessica Keel, and Faye Zheng performedsolos and chamber music at the NashvilleSymphony Orchestra’s October AdvisoryCommittee Meeting.

Heather Engebretson attended Encore last summer. In the fall, she was chosen by audition for the National Public Radioshow “From the Top.” She gave two per-formances as part of the Nashville Sym-phony preconcert talks at the Tennessee

Performing Arts Center. Eli Bishop attend-ed Sewanee Summer Music Festival andwas a finalist in the concerto competition.Margaret Cerjan returned for her thirdsummer to the Killington Music Festival;she was also chosen to play for the Nash-ville Symphony Fair. All are violin studentsof Connie Heard.

Wil Harley, piano student of RachaelShort, performed in August at Dancin’ inthe District with the Blue Note Quartet,an ensemble of sax, bass, drums, and piano,which he founded in 2003. The groupopened for Bela Fleck.

Jessica Keel and Jenni Ch’ng performedwith the select high school flute choir atthe National Flute Association Conventionthis summer. Students Abi Coffer, KatieHoward, and Amulya Pervaje performedsolos on pedagogy concerts. All are flutestudents of Norma Rogers.

John Lee, piano student of Karen AnnKrieger, was named the Tennessee StateHigh School Concerto Winner at the Tennessee Music Teacher Association convention.

Brenna Wheeler and Madeline Wheeler,students of Katherine Mansouri, gave aSuzuki recital, with Celeste HalbrookTuten accompanying. Mansouri’s group ofviolin students performed at an art show at the Belle Meade Plantation.

UNDERGRADUATES

The Fountain String Quartet, David Repking and Carrie Stillwell, violins;Henry Hoffner, viola; and Adrian Lauff,cello, with pianist Ralph Blanco were first place winners in the Southern Divi-sion young artists chamber music competi-tion sponsored by Music Teachers NationalAssociation. The group is coached by JohnKochanowski. Jen Berkebile, student ofJonathan Retzlaff, was named 1st alter-nate in the vocal division of the same competition.

The Strings Department of the BlairSchool had 30 of its collegiate studentsattend prestigious music festivals this pastsummer. The festivals included Aspen,Bowdoin, Brevard, Colorado College,Encore, Heber Springs, Innsbrook, Killing-ton, Mancini Institute, Masterworks Festi-val USA, Masterworks Festival Europe,Music Academy of the West, Rocky Moun-

tain Summer Conservatory, Roundtop,Sarasota, and Sewanee.

Blair students performing at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts this fall on Family Night included the Liza BarleyString Quartet, and flute/harp duo NealaSwaminatha and Paula Bressman.

Sarah Bennett, Ellen McSweeney, violinstudents of Connie Heard, and ChristinaThompson, violin student of CarolynHuebl, attended the Killington Music Festival last summer. Sarah also attendedthe Heber Springs Festival in Arkansas.

Joanna Felder and Emily Mahler, studentsof Connie Heard, and alumna ShannonThomas attended Rocky Mountain Sum-mer Conservatory in Steamboat Springs,CO, where they worked with Blair facultymembers Carolyn Huebl and Felix Wang.

Senior vocal performance major LinnetteMcCloud and senior musical arts majorGioia Fazzini were selected for the Song-fest at Icicle Creek Young Artist Programin Icicle Creek, WA. Both are voice students of Gayle Shay.

Preetha Narayanan, student of ConnieHeard, was one of ten violinists chosennationally for the Music Academy of theWest in Santa Barbara, CA, a highly selec-tive, full scholarship summer program.

PRECOLLEGIATETony Silva, former piano student ofRoland Schneller, was appointed to theadjunct faculty at Christian Brothers University. He is currently working on hisDMA in piano performance at the ScheidtSchool of Music, University of Memphis.

Blair faculty performed on Live in StudioC heard on local public radio stationWPLN this fall. The program featuredCarolyn Huebl, adjunct assistant professorof violin, and Dean Mark Wait, piano;Beegie Adair, adjunct lecturer in jazzimprovisation, and her trio; and CraigNies, associate professor of piano, in September. In October the Blair StringQuartet performed with composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, BMus’93.

Butch Baldassari, adjunct associate profes-sor of mandolin, and the Nashville Man-dolin Ensemble performed their Bach,Beatles, Bluegrass concert at The Chau-tauqua Institution in Chautauqua, NY, inJuly. Baldassari was featured on a WPLNseries called Playing in the Band, produced

by local musician Andy Scheinman, whointerviewed two other Blair faculty overthe last year, Lyn Bingham, senior lecturerin aural studies, and David Schnaufer,adjunct associate professor of dulcimer.

Gregory Barz, assistant professor of musicology (ethnomusicology), has beenfunded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to serveon the inaugural board of consultants forthe new B. B. King Museum in Indianola,MS, birthplace of the legendary blues musician. Other awards and grants fromVanderbilt include the AmbassadorAward, a Service-Learning EnhancementMini-Grant, and a development grantfrom the Center for the Study of Religionand Culture to develop an initiative on the

culture of AIDS in Africa and theCaribbean. This fall he participated in thefirst-ever conference on Medical Ethno-musicology at Florida State University.His new book, Music in East Africa:Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture,is now available from Oxford UniversityPress. He presented papers and gave lectures in Arizona, Florida, California,Georgia, and as part of Vanderbilt’s 2004Commencement Seminar.

Joy Haslam Calico, assistant professor ofmusicology, presented “‘J¸dische Chronik:’Recalling the Warsaw Uprising in a Com-memorative Cantata” in September as the first faculty supper-seminar for theProgram in Jewish Studies.

Cynthia Cyrus, associate professor of musicology, is recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities collabora-tive grant (with Susan Weiss of PeabodyConservatory and Russell Murray of University of Delaware), “Reading andWriting the Pedagogy of the Renaissance:Students, Teachers, and Materials of Musi-cal Learning, 1520-1650.” An internation-al conference, a volume of essays, and anonline bibliographic database addressingthe institutions, traditions, and practices of musical pedagogy in the Early Modern Period will result.

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Wynonna Judd opened the 2004/05 Conversation Series at the Blair School

giving students, the Nashville community, and her fans a unique per-

spective into her artistry during a discussion with moderator Deanna

Walker. Wynonna talked about how she chooses songs, touring and recording,

faith, family, her new book, and she gave advice to those who want to make it in

the music industry. Afterward, she (along with Tony Obrohta on guitar) sang rous-

ing versions of “Rock Bottom” and Eric Clapton’s “Change the World.”

Congratulations toKathryn Plummer asso-ciate professor of viola,

for 30 years of service, toBobby Taylor, associate pro-fessor of oboe, for 35 years,and to Roland Schneller, sen-ior artist teacher of piano andholder of the Chancellor’sChair, for 40 years of serviceto the Blair School. 11W i n t e r 2 0 0 5

Daniel Bernard Roumain, BMus’93, headlined I, Composer: the Music of Daniel

Roumain to open the 2004 anniversary concert season in October at Ingram Hall.

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Amy Dorfman, associate professor ofpiano, was a member of the guest musicfaculty of the 2004 Tennessee’s Governor’sSchool for the Arts. She joined theNashville chamber group ALIAS as a guestartist in a performance of Paul Moravec’sTempest Fantasy, the winner of the 2004Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Jen Gunderman, senior lecturer in musichistory and literature, played at the BlueHighways Festival (Utrecht, Netherlands),and the Calgary Folk Festival (Canada),both with singer/songwriter Caitlin Cary;and with various artists in Nashville atOpry Plaza, Exit/In, Mercy Lounge, 12th& Porter, Radio Cafe, Douglas Corner, TheFamily Wash, and Dancin’ in the District.

Connie Heard, professor of violin, playedfour concerts at the Chamber MusicNorthwest Festival in Portland, OR.

She also served for the third year on theartist faculty of the Killington Music Festival in Vermont.

Carolyn Huebl, assistant professor of violin, performed on the Historic FranklinChamber Music Series in June. In July,she and Jonathan Crow, concertmaster ofMontreal Symphony, were soloists in theBach Double Concerto at the Strings inthe Mountains Festival in SteamboatSprings, CO. She spent six weeks teachingand performing at the Rocky Mountain

Summer Conservatory in SteamboatSprings. She gave a duo recital with pianistMark Wait to open the fall season.

John Johns, associate professor of guitar, played solo recitals this fall at St. Stephen’s Guitar Festival in New York City; Springfield Guitar Society inSpringfield, IL; Acoustic Art Series at theKemp Museum in Wichita Falls, TX;Lambuth University in Jackson, TN,(with masterclass); at the Blair School;and at Nashville’s First Lutheran Church.

Michael Kurek, associate professor ofcomposition, was one of four finalists for the National Symphony OrchestraCommission Competition. He is onceagain active in the National Academy ofRecording Arts and Sciences at the nation-al level, and his composition for tuba/ euphonium ensemble was performed atthe U.S. Army Band national tuba con-ference by the Blair Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble, directed by G.R. Davis,adjunct assistant professor of tuba.

Cheri Montgomery, lecturer in voice,published a series of four workbooks created for French, German, English,and Italian lyric diction courses. Eachworkbook comprises three products:an instructor’s manual, the student edition, and an answer key. All are pub-lished by S.T.M. Publishers (Student Text Manufacturers, Nashville, TN).

Carol Nies, adjunct senior artist teacher ofconducting, served as guest conductor forthe Rome Festival Orchestra and assistantconductor for the Rome Festival Operathis summer.

Flight Dreams, the new album by Joe ReaPhillips, senior artist teacher of guitar, andhis duo partner Stan Lassiter, was an edi-tor’s pick-of-the-month in Guitar PlayerMagazine. The Phillips–Lassiter Duo alsoplayed in recital at the Steve and JudyTurner Recital Hall.

Kathryn Plummer, associate professor ofviola, performed and taught at the 6th annual Heber Springs Chamber MusicFestival in May. She also performed forthree weeks this summer in the Festivalder Zukunft (Festival of the Future) inErnen, Switzerland. She played in Brig,Switzerland, at the Stockalperschloss and in Martigny, Switzerland, on a series at the Foundation Pierre Gianadda.

Jama Reagan, adjunct artist teacher ofpiano, received the Tennessee MusicTeachers Association “Teacher of the Year”Award for 2004, in recognition of her exceptional work with students. Reagan is widely hailed for her abilities as asoloist, chamber musician, adjudicator,teacher, and author.

Jonathan Retzlaff, associate professor ofvoice, and Enid Kahtan, professor ofpiano, emerita, presented recitals on theGuest Artist Series at Pepperdine Univer-sity and at the University of California atNorthridge; Retzlaff gave master classes at both schools. He also was appointedTennessee Governor of the National Association of Teachers of Singing in April.Blair hosted the Tennessee/Kentucky Region NATS Student Auditions whichbrought 350 singers, teachers, and pianiststo Blair for the first time. Retzlaff, alongwith Gayle Shay, assistant professor ofvoice, and Amy Jarman, senior lecturer in voice, served as coordinators for this annual event.

Norma Rogers, adjunct senior artistteacher of flute and piccolo, performed apiece for 2 piccolos and accordian at theNational Flute Association Conventionthis summer with Karen Ann Krieger,assistant professor of piano, and symphonycolleague Ann Richards. She also per-formed on a recital honoring her flute professor, James Pellerite, and served as a judge for the Young Artists Piccolo Competition.

Melissa Rose, assistant professor of piano,performed on several chamber music series this summer, including the 2004Clarinet Symposium and the HistoricFranklin Chamber Music Festival,sponsored by the Nashville Chamber Orchestra. She also completed hereleventh season as resident pianist for the Summerfest Chamber Music Series in Kansas City.

Michael Alec Rose, associate professor of composition, was chosen as an award recipient by the American Society ofComposers, Authors, and Publishers(ASCAP).

David Schnaufer, adjunct associate pro-fessor of dulcimer, performed for a num-ber of visiting Australian dignitaries andNashville civic leaders at the Parthenon inNashville on September 11 for the open-ing of the Australian Festival’s memorial

Russian arts administrators visited Nashvilleand the Blair School in November. Here theylook at an antique Tennessee Music Box in thestudio of David Schnaufer.

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A PrecollegeShowcaseSunday, April 10, 4 PM

Ingram HallPrecollege alumni including Connie Heard, Jerome Reed, Mary

Kathryn Vanosdale, and Roger Wiesmeyer join the Suzuki Players,Blair Children’s Chorus, Blair faculty, and students in presenting thisgala concert. A new history of the Blair School will be available for

sale and signing by the author, D.B. Kellogg. Come early and enjoy avisual history of Blair through photos. Admission is free. A reception

in the lobby of Ingram Hall follows the performance.

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service. His performance included an origi-nal solo work, “When Silence Was Golden.”

Marian Shaffer, adjunct professor of harp,was featured with the Memphis Sym-phony Orchestra in the Mozart Flute and Harp Concerto. She also traveled toAnchorage, AK, to play La Boheme withthe Anchorage Opera and performed withthe Memphis Chamber Music Society andat the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. Atthe final concert of the Sewanee Festivalshe was presented an award for 25 years ofservice in leading the harp department.

The Venus Harp Company in Chicagodonated a concert grand harp to the Mem-phis Symphony Orchestra last season inher honor. This is her 28th season as prin-cipal harpist of the Memphis Symphony.

Gayle Shay, assistant professor of voice,participated in the art song festivalSongfest 2004 in Malibu, CA, performingon various concerts with pianist MartinKatz and composer John Harbison andcollaborating with other young composersto premiere newly-written American artsongs. In July, she directed the operascenes portion of the Young Artist Pro-gram at Icicle Creek, WA.

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music History and Literature Helena Simonett’snew book on banda music was publishedin Mexico where she spent a semesterdoing research among the Yoreme people.Simonett presented En Sinaloa nací: histo-ria de la música de banda at the Book Fair

in Mazatlán. The Colegio de Sinaloa invited her for a presentation in Culiacán,together with the acclaimed singer/song-writer/actor José Angel Espinoza, whosesong “En Sinaloa nací” Simonett used astitle for her new book. She lectured at theUniversidad Autónoma de Sinaloa (Culi-acán), the Universidad de Occidente (LosMochis), and the Universidad AutónomaIndígena de México (Mochicahui).

Deanna Walker, adjunct artist teacher of piano, received the 2003 MTNA-Shepherd Distinguished Composer of theYear award. She has written songs for amusical play entitled Cornman by JaniceFronczak. The work has been accepted for a reading at the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities.

Pam Schneller (left) and Cynthia Cyrus (third from left) joined the Dean’s Office this fallas assistant dean and associate dean. Amy Jarman (right) has served as assistantdean since 2001. Jane Kirchner (second from left) will return to teaching full-time in fall ’05, after 18 years as associate dean.

Mat Britain adjunct instructor of music

Matt Combs adjunct instructor in fiddling

Paul Deakin lecturer in music theory

Elizabeth Eckert adjunct artist teacher of piano

Janet Epstein adjunct artist teacher of recorder

Jen Gunderman senior lecturer in music history and literature, part-time

Erin Hall adjunct artist teacher of violin

Joel Reist adjunct assistant professorof double bass

Tracy Silverman adjunct assistant professorof fiddling

Christopher Stenstrom adjunct instructor of viola da gambaEmergence!! marked the second collaboration

between Blair School composers and theNashville Ballet. They premiered four new works

at Ingram Hall in November.

Foglesong Inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame

Jim Foglesong, adjunct professor of music business, was induct-ed into the Country Music Hall of Fame, along with singer/songwriter/actor Kris Kristofferson, on November 9 during

“The 38th Annual Country Music Association Awards” broadcast onthe CBS network.

Foglesong got the news during a news conference at the Coun-try Music Hall of Fame. “I’m going to steal a Pete Rose quote,”Foglesong said. “I can’t believe you get paid for doing somethingthat you absolutely love. It’s been a great ride.”

Foglesong’s career stretches back to the 1950s, when he workedas a recording studio singer backing acts including Dion & theBelmonts and Neil Sedaka. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was presI-dent of the Nashville divisions of Dot, ABC, MCA, and Capitol Records.He worked with artists including Garth Brooks, the Oak Ridge Boys,Reba McEntire, George Strait, and Tanya Tucker.

Foglesong has taught music business courses at Blair since1991. Country music singer Dierks Bentley, who took Foglesong’smusic business course at Vanderbilt, made the announcement thatFoglesong would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

“Jim Foglesong is a giant of the music industry,” said Mark Wait,dean of Blair School of Music. “For decades, his work has been cru-cial in guiding the industry and in determining its future. We areproud to have Jim on the Blair School’s faculty, and I’m thrilled thathe has been selected for the Country Music Hall of Fame.”

—Jim Patterson

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Dean Mark Wait nominated for two Grammy Awards

ean Mark Wait was nominated for two Grammy Awards for his work

on an album recorded at Blair’s Ingram Hall.

Wait was nominated along with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra in

the Best Classical Album category for Elliott Carter: Symphony No. 1; Piano

Concerto; Holiday Overture, released on Naxos. He was nominated for Best

Instrumental Soloist Performance (With Orchestra) for the same album,

which was recorded with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra with Kenneth

Schermerhorn conducting.

Nominations for the 47th Annual Grammy Awards were announced in

Hollywood. Award winners will be revealed on Feb. 13 at the Staples Cen-

ter in Los Angeles.

“These nominations are deeply gratifying for several reasons,” Wait said.

“First, it shows yet again that the Nashville Symphony Orchestra has an

important national presence. Secondly, this nomination is a tribute to the

music of a great composer, Elliott Carter, and it was an honor to play his

Piano Concerto.

“And finally, this recording was made in Ingram Hall at the Blair

School of Music. The Blair School is very proud of that.”

Wait has performed more than 200 concerts in 25 states and was a

featured pianist in recordings of the complete works of Igor Stravinsky.

—JIM PATTERSON

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