V A N D E R B I L T U N I V E R S I T Y

Volume 25, Number 1, Summer 2000 Published by the Blair School of Music

QuarternoteBlairQuarternoteBlair

Blair Makes aMerry Opera

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Blair seniors gather for a group photo before Commencement begins.

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musically in the world,we are doing some-thing that can healsouls—that makes a dif-

ference. Maybe this isthe “where” of the ques-

tion, “where is music?” Askingthis question brings order out of

our experiences just as much as itsstimulates our thoughts, and assures us,as Henry Glassie suggests, that “thereare things we do not know, things wemust know, things capable of unsettlingthe world we inhabit.”

I do not pose this very odd questiontoday knowing that there is an answer.There is, in fact, none. Rather, I amcontent in posing the question, knowingthat by merely approaching an answerwe involve refining our understandingof music’s position in our lives.

I challenge each of you to take amoment to reflect on your own journey,asking yourself, “where is music?”Tomorrow you will receive a piece ofpaper confirming that you have earned

QuarternoteV A N D E R B I L T U N I V E R S I T Y

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BlairOn the cover: What magic goes on here?The kind that can only be made by theVanderbilt Opera Theatre. This year’s pro-duction of The Merry Wives of Windsor byOtto Nicolai featured soaring sopranos,Falstaffian fun, and whimsy in the Wind-sor woods. See story p. 6. Photo by RobStack, digital enhancement By ChristianHolihan

The BLAIR QUARTER NOTE, the newsletterof the Blair School of Music, is publishedthree times a year in cooperation with theOffice of Alumni Publications for alumni,current students, and other friends of theSchool.

Editor, Bonnie Arant ErteltBlair Liaison, Debra CreasmanDesigner, Keith WoodExecutive Director, Alumni Communications,Anthony J. Spence

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

The BLAIR QUARTER NOTE2400 Blakemore AvenueNashville, TN 37212-3499

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

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

Vanderbilt University is committed to principlesof equal opportunity and affirmative action.

Printed on recycled paper

the “inside, where people are articulateand powerful and in control.” For thepeople who live in this Irish village, thatis in the midst of community. This iswhere music is created:

The bright, warm days expected inMay and June never came. In run-ning gray skies, in the dank sloughsof the gaps, summer broke, damp,chilled. . . . Winter’s word is bitter.In its depths, when winds pound atthe walls of home, potatoes will besparingly spent and the fire will bestretched with gathered sticks, buttoday victory expands in little luxu-ries. . . . The quiet life Peter wantsis advanced with both spade andfiddle bow. But he speaks of hisgodfather, who got through life tothe great age of 90 by playingmusic, and it is on music that Petermost depends to prevent things asthey are from shadowing his mindand weakening his soul. ‘Music,’ hesays, ‘carries me on’. . . .

Glassie’s cultural analyses and hiscaring glance at music in Ballymenonechanged my life and certainly my careerfrom the moment I first approached hisethnography almost 10 years ago.Among many things Glassie taught mewas to rethink the question, where ismusic? Where, for example, is music inBallymenone? It is a curiously deceptivequestion, for the answer is surely notone of location. Yes, there was nightlymusic-making in the dark ceili-houses ofBallymenone, but I suspect that it is notas simple as merely locating music with-in the violin playing of Peter, Bally-

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experience, oftenimpossible to explain inwords. What could possiblykeep us playing scales and arpeggioshour after hour, day after day, year afteryear? (I often ask myself these ques-tions as I sit in my tiny closet sand-wiched between the trombone andxylophone studios!) What makes usrefine our language, submitting endlessdrafts of writing and composition?What motivates us? Is it some vague

promise of glory, money, or fame? Or isit something deeper? Is it an attempt tomake meaning out of our experiences?Is it an attempt to become more musi-cally in the world? And if so, where isthat font of music?

Many of us have allowed music tobecome the only language that trulycommunicates. Is this where music islocated? I allow music to induce in me,for example, a state of deep meditationand wonder. Music often makes mesilent. Yet, I find that it is very easy andperhaps overly facile to talk about it.When I listen to Henry Glassie’s words,my instinctual reaction is not to run outand write yet another paper, in fact myresponse is usually to dance with mybooks. Surely what we all strive to do aswe listen, as we learn, and as we per-form with our hands, our bodies, andour minds, is to dance with our music.

My point is that as people who are

Andrew Westerhaus celebrates Senior Recog-nition Day with his mother.

WHERE is Music?Remarks by Gregory Barz, assistant professorof musicology (ethnomusicology) at the SeniorRecognition Ceremony

Evan Dozier-Stefanuk listens as ChancellorJoe Wyatt addresses his last Vanderbiltgraduating class.

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CommencementHONORS

Student Marshalls: Evan Dozier-Stefanuk, Laura Gregory

Banner Bearer: Andrew Westerhaus

Alma Mater Vocalist:Colette Gagnon

Founder’s Medalist: Amy Forburger

Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI) College Honor Award: Kiley Swicegood

SAI Scholastic Award: Colette Gagnon

Alpha Lambda Delta Senior Certificates: Evan Dozier-Stefanuk, AllisonKieckhefer, Micah Meckstroth, Kelly Randall

MTNA Student Achievement Recognition Award: Andrew Westerhaus

L. Howard “Zeke”Nicar Award: Jason Piehl

Robin Dickerson Award: Andrew Westerhaus

Delene Laubenheim McClure Memorial Prize in Opera: Kiley Swicegood

Jean Keller Heard Prize: Holland Phillips, Sara Schultz, Anne Warner

Sue Brewer Award: Taylor Jones, Josh McGuire

David Rabin Prize: Tina Lobenhofer

Margaret Branscomb Prize: Jonathan Chu

Martin Williams Prize: for the most outstanding paper of the academic year:Heidi Lauren Duke

The S.S. and I.M.F. Marsden Award in Musical Scholarship: Julie Hunter

Theodore Presser Award: Heidi Lauren Duke

John Lennon Scholarship: Taylor Jones

Vanderbilt Summer Research Awards: Kim Crawford, who will work withProfessor Dale Cockrell; John “Chow” Seymour, who will work with Profes-sor Michael Rose; Jeff Sheehan, who will work with Professor GregoryBarz; Chris Walters, who will work with Professor Carl Smith

AWARDS

menone’s wild fiddle player.Yet, we cannot deny that who the fid-

dler is has everything to do with wheremusic is in Ballymenone. As musicianswe are keenly aware of the very physi-cality of our music-making. Whenever Iam privileged to observe a Blair musi-cian perform or when I have the oppor-tunity to engage a Blair student’swritten efforts, I am always curious as Ienter in the public performance of thatstudent’s very private, internal musicalworld. In my initial approach I often seea child at play, innocent and curious, fullof wonder at what can only be ade-quately described as a mystery. And it isin that mysterious space that I oftenseek the answer to our question “where ismusic?”

Something deeply musical happens atBlair. And sometimes it is a very strange

tomorrow we will participate in oneof our most significant rites of pas-sage. As you parade in front of yourfaculty and your families, you will

ask yourselves many questions. I wouldlike to add to that list of questions.

The question I would like to ask is“Where is Music?” In Passing the Time inBallymenone, the author, folklorist HenryGlassie, suggests that music begins on

Lauren Denny peruses the CommencementBulletin while Jason Piehl looks on, bothwaiting to begin their post-Blair life as grad-uates of the Class of 2000.

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your passage, that you have workedhard to answer questions. That piece ofpaper confirms that you have con-quered the complex laws and rules ofharmony and counterpoint (not tomention ear training and sightsinging!).You have learned to express yourselveseloquently in words and in notes. Andinherent in that same piece of paper liesthe confirmation that you are readyand capable of entertaining more ques-tions.

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Amy ForburgerFounder’s Medalist

Some might think that being awardedthe Founder’s Medal for first honors atBlair would be the capstone of a distin-guished undergraduate career. For AmyForburger, it is less a capstone than oneshining light in a dazzling string of hon-ors that are bound to continue as shehones her talents.

A native of Des Moines, Iowa, For-burger began her musical career withthe Des Moines Children’s Chorus inthird grade, a seminal learning experi-ence that continued through ninthgrade.

“When I ended with the Chorus, mydad was concerned because he knew Ineeded some musical nourishment, andthe high school I attended did not havea very strong vocal music program,”says Forburger. “He talked to Dr. Ret-zlaff, who at the time was chair ofDrake University’s voice department.My dad said Dr. Retzlaff would hearme and recommend a voice teacher. So,I sang the National Anthem or some-thing like that, and at the end of the ses-sion, he fit me into his schedule. Ithought, ‘Wow, you just accepted me asa student!’

“Small things like that have alwayshappened in my life,” she says. “I’vealways been encouraged by them,because lots of people may tell you thatyou do a good job, but sometimesthere’s a difference. That day Dr. Ret-zlaff heard something in me that I feelwhen I sing, and he recognized it.”

What Jonathan Retzlaff, now associ-ate professor of voice and chair of thevoice department at Blair, heard wasthe promise held by her voice.

“When we first met, Amy was a shy,soft-spoken teenager who seemed eagerto study,” recalls Retzlaff. “By the endof the audition I heard what I needed tohear to accept her as my student. Therewas a distinctive core, or what I call“bud,” within her sound. It is rarelythere, but it is essential for anyonewanting a career. The bud is now abloom as her performance vitae details.”

Forburger transferred from DrakeUniversity after her freshman year,following her teacher to his new postat Vanderbilt. It was a challengingexperience, but she found her nicheafter making friends with fellow voicemajors Kiley Swicegood and CarmenPastorek. The three became not onlyfriends, but roommates, and continued

sharing an apartment during hersenior year.

“We’ve never been competitive,which is rare among vocalists,” saysForburger. “It’s been a very positiveexperience, especially coming in as Idid as a transfer student. I missed theentire freshman year experience here,but being able to form such a nicefriendship with them meant so muchto me. I also made several friendsthrough them. I feel that I formed acommunity of friends here.”

While she formed that community,she also impressed many people with

her vocal talent. She won first place inher regional division each year in theNational Association of Teachers ofSinging (NATS) Vocal Competition,from her senior year in high schoolthrough all four years of college. Thisyear she also competed in the MusicTeachers National Association(MTNA) national collegiate competi-

tion, where she was awardedfirst runner-up. While atBlair, she received the RobinDickerson Award, presentedto a voice major for excel-lence in performance andscholarship; the David RabinPrize, awarded for excellencein musical performance; andwas elected to Pi KappaLambda, the national musichonor society. In August, shewill move to New York Cityto study voice with PatriciaMisslin at the ManhattanSchool of Music.

“I’m very excited,” saysForburger. “Pat Misslin isprobably one of the top threeteachers in the United States,and I think the world of herteaching. I went to auditionand had a very intense lessonwith her. I know it won’t allbe laughter and joy when Igo.”

“Amy has been a modelstudent and a young artistwho has helped set the stan-dards within the voicedepartment at Blair,” says

Retzlaff. “I will miss her and send herto New York with all good wishes andlove.”

Forburger listens to a wide varietyof music, but has found a heroine inManhattan School of Music alumnaand renowned singer, Dawn Upshaw.

“She has such a beautiful voice, andshe sings many different styles ofmusic, not just classical. I like thatidea so much. I think if you have awell-trained, beautiful voice, you canbe versatile, and she is. That’s what Iaspire to do.”

—Bonnie Arant Ertelt

profile

Amy Forburger received the Founders Medal for first hon-ors from Dean Mark Wait at Vanderbilt’s commence-ment on May 12. In August she will begin study withPatricia Misslin at the Manhattan School of Music.

In Her Own Words: A Conversation withKathryn Eberle

On April 16, Kathryn Eberle, a 17 year-oldprecollegiate student of Cornelia Heard,associate professor of violin, premieredMichael Kurek’s Violin Concerto with theNashville Symphony at the final Horizonsconcert of the 1999-2000 season. Kurek,associate professor of composition and chairof the composition/theory department atBlair, was commissioned by Eberle’s par-ents, Mark and Emily Eberle, to create thework after they heard his Symphony no. 1played by the Nashville Symphony. Shortlybefore premiering the new work, The Quar-ter Note spoke with Eberle.

On the genesis of Kurek’s Violin concerto:

“Professor Kurek had heard me playSibelius’ Violin Concerto and told myparents he would like to compose some-thing for me. About a year later, we gotin touch with him and asked, ‘Were youserious about wanting to write some-thing?’ and he said, ‘Oh yes.’ That’swhen it began.

“He already had the idea. We saidwe’d like for it to be along the lines of atonal work, and he said that’s what hewanted, too. He wrote the secondmovement first, and I got that sometimelast winter. Then, he wrote the thirdand first movements. The more I play it,the more I love it.

“It’s interesting playing a workyou’ve never heard before. Recently,I’ve been playing the Tchaikovsky con-certo, a work I’ve heard umpteen mil-lion times. I have to get into a totallydifferent mindset with this than withthe Tchaikovsky. When you learn theTchaikovsky concerto, you already havemost of the rhythm in your head. Withthis work, you’re sightreading it the firsttime and literally learn it from scratch.

“I’ve tried to keep as close to whatProfessor Kurek wants as possible. Alot of times I’ll play something and he’llsay, ‘No, I want it this way. So, I play it

that way. I really feel that’s important.He’s spent so many hours notatingexactly how he wants it, he deserves tohave it played that way. But it’s inter-esting having him say that. It makes mewonder how many times I’ve butcheredBeethoven or some of the other com-posers I’ve played. You wish you couldtalk to all of them and really know howthey want their music played.”

On keeping balance:

I’ve known from a young age that Iwould do music. But, there’s alwaysbeen a fine line between devoting allmy time to music and all my time toacademics. I love humanities. I’m defi-nitely a history and English person.

It’s been a struggle for me to main-tain a balance between music and acad-emics, but I think it’s definitely aworthy thing to do. The music onlyenhances the academics and vice versa.They help each other out.

On studying with different teachers:

“I started playing violin on my thirdbirthday here at Blairwith Sharon Rogers. Shewas a very detail-orientedperson, which was won-derful. And she caredabout her students, whichwas very nice. A lot of herstudents have gone on todo great things.

“When I was 10, Iswitched to ConnieHeard, going from Suzukito traditional. She’s a fab-ulous teacher and a fabu-lous person, which I’vecome to learn is a veryrare combination. I willdefinitely miss Connie. Idon’t know what it’s goingto be like next year,because even though she’smy teacher, she’s almostmore of a friend.

“Next fall I will begoing to the University ofSouthern California tostudy with Robert Lipsett,

who is considered one of the top fiveteachers in the country. I took from himat the Encore School for Strings inOhio the summer of ’98. He askedthen, ‘Couldn’t you just move out toLos Angeles?’ I said, ‘No, I have a lifein Nashville.’ So, we worked out thiscrazy schedule of meetings where I flyout there once a month for a few days.He’s very business-like, but veryinvolved once you get into the lesson,and extremely detail-oriented. He won’tlet you move on until it’s just like itshould be, which is great. He’s also astickler for technical aspects of yourplaying. He has me play a series oftechnical scales and arpeggios andthirds every single day before I play.He describes it as the glue that holdsyour playing together.

“I always thought I would wind upat a conservatory until I met Mr.Lipsett, but studying with him haschanged my perspective. I didn’t reallyaudition anywhere else. I decided that’swhere I wanted to go and sent in theapplication. I just found out I’maccepted. I’m very excited.

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what is opera? What fires in the brain when the wordis spoken? Consider that anyone’s understanding ofan idea is only the sum of his or her experiences andassociations with that idea. Thus, “opera” to most

people, both more and less cultured than I, is likely no morethan a string of excerpts, allusions, and clichés picked upfrom the context andwhimsy of popular cul-ture. Perhaps the wordconjures for you, as itdoes for me, a loose setof serendipitous memo-ries derived almostentirely from co-optedhigh culture via television. As a result, the Blair School’srecent production of the Merry Wives of Windsor was some-thing of a slap in the face to my existing idea of opera.

A brief catalog of images which heretofore comprised thesum of my understanding of opera includes:

Bugs Bunny’s Barber of Seville; the endless references,particularly in advertising, to the copious womanclad in full Viking regalia who signals that “theshow” is over; Sesame Street and The Muppet Showserving as popular stop- offs for tenors; Tim Robbinsdoing a month in solitary for playing a Mozart ariaover the public address system in The ShawshankRedemption; and that most famous of operas which Iam not sure actually is an opera—Andrew LoydWebber’s Phantom of the Opera.

Oh, Opera, I hardly knew ye!The question which recently came to me as I spent many

hours observing and photographing rehearsals for The MerryWives of Windsor is: Does opera really matter? Can it make adifference? Can it be vital in a culture where brevity is avirtue, especially when it comes to music?

The undeniable answer is Yes. Not on a Wal-Mart scaleand not via opera.com (there really is one). Yes, because aroom full of college students and two teachers who see thebeauty of an old art form made it so for at least one person.

That is to say that as of this point forward the word“opera” will conjure for me the thing itself, not the idea ofthe thing. It shall be Amy Forburger and Rachel Blackplaying the two conniving wives in a serpentine duet thatrises to that point where the audience member becomesslack-jawed in the presence of human voices raised to such

Blair’s production of The Merry Wives of Windsorconverts one observer to a believerPHOTOS AND ESSAY BY ROB STACK

The Merry Wives of WindsorBY OTTO NICOLAI

The Players included: (principal/understudy)

Mrs. Ford Amy Forburger/Brooke WillisMrs. Page Rachel Black/Heidi Lauren DukeMr. Ford Stephen MyersMr. Page Andrew WesterhausFenton Todd Patrick/Drake DantzlerSlender Daniel MontgomeryDr. Cajus Matthew ScottSir John Falstaff Joshua EdwardsAnne Page Kiley Swicegood/Melissa BeckwithServants to Mrs. Ford Drake Dantzler

Melissa Beckwith

Townspeople of Windsor:

Melissa BeckwithDrake DantzlerColette GagnonNoelle JacquezAmanda Martin

Jonathan RavivDannette VillarrealMichael VineBrooke Willis

heights. It shall be Kiley Swicegood as the living embodi-ment of optimism and hope. And even Falstaff lives. JoshEdwards, a young man with skill, humor and charm,breathed a generous kind of life into him. Andrew Wester-haus, Stephen Myers, Todd Patrick, Daniel Montgomery,and Matthew Scott are names you might not know, but

they did a beautifulthing under GayleShay, director ofVanderbilt OperaTheater, and RobinFountain, director ofthe VanderbiltOrchestra.

You forget all the expectations that you walked in withwhen you see regular people doing amazing things. That isart at its best. It strips you of your intellectual self andleaves you standing naked and in awe.

You forget all the expectations that you

walked in with when you see regular peopledoing amazing things. That is art at its best.

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to her particular clientele.The therapy is subtle yet powerful. Besides being aes-

thetically pleasing, harp music appears to have physiologi-cal effects, which explains why Andrews is in such highdemand. When she plays, babies stop crying, heart beatsand respiratory rates stabilize, and in the case of cancerpatients, the increased relaxation brought on by the tones ofthe harp help the chemotherapy needles go in more easily.

“It changes the whole atmosphere,” says Andrews. “Ifthings are crazy and hectic, when I start playing it putseverybody in a quieter mood.” Initially, having a live harpperformance in the midst of all the hospital hustle and bus-tle was a bit of a hard sell. “I think they were nervous atfirst,” says Andrews, “thinking it was going to be one morenoise and add to the commotion. But it’s done the opposite.”

There are currently no music therapy courses offered atBlair or the Medical Center, so like Clara Lau, Andrewswill eventually need to look elsewhere for advanced trainingand degrees in this innovative field. In the meantime, shecredits her Blair schooling for helping expand her knowl-edge of music theory, develop her classical repertoire, andenhance her ear training. This last skill comes in especiallyhandy when a member of her hospital audience jokinglyrequests the perennial favorite, “Freebird,” by LynyrdSkynyrd.

“Now I can play it!” Andrews exclaims.

Two Paths Converge When the stress of medical school gets to be too much,Mona Parsottam Patel, ,99, creates her own space formusic. She stops everything and retreats to her clarinetat her apartment or drives to her parent’s house in Brent-wood to play their piano. In the midst of arduous courserequirements at Vanderbilt Medical School, where she hasjust completed her first year, she explains, “We’re in thebooks all the time. It makes me really appreciate Blair,when homework was playing in the practice rooms, ratherthan studying for ten hours straight.”

Patel was exposed to music at an early age by friends ofher parents who introduced her to the harmonium, a little-known Indian instrument. Later Patel sojourned to Indiawhere she delved further into the harmonium and studiedthe tabla as well. This deepened her appreciation for music,which eventually led her to apply to Blair for her under-graduate degree.

As much as Patel grew to love music, performing in frontof audiences has never been her cup of tea. “I can’t play thepiano for other people,” says Patel. “It’s really personal forme. I love to listen to music and play music, but I do itbecause of the way it makes me feel.” Knowing in advancethat she did not want to be a performer, she set her sightson a medical career. Patel was accepted to Vanderbilt Med-ical School as a sophomore at Blair, taking advantage of theschool’s highly selective early admission program for out-standing students.

Patel received guidance and emotional support from her

music professors, in particular Cassandra Lee, assistantprofessor of clarinet. “They allowed me to love music butmove on to another career,” remembers Patel. “In manyinstances, they even helped me with class conflicts whenscience courses needed to be scheduled.”

Even though Patel did not choose a music career, shebelieves her education at Blair was invaluable. She is con-vinced that her music training will make her a better doctor,when she is settled, as she hopes to be, in private pediatricspractice. Her love of music, she fully believes, contributesto her compassion for other people.

“The music made me a different person,” says Patel. “Ifeel that I have a broader background than a lot of peoplegoing to med school. Being a doctor is not just knowing thefacts, but being able to relate them to people,” she explains.“To understand how the patient is feeling—and in a way, tofeel what the patient is feeling.”

Trail BlazerJoan Neel Lee, ,91, the first Blair graduate to study medicine,currently is too busy to think about the road not taken. Whenshe’s not immersed in completing the requirements of her finalyear of internal medicine residency at Baptist Hospital inNashville, she’s focused on rearing two young children, agedtwo and one half years and nine months old.

Lee has always loved music, but was fairly certain she wasnot going to make a career of it. “I always had planned ongoing for one of the advanced degrees,” says Lee, “but I wasn’tsure whether it would be medicine, law or business.” Shereceived a scholarship to attend Blair and knew that theSchool’s heavily academic program would provide an excel-

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To Hear is to HealClara Christine Lau, Class of 2000, plans on bringing hermusical skills and Blair training directly to future musictherapy patients. Although her concentration was in clar-inet, the primary tools of her new trade will be guitar,piano, and percussion, the traditional instruments used inmusic therapy.

Research has proven that different instruments can workwonders with individuals having certain disabilities, such asautism, traumatic brain injuries, or Alzheimer’s disease.“Teaching drums to a child with autism might improvemotor function or stimulate learning,” explains Lau. “In aperson with Alzheimer’s, a particular melody might spark amemory, or teaching a folk song may help with focus.”

Lau, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree inmusical arts and will pursue a master’s degree in musictherapy at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas,this fall, was inspired by her high school clarinet teacherwho was actively involved in music therapy. Lau also hastutored kids with learning difficulties. Her goal is to workwith children with severe physical and cognitive disabilities.

Lau believes that her undergraduate education at Blairprepared her well for her advanced studies. “I think SMUwas impressed by my strong background in music historyand theory, my experience in conducting, and the fact that Iam a good musician.”

Betty-Ashton Andrews, a rising senior at Blair and aharp performance major, is practicing her own brand of

music therapy. She divides her time—and hauls her harp—between stations at pediatric surgery, neonatal intensivecare, pediatric orthopedics, the Vanderbilt-Ingram CancerCenter, the sub-acute unit, and the main lobby of the Van-derbilt Medical Center, where her music soothes, calms,and even heals some members of her delighted audience.

Andrews began playing harp in hospitals while in highschool in Roanoke, Virginia, under the moniker Harp toHeart. The concept developed from a senior project in highschool. She wanted to combine playing the harp with help-ing people, and after searching for ideas on the Internet,discovered the writings of Ron Price, the pioneer of harptherapy. She chose to study music at Blair because of theproximity to the hospital and the opportunity to continueher harp therapy. But, in fact, VUMC also chose Betty-Ashton Andrews. After reading an article about her in aRoanoke newspaper, the Cultural Enrichment Program atthe VU Medical Center recruited her as a volunteer in1997, when they discovered she would attend Blair the fol-lowing fall. She has been their summer artist-in-residencefor the last two summers.

Although her audience differs from location to location,the effect of her music seems to be the same: it createspeace and joy wherever her lilting melodies go. “It’s amaz-ing to see kids light up just from one stroke of the harp,”says Andrews. She tailors her repertoire, filled with Disneysongs, popular radio hits, show tunes, and classical pieces,

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Betty-AshtonAndrews,class of ,01

Mona Patel,BMus ,99

Of MUSIC and

MEDICINEIf you ask people what qualities they admire most in a physician,they usually list expertise first, and then perhaps a good bedsidemanner. We all want our doctors to be compassionate, caring, and,at the very least, human.

Now suppose the doctor who was examining you, x-raying you,or applying therapeutic techniques were a great lover and player ofmusic. Besides having a better brand of Muzak in the waiting area,how else would you benefit?

There seems to be a connection between the healing powers ofmusic and medicine, and the Blair School is home to a new genera-tion of medical practitioners who are equally adept at music. TheQUARTER NOTE talked recently to four talented women—two Blairalums, one class of 2000 graduate and a current Blair student—allof whom are establishing a unique place in the world of health carewith Blair as the common bond.

PROFILES BY NED ANDREW SOLOMON

Thirteen bachelor of music students selected through com-petitive auditions in February proved their performancemettle in Blair’s sixth annual Student Showcase held March24 in the Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall.

Diversity in musical selections ranged from Gershwin’sPreludes, arranged for violin and piano, to a percussionpiece by the contemporary composer Keiko Abe.

Featured performers were freshman violinist LianaAustin, junior percussionist Evan Barr, junior cellist SarahBoronow, freshman violinist Jonathan Chu, senior sopranoEvan Dozier-Stefanuk, sophomore saxophonist Chris Gen-ovese, freshman guitarist Josh McGuire, freshman saxo-phonist Andy Oberhausen, freshman saxophonist JackRutledge, junior violinist Sara Schultz, junior saxophonistJeff Sheehan, sophomore pianist Curtis Sydnor, and juniorviolinist Stephanie Tepley.

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happenings

Symposium 2000, two weeks celebrating the 125th anniver-sary of Albert Schweitzer’s birth and the 250th anniversary ofJ.S. Bach’s death, will take place September 30 throughOctober 15, culminating in the world premiere of Paths ofPeace by Associate Professor of Composition Michael AlecRose.

The Symposium, cosponsored by seven Vanderbilt schools,including the Blair School, will feature guest speakers, an artexhibit, numerous concerts, and the play A Walk in the Woodspresented by Actors Bridge Theatre Company. Nobel PeacePrize winners José Ramos-Horta, human rights diplomat, andEls Mathieu, M.D., of the group Doctors Without Borders,are among the speakers.

Blair will host a lecture and concert featuring ChristophWolff, professor of music and dean of Harvard’s GraduateSchool of Arts and Sciences, Bobby Taylor, associate profes-sor of oboe, and Polly Brecht, adjunct instructor in harpsi-chord, on October 10, 7 PM, in the Steve and Judy TurnerRecital Hall. Their program is entitled “In Search of JohannSebastian Bach’s Human Face: The Everyday Life of theLeipzig Thomascantor.” Other musical offerings will includeconcerts by the Voices of Bahá, the Nashville ChamberOrchestra, The Village Cultural Arts Center, the HiroshimaBoys Choir, and Symposium Executive Director ThurstonMoore’s own multimedia musical dramatization of the words

of Schweitzer and themusic of Bach, in additionto the world premiere ofRose’s Symphony no. 1,Paths of Peace, by theNashville Symphony. Thepremiere of this workunder the direction of Dr.Jordan Tang will comeshortly after the Sympho-ny’s appearance atCarnegie Hall.

Paths of Peace is a workfor large orchestra in fivemovements, featuringsoprano and baritonesoloists, and children from

Blair’s advanced Suzuki program. The music travels alongmany paths, always searching and struggling for possibilitiesof peace and reconciliation, even when most vulnerable,embattled, or internally at odds.

Michael Alec Rose, who has been at Blair since 1986,received the Victor Herbert/ASCAP (American Society ofComposers and Publishers) award in 1985 and has receivedfourteen consecutive annual ASCAP awards since 1985.

For updated information about the Symposium, access theWeb site at spaceformusic.com/symposium2000.

Michael Alec Rose’s Paths of Peaceto be Symposium 2000 Grand Finale

Michael Alec Rose, associate professor of composition

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As the joint five-year teacher educationprogram begins its third year of exis-tence, enrollment continues at a steadypace. Last year 17 students wereenrolled in the program, which culmi-nates in two degrees at the end of fiveyears: the Blair bachelorof music in musical artsdegree and the master ofeducation degree fromVanderbilt’s PeabodyCollege. This fall, sixmore students will beenrolled in this uniquecurriculum, taking a mixof core music coursessuch as music theory, eartraining, and sightsing-ing; as well as courses inmusic literature and per-formance; liberal arts;education; and practicathat allow observation inschools and hands-onteaching experiences.

“We want five to 10students every year ineach class,” says Dwayne Sagen, assis-tant dean for admissions and coordina-tor of the M.Ed. program, “with amaximum of 60 at any one time. We’redefinitely on track for that.”

The program trains students toteach in public and private schools asK-12 general music teachers or to beband, choral, or orchestra directors.

“These students are required to per-form a senior recital, which is differentfrom what is required in our musicalarts program,” explains Sagen, “sothey have to be excellent performers.They also must be interested in young

people and teaching, and have the per-sonal skills to interact well with peo-ple.”

The National Association of Schoolsof Music (NASM) accredits the pro-gram. Students who complete the rig-orous five years of coursework canreceive licensure to teach in Tennesseeand any other state.

“They’ll be getting the best jobs outthere,” says Sagen, “because schoolswant people with Peabody and Blairdegrees. Plus, they’ll have their mas-ter’s, and some of the better schoolsnowadays require that you have a mas-

ter’s degree.” Students are required to

take four practica prior tostudent teaching during theirlast semester. Placementsoccur at all levels fromprekindergarten in Blair’sown Suzuki program to theUniversity band.

“I try every semester togive them a different kind ofexperience,” Sagen says, “sothat when they are finishedthey will have observedeverything from someonebeginning in violin, voice, orband, through high schooland even some collegiateexperience. They will haveseen all levels and are betterprepared to decide what

they want in a job.“We feel we took the best of three

worlds—the music core, music perfor-mance, and education—to create thisprogram. It’s really unique. Therearen’t many, if any, programs like thisthat combine music and education overa five year period and award bachelor’sand master’s degrees.”

Charles Charleton, left, works with precollegiate student Joey Capparella andSue Hartley, director of the Young Singers of Blair. A rising sophmore,Charleton plans a career as a choral conductor.

Joint B.Mus./M.Ed. Program Makes Best of Three Worlds

lent foundation for any field shedecided to pursue.

While studying flute and com-position at Blair, music becameeven more vital to her. Upon grad-uation, she found herself facedwith the hardest decision of herlife. The 1991 Founder’s Medalistattracted the attention of a lawschool and a graduate music pro-gram. She credits all of her Blairprofessors, but especially MichaelKurek, associate professor of com-position and chair of the composi-tion/theory department, for encouraging her to follow her

heart, which continued to lead her toward the medical fieldand further education at the University of Tennessee Collegeof Medicine and Vanderbilt Medical School, where shereceived her M.D. in 1998.

Lee hopes her children will develop a love for music, justas she did as a child, hearing her grandmother give musiclessons in the neighborhood. They have two great role mod-els to move them along that path: Dad plays guitar and is a

music professor at Columbia Community College,and Mom still pulls out her flute when she’s inspiredand time permits. The two team up occasionally toperform at weddings and other receptions.

“I look forward to the day when my load lightensup a bit,” Lee says. “Then maybe I can once again devote

more time to music.”

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Joan NeelLee, BMus ,91

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Students Showcase Talent

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Children ages four to six will be intro-duced to music this fall in a “NewHorizons” class taught by Jama Rea-gan, adjunct artist teacher of piano,based on teaching concepts which uti-lize a child’s own natural instrument,the voice. Through the use of solfège,movement, ear training, and art, chil-dren experience important stepstoward musical literacy, while learningthrough both visual and aural methodsabout orchestral instruments and themusic and lives of major composers.The class will meet weekly for fiftyminutes in groups of 10 to 14 students.For more information, please contactthe Blair School at (615) 322-7651.

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tuttiStudentsThe Regional Kentucky/Tennessee NATS StudentAuditions were held in Aprilat Union University in Jack-son, Tennessee. Blair had 11winners in the competition:Kathryn Janssen, first place,Advanced Women; ToddPatrick, first place, interme-diate Men; Amy Forburger,(see related story, p.4), firstplace, Senior Women; KileySwicegood, second place,Senior Women; RobinGreenly, third place, JuniorWomen; Drake Dantzler,third place, Sophomore Men;Lillian Askew, first place,Freshmen Women; DannetteVillarreal, second place,Freshmen Women; JonathanRaviv, second place, Fresh-men Men; Joshua Edwards,third place, Freshmen Men;Katherine Pylant, secondplace, High School Women.

They are students ofJonathan Retzlaff, associateprofessor of voice and chair ofthe voice department; GayleShay, assistant professor ofvoice and director of the Van-derbilt Opera Theatre; AmyJarman, adjunct assistantprofessor of voice; or TracyPrentice, adjunct assistantprofessor of voice.

PRECOLLEGE

The Blair Children’s ChorusConcert Choir, under thedirection of PamelaSchneller, senior lecturer inchoral music, joined theNashville Symphony Orches-tra and Chorus in perfor-mances of Carmina Burana onApril 7 and 8 at the TennesseePerforming Arts Center. InJune, they, embarked on aneight day tour of the Mid-west, performing in DesMoines, Iowa, Omaha,Nebraska, and Saint Louis,Missouri.

The Blair Suzuki Players,directed by Carol Smith,senior artist teacher of violinand director of the Suzukiprogram, and AnneWilliams, senior artistteacher of Suzuki violin andcello, and accompanied byCeleste Halbrook Tuten,artist teacher of Suzuki vio-lin, performed in Memphis inApril in an exchange concertwith the University of Mem-phis Suzuki PerformingGroup. The Memphis groupwill present a concert at Blairin October.

Several students of G.R.Davis, adjunct assistant pro-fessor of tuba, won honors inMid-State and All-StateBand this year. John Hrehawas awarded first chair intuba in the Tennessee All-State Band in April. Johnbecomes the sixth Blair stu-dent to win that honor inseven years. In February,John Garth won first chairtuba in the Tennessee Mid-State Seventh and EighthGrade Band. Scott Kriebelplayed tuba in the TennesseeMid-State Junior HighSchool Second Band, andAaron McNutt played tubain the Tennessee Mid-StateHigh School First Band.

Henry Bradford, Jr., stu-dent of Ellen Menking,adjunct artist teacher ofoboe, was awarded first chair in oboe in the NorthAlabama All-District Band.He also won the concertocompetition and performedthe first movement ofHaydn’s C Major Concertofor Oboe with the OakwoodCollege Symphony Orchestrain Huntsville in March. Heperformed in the AlabamaAll-State Band in April on the campus of AuburnUniversity.

Philip Davidson, student ofFrank Kirchner, adjunctassociate professor of saxo-phone, was selected for theTri-Lakes Honors Band andthe Mid-State Band. He alsoattended this summer’s Ten-nessee Governor’s School forthe Arts.

George Meyer, student ofCarol Smith, played “1B,”written by Edgar Meyer,adjunct associate professor ofbass and George’s dad, at theGrand Ole Opry, accompa-nied by world-renowned cel-list Yo Yo Ma. George’smother is Cornelia Heard,associate professor of violin.

UNDERGRADUATE

The Blair Student Saxo-phone Quartet, consisting ofChris Genovese on sopranosax, Andy Oberhausen onalto sax, Jeff Sheehan ontenor sax, and Jack Rutledgeon baritone sax, performed foran auditions weekend dinnergiven for prospective Univer-sity students and their parentsin January. They also present-ed two school concerts inScottsville, Kentucky, as partof the Turner Project. TheQuartet is under the directionof Frank Kirchner.

Several students of BobbyTaylor, associate professor ofoboe, had plans for furtherstudy this summer. SomerlieAston studied at the AspenSummer Music Festival, whileKristin Cameron attended anoboe workshop in southernFrance. Robert Boxie, BeckyFry, and Abby Robinsonattended the John MackOboe Camp in North Caroli-na.

Rising sophomore DannaBuchanon, student of BillWiggins, assistant professor ofpercussion and chair of thebrass and percussion depart-ment, attended Eastern MusicFestival this summer.

Stephanie Tepley, a juniorand student of Christian Teal,professor of violin, wasawarded a Repertory TrainingProgram Fellowship for studyat the Brevard Music Centerin Brevard, North Carolina,during the Brevard SummerMusic Festival.

Christopher Walters, work-ing with Carl Smith, seniorlecturer of music compositionand theory, participated in theVanderbilt UndergraduateSummer Research Program.As part of his project, heattended the Berkshire ChoralFestival in Sheffield, Massa-chusetts, in late July.

In March, John Johns,associate professor andchair of the guitar depart-ment, performed at a StateDepartment function inParis at the invitation ofAmbassador Amy L. Bon-durant (left). Film actressOlivia de Havilland (cen-ter), who is best known forplaying Melanie Wilkes inthe 1939 film Gone Withthe Wind, was a guest atthe event.

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The second annual Grand Old Dul-cimer Day took place Sunday, May21, at Two Rivers Mansion inNashville, a joint production of MetroParks and the Grand Old DulcimerClub. Special performances includedthose by David Schnaufer, adjunctassociate professor of dulcimer; SteveSeifert, adjunct instructor in dulcimer,and the Nashville Dulcimer Quartet,comprised of Schnaufer’s former stu-dents at Blair. Also featured was 1999National Dulcimer Champion LeeRowe and Blair precollege studentsSarah Musgrave and Mia Wait.

Dozens of performers and severalhundred spectators listened andlounged on the lawn or park benchesduring the free festival. Workshopswere given for inexperienced andadvanced players, and dulcimer “doc-tor” David Blom, a Fairview instru-ment maker, was on hand to helpthose whose dulcimers needed atuneup.

The word “dulcimer” is derivedfrom a combination of Latin andGreek words meaning “sweet sound.”The instrument originated in Persiaand was brought to Europe by Cru-

saders returning from the Holy Land. In the late 1600s, their perfec-tion by German musicians led to theinvention of the piano. Most Ameri-cans, if they are familiar with theinstrument at all, know the laptop ver-sion as a folk instrument of the

Appalachian mountains. The Grand Old Dulcimer Club

meets the third Sunday of each monthat Priest Lake Presbyterian Churchfrom 2 to 5 PM. For more information,call (615) 832-1945.

David Schnaufer and Sarah Musgrave play at Grand Old Dulcimer Day

Sweet Sounds at the Mansion

“New Horizons” for Budding Musicians

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did you know. . .More than 160 concerts featuringoutstanding faculty artists, guests,and students are presented annu-ally at the Blair School.

In a typical year, Blair facultyperform in 1,100-plus concerts inover half the United States and 20foreign countries. This doesn’tinclude performances of theNashville Symphony, of which 15faculty and alumni are members.

phony Orchestra. Fountainguest conducted theNashville Mandolin Ensem-ble with NME leader ButchBaldassari. Fountain alsoconducted the Opole(Poland) Philharmonic in aconcert that included the Pol-ish premiere of AssociateProfessor Michael AlecRose’s Overture of the OpenRoad last fall. In Februaryand March, Fountainappeared with the PittsburghNew Music Ensemble.

Stan Link, assistant profes-sor of the philosophy andanalysis of music, presented“Noise as Memory, Memoryas Noise: Aesthetic Models

and Metaphors for ComputerMusic” at the “Singing theBody Electric” conference onmusic, multimedia, and digi-tal culture at SUNY StonyBrook in March.

Melanie Lowe, assistant pro-fessor of music history andliterature, will read twopapers in the fall in Toronto:one at the American Musico-logical Society’s annual meet-ing entitled “MediatingMusic: Film and Televisionas Systems of Musical Mean-ing” and “Claiming Amadeus:Hollywood’s Appropriationand Resignification ofMozart” at the meeting of theSociety for American Music.

Jonathan Retzlaff, associateprofessor of voice and chairof the voice department, wasfeatured in concert with EnidKatahn, professor of piano,in January as part of Blair’sConcert Series. He currentlyserves as chair of the facultyboard of advisors to the Van-derbilt Honor Council.

Michael Alec Rose, associateprofessor of composition, hashad his proposal to composea piano concerto during leavenext year fully funded by theUniversity Central ResearchScholar Grant Program. Thisprovides additional directsupport for the professionalrecording of the work by theMoravian PhilharmonicOrchestra in Olamouc,Czech Republic, in March2001. Part of a programcalled Recording Fest, therecording will be sponsoredby Symphonic Workshops,an organization that connectsNorth American composers

with European orchestras.

Carl Smith, senior lecturerin music composition andtheory, presented a multime-dia program of music, art,and poetry at the CandlerSchool of Theology of EmoryUniversity entitled “TheChristian Myth in the Art ofthe Western World.” The fol-lowing day he spoke to a col-loquium of master of sacredmusic students on the processof understanding and settingto music mystical texts of theChristian tradition.

Deanna Walker, artistteacher of piano, traveled lastfall to the University ofMassachusetts at Dartmouthto give a workshop on“Teaching Young Pianists toExplore and Create.” Hercomposition, Postlude for TwoPianos, was performed inJune at the Tennessee MusicTeachers Association stateconvention.

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ADULT

The newly formed Vander-bilt Community Chorus,under the direction ofPamela Schneller, gave itsfirst performance on May 18in the Steve and Judy TurnerRecital Hall. The choir, com-prised of Vanderbilt faculty,staff, and alumni, performedworks by Handel, Allegri,Vaughan Williams, and Cop-land. Soprano Amy Jarman,adjunct assistant professor ofvoice, was guest soloist.

AlumniPRECOLLEGE

Susanna Perry Gilmore, for-mer student of ChristianTeal, was named concertmas-ter of the Memphis Sympho-ny Orchestra last December.She had served as acting con-certmaster for the last twoseasons. She will premiere awork for violin and piano byMichael Alec Rose, associateprofessor of composition, atthe “Artists Ascending” seriesin Memphis in Novemberwith Craig Nies, associateprofessor of piano and co-chair of the keyboard depart-ment. When not working as aclassical violinist, Gilmoreplays Irish fiddle with herhusband in the band PlanetReel.

Lawson White, former stu-dent of Bill Wiggins, playedat Blair’s Steve and JudyTurner Recital Hall in Mayas a member of Traces, anacoustic/electronic percussionduo with Jason Treuting. Thetwo met while students at theEastman School of Music.They premiered original elec-tronic music as well as impro-visational pieces.

UNDERGRADUATE

Virginia Dellenbaugh, ’98,former student of Amy Jar-man, received a Fulbright

grant that allows her to con-tinue to live in Vienna, Aus-tria, where she studies withsoprano Donna Robin andcoach accompanist DavidLutz. In July, she participat-ed in qualifying rounds forthe international opera andoperetta competition held atthe Vienna Kammeroper.

Julie Hunter, ’00, formerstudent of Bobby Taylor,received a fellowship to pur-sue graduate studies in eth-nomusicology at BrownUniversity.

Olivia Carter Mather,BS’96, music minor and for-mer student of CynthiaCyrus, assistant professor ofmusicology, finished a double

MA in musicology and artscriticism at the ClaremontGraduate School and hasbeen accepted to the PhDprogram in musicology atUCLA with a full stipend.

Jonathan Musser, ’00, for-mer student of BobbyTaylor, will attend theSouthern Methodist Univer-sity Law School in Dallas,Texas, in the fall.

Georgianna Paul, ’94, for-

mer student of Sally Ahner,adjunct assistant professor ofvoice, has accepted a positionwith the President’s Commit-tee on the Arts and Humani-ties. Created to encourageprivate sector support andincrease public appreciationof the value of the arts andthe humanities, the commit-tee is comprised of leadingcitizens with an interest inand commitment to the artsand humanities and alsoincludes the heads of federalagencies with cultural pro-grams, such as the NationalEndowments for the Arts andthe Humanities, the Instituteof Museum and Library Sci-ences, the Department ofEducation, the Smithsonian

Institution, the Library ofCongress, the NationalGallery of Art, and the JohnF. Kennedy Center for thePerforming Arts.

Sarah Randel, BS’98, a for-mer music as a second majorstudent of Amy Jarman, leftthe Lyric Opera of Chicagolast spring to become artisticcoordinator of the RaviniaFestival. She takes care ofprogramming, booking, artistservices, and “all sorts of

logistics.” She writes, “It’sgreat because I get to be apart of so many differentmusical activities.” She is alsosinging with a church on theNorth Shore of Chicago.

FacultyButch Baldassari, adjunctassociate professor of man-dolin, was featured in a con-cert in April with the WichitaFalls, Texas, SymphonyOrchestra . He conductedthe Nashville MandolinEnsemble along with RobinFountain, associate professorof conducting and director ofthe Vanderbilt Orchestra.

Gregory Barz, assistant pro-fessor of musicology (ethno-musicology), was the keynotespeaker at a conference ofthe British Forum for Ethno-musicology. He also present-ed his research at aconference sponsored by theU.S. Secretariat of the Inter-national Centre for AfricanMusic and Dance at the Uni-versity of Michigan. He willtravel to Ghana (WestAfrica) this summer for fieldresearch and to purchaseinstruments for Blair’s newAfrican Performing Ensem-ble.

Cynthia Cyrus, assistantprofessor of musicology, pub-lished an article, “Obsessedwith Death in Freiburg,” inSewanee Mediaeval Studies.She received a NewberryLibrary Consortium Fundgrant for work on women’slibraries of the 14th and 15thcenturies and a PontificalInstitute of Mediaeval Study(PIMS) travel grant forresearch on women’s monas-tic libraries.

Robin Fountain, associateprofessor of conducting anddirector of the VanderbiltOrchestra, was featured in aconcert in April with theWichita Falls, Texas, Sym-

Deanna Walker, right, welcomed Grammy-winning record-ing artist Kathy Mattea to her Introduction to SongwritingCourse in April. Mattea spoke about her own songwritingprocess in general, and in relation to the two songs she cowroteon her new CD, The Innocent Years.

Reunion brings together classmates from far away: Here BzurHaun, ’93, Olivia Carter Mather, ’96, and Jason Mather, ’95, allof whom now reside in California, catch up with each other.

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WillpowerWhat do you think of when you hear theword “willpower?” Dieting, budgeting,breaking a bad habit? How about thepower you have to help the Blair Schoolof Music through your will? It’s true—putting the Blair School in your willgives you the power to help protect andprepare for its future.

Bequests can be made by designating aspecific amount or a stated percentage ofyour estate. Since most bequests go intoendowment, it is a way to create a lastinggift to the School that truly makes a dif-ference. Bequests are not “out-of-pocket”gifts, so they take less willpower thanyou may think. And, the amount desig-nated is not subject to estate tax.

For more information on bequests orother planned gifts, or if you alreadyhave the Blair School in your will, pleasecall either the Blair Development Officeat 615/322-7650 or the Office of PlannedGiving at 615/343-3113.

A) CelebrationDinner revelers

Natilee Duning,Dick Eskind,

Frank Suther-land, and

Jane Eskind.B) Kathryn Eberle demonstrates her virtuosity on the vio-

lin playing the first movement of Associate ProfessorMichael Kurek’s Violin Concerto with pianist Amy Dorf-

man, assistant professor of piano. Eber-le premiered the work on April 16th

with the Nashville Symphony. C) Suzanne and Art Victorine inspect a

scale model of Blair’s building addi-tions prior to the start of April’s Cele-

bration Dinner. D) A tour of the nearlycompleted Phase I addition to the BlairSchool was a highlight of Intermezzo.E) Dean Wait visits with the Schisslerclan: Bob, Sarah, ’99, and Barbara of

Louisville, Kentucky.

Quarternote

Vanderbilt University2201 West End AvenueNashville, TN 37235

Non-profitU.S. Postage

PAIDNashville, TNPermit No. 23Blair

Blair School of Music

In April, the Blair Schoolcelebrated the diversity anddepth of its faculty, students,and benefactors. This year’sCelebration Dinner, whichtook place at the StadiumClub, featured BlairFounder’s Medalist AmyForburger (see p. 4), violin-ist Kathryn Eberle, whoplayed the first movement ofAssociate Professor MichaelKurek’s Violin Concertoprior to the work’s officialpremiere with the NashvilleSymphony a week later (seep. 5), the Blair SaxophoneQuartet (Chris Genovese, Andy Ober-hausen, Jeff Sheehan, and Jack Rut-ledge), and precollege cellist MichaelDeBruyn. Benefactors were also hon-ored for their generous support in donat-ing both time and money forthe good work Blair accom-plishes in Vanderbilt’s name forthe community.

The Blair Intermezzo onMay 27 celebrated the first 10year reunion for the Schooland drew more alumni thanany previous Blair reunion.Here’s to 10 times 10 moreyears of student, faculty, andcommunity talent at Blair!

blair celebrates!A

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