Prelude! BUTI Newsletter

[ 50th Anniversary Celebration ]

[ Performance Calendar ]

[ Connect ]

Letter from the Director

In just a few short weeks, BUTI will open its 50th Anniversary Season and welcome musicians from 39 states and 6 foreign countries. Instrumentalists, singers, and composers will come together to immerse themselves in a transformative musical experience cultivated by an intensive learning environment, the inspirational atmosphere of Tanglewood, and a like-minded peer group of young artists from around the world. We can't wait, and hope that you will join us at some point for this momentous season.

On August 6, 2016, BUTI will present a daylong 50th Anniversary Celebration that will include campus tours, student performances, panel discussions, and a can't-miss 50th Anniversary Concert at Seiji Ozawa Hall. This concert will include orchestral, chamber music, and choral performances, with works by Bernstein, Brahms, Wagner, Handel, O'Regan and Ticheli, and world premieres by Timo Andres (BUTI '00, '01), Nico Muhly (BUTI '96, '97), and Lawrence Wolfe

(BUTI '66).

I invite you to connect with us, share your memories and thoughts with us, and most importantly, join us. Let me know if you'll be at Tanglewood. I would love to meet you!

With warmest regards,

Hilary Respass

Executive Director

Alumni in Action

Angelica Hairston (BUTI '07, '08) & Charles Overton

(BUTI '08, '11). Photo credit: Robert Torres Photography.

Harpist Angelica Hairston (BUTI '07, '08) presented a concert on April 17, 2016 called "Challenge the Stats." It celebrated African American artists in classical music, dance, and film. Now a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Graduate Fellow at Northeastern University, Angelica worked closely with her professor, Margo Saulnier to present an evening that celebrated highly-trained African American artists from the region. Fueled by her love for classical music and her passion for creating a more diverse future for the arts, Angelica created this platform as a way to connect young professional artists with the Boston community.

"Through this initiative, I wanted to show that the fine arts can reflect diversity both on and off stage," Angelica remarks. "The talented artists featured in the concert continue to challenge the color barriers that we so often face in the arts."

Angelica drew inspiration from BUTI faculty member Ann Hobson Pilot who was the first African American harpist to hold a principal position in a major symphony orchestra; a position she held with the Boston Symphony for 40 years.

"Because of Ann Hobson Pilot, the dreams I had set for myself became possibilities. Working with Ms. Pilot at BUTI was incredibly important during a formative stage in my musical journey. Studying with a harpist who looked like me truly helped me visualize myself having a major career in the field. She continues to be one of my most inspirational teachers and closest mentors."

One of the concert's featured performers was harpist Charles Overton (BUTI '07, '11). Angelica and Charles met while studying in the Young Artists Harp Program during the summer of 2007. The two have been close friends ever since. Charles remarks, "Ann Hobson Pilot invited me to attend the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and it changed my life!"

Challenge the Stats also featured musicians from Project STEP, a Boston based organization committed to providing comprehensive music instruction to young African American and Latino students. The concert ended with a harp trio comprised of Angelica Hairston, Charles Overton, and Mason Morton (BU '16).

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New Programming

Summer 2016 will see the launch of four new academic programs at BUTI. The two-week

Young Artists Opera Intensive (YAOI) begins June 19. Offered in addition to the Young Artists Vocal Program, July 3 through August 13, YAOI will feature undergraduate student artists and will culminate in a full-length performance of Strauss' Die Fledermaus on July 1 and 2 . Faculty include:

Dana Lynne Varga, Program Director

William Lumpkin, Music Director

Sarah Meyers, Stage Director

Christina Wright-Ivanova, Coach and

Rehearsal Pianist

Penelope Bitzas, Program Adviser and

Guest Artist

In addition to the Opera Intensive, we're adding three new solo string workshops to complement the String Quartet Workshop and Double Bass Workshop. Klaudia Szlachta leads the new Violin Workshop, Michelle LaCourse the Viola Workshop, and Mihail Jojatu and Hyun-Ji Kwon the Cello Workshop. Talk about a dream team!

Visiting Artist Residency Program

Simone Dinnerstein and Nico Muhly, 2016 Visiting Artists

As part of the 50th Anniversary, BUTI is launching a new Visiting Artist Residency Program designed to integrate alumni artists deeply and broadly into the BUTI community as teachers, mentors, and role models.

The inaugural Visiting Artists are composer Nico Muhly (BUTI '96, '97), who will be in residence July 25 through August 6, and pianist Simone Dinnerstein (BUTI '86, '87), in residence August 7 through 13 .

Muhly and Dinnerstein will teach classes, coach ensembles, talk about their careers, work with composers, meet informally with students, and more. Muhly's compositions will be performed throughout the season, and Dinnerstein will perform with the Young Artists Orchestra in Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue on August 13.

Welcome New Council Members!

The BUTI Advisory Council is a group of philanthropic leaders who provide essential guidance, advocacy and annual support to the program. Built on the solid foundation of BUTI's advisory board, this group was formed in 2015 and we're thrilled to announce and acknowledge its members here for the first time:

Chester Douglass, Chair (Par BUTI '83, '84)

NancyBell Coe

Cynthia Curme (CFA '76, '80; Par GRS '19)

Peter Eliopoulos (BUTI '83)

Susan Grausman (Par BUTI '98)

Seth Johnson (BUTI '71)

Maureen Meister (Par BUTI '05, '06, '07)