Ensemble Connect Program Celebrates 10 Years at Skidmore with Special Programming
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Skidmore College celebrates the 10th Anniversary of Ensemble Connect, a graduate fellowship program for the finest young professional classical musicians in the world.
Formerly known as Ensemble ACJW, the program was established in 2007 as a graduate fellowship program linking Carnegie Hall with the Juilliard School and the Weill Music Institute. The program is designed to prepare young musicians for professional careers in classical music, while fostering community engagement, advocacy, entrepreneurship and leadership.
“Skidmore College has been a highly valued partner of Ensemble Connect since the fellowship program was launched in January 2007,” said Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall.
Every two years, up to twenty of the world’s finest young professional musicians are selected to participate in the Ensemble Connect program as fellows. These students come from some of the finest music schools in the country – including The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory and the Yale School of Music.
Each semester, fellowship participants travel to the Skidmore Campus from New York City to learn, teach, perform, and to practice the art of civic engagement. Ensemble fellows also work with school children, civic groups and local public service agencies throughout the Capital Region community to foster engagement with music.
Impact
Over the past 10 years, the program has had a significant effect within the Capital Region. A total of 19,379 individuals have experienced Ensemble Connect through the fellowship program at Skidmore:
• 790 people at community human service organizations (assisted living centers, nursing homes, and Saratoga Bridges) have been enriched by Ensemble Connect performances
• 2,760 students (elementary, middle school and high school) in surrounding communities have participated in interactive Ensemble Connect performances
• 3,275 Skidmore students have experienced individual contact with Ensemble fellows through classes and lessons
• 12,554 Skidmore students, staff and college community members have experienced Ensemble Connect at on-campus events.
Special Events scheduled to celebrate the Ensemble’s 10th Anniversary residency at Skidmore:
Thursday, February 16, 10 am, Zankel Music Center (Ladd Hall)
Students from Milton Terrace Elementary School in Ballston Spa will attend a special performance at Zankel Music Center, in which the musicians of Ensemble Connect will lead students on a musical journey focusing on active listening, improvisation, reflection and musical composition.
Thursday, February 16, 7:00 pm, Tang Teaching Museum (Payne Room)
Words Without Songs Without Words is an unconventional performance which slithers along the boundary between language and sound. Ensemble Connect fellow Nicolee Kuester creates musical poetry through performances that range from abstract to memoiristic. Together, these performances ask when does word become sound, and when can music communicate like language?
Friday, February 17, 7:00 pm, Zankel Music Center (Ladd Hall)
Carnegie Hall presents Ensemble Connect 10th Anniversary Performance, with featured guest composer Caroline Shaw.
Photo: Alex Lee
Caroline Shaw is a New York-based musician, Grammy-winning singer in Roomful of Teeth and a violinist in ACME (American Contemporary Music Ensemble). In 2013, Caroline became the youngest person ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for her enigmatic composition Partita for 8 Voices.
For more information about this Special 10th Anniversary Performance, visit Zankel calendar – skidmore.edu/
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Even More SkidMORE!
The Stewart’s Signature Series
Photo by John Abbott
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore College has announced the Stewart’s Signature Series, a lineup of premier music and arts events to be held during the summer of 2017.
The Stewart’s Signature Series performances are made possible through a generous grant from Stewart’s Shops and the Dake family. Beginning in May, the Stewart’s Signature Series will feature a series of world-class performances held on the Skidmore campus.
Saturday May 13, 8 p.m., Arthur Zankel Music Center, Ladd Hall: A concert by The Manhattan Transfer, an American a cappella, jazz fusion/pop music group founded in 1969. With accolades, awards, and almost 30 albums, the power of Manhattan Transfer is ageless in its breathtaking vocal abilities, strong musicianship, and exciting live shows. Its version of “Birdland” remains a modern classic. Tickets are $55/$45, available at skidmore.edu/zankel.
Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3, 7:30 p.m., Bernhard Theater: Suzuki Company of Toga, Japan, presents The Trojan Women. Named for its founder, Tadashi Suzuki, the Suzuki Company of Toga (SCOT) marked its 50th anniversary in 2015. Since their first overseas performance at the Théâtre des Nations Festival in Paris in 1972, the company has performed in more than 84 cities and 31 countries.
Thursday, June 15, 7:30 p.m., Arthur Zankel Music Center, Ladd Hall: A special performance by Stephen Petronio Company. Acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, Petronio is widely regarded as one of the leading dance-makers of his generation. New music, visual art and fashion collide in Petronio’s dances, and he has built a body of work with some of the most provocative composers and artists in the world. Founded in 1984, the company has performed in 26 countries throughout the world, including over 40 New York City engagements with 22 seasons at the Joyce Theater. Their exhibit, Entangle, is currently at the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery.
Saturday, July 22, 7:30 p.m., Arthur Zankel Music Center: Selected Shorts will be performed live on the Skidmore Campus. Described as “spellbinding short stories by established and emerging writers which take on a new life when they are performed by stars of the stage and screen,” the weekly radio program is broadcast on over 150 public radio stations to over 300,000 listeners. Each episode represents a unique theme, featuring stories that are fictional, sometimes classic, sometimes new, but always performed by great actors from stage, screen and television who bring the short stories to life. This program will coincide with the New York State Summer Writers Institute held at Skidmore.
“Saratoga Springs is blessed with a wide array of live interactive entertainment, making our community truly unique in a world where so many are limiting their attention to their screens. We are proud to support the Stewart’s Signature Series at Skidmore which will bring exceptional performers to our community while reinforcing Skidmore as a cultural resource for everyone,” said Susan Law Dake, Skidmore Class of ’71, president of the Stewart’s Foundation.
For more information, please visit Zankel Center, Skidmore Summer Theater or call 518-580-5321.
… And Finally, Even More SkidMORE!
EDITOR’S NOTE: An extremely cute post appears on Skidmore’s website dated February 6… there is no byline on this superbly written piece, and yet the crack Planet Arthur research squad has learned that the author is one Daniella Nordin… great job, Daniella!
We reprint it here, yet note that the link (below) to the original post has internal links that will take you here and there all over Skidmore’s site, and is worth a visit.
14 Reasons to love Skidmore
1- Our students are creative and diverse. Nearly 2,500 students from 70 countries and 45 states live on campus during the academic year. And we continue to grow. Last year’s incoming class broke application records, and we can’t wait to see what this year will bring.
2- We have Thoroughbred pride. Skidmore’s 19 intercollegiate teams hold numerous national championships and more than 30 Liberty League titles.
3- Speaking of pride, we have more than 35,000 living alumni across the world. #Skid4Life means lifelong friendship, and it all begins at Skidmore.
4- More than 40 majors and 70 academic programs—including the first intergroup relations minor in the United States—makes Skidmore a great place to find your passion. It’s no surprise our students usually double-major and even add a minor.
5- Students love getting involved. With more than 100 clubs and organizations on campus, our students find ways to give back, become leaders, and express their creativity.
6- From the beauty of Case Green to new high-tech spaces, such as the upcoming Center for Integrated Sciences, Thoroughbreds young and old love our campus. Places like Falstaff’s and Lucy Scribner Library will always be campus favorites, but in the past few years, the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, and the Zankel Music Center have become campus landmarks.
7- Location, location, location. What better place to spend four years than Saratoga Springs? Princeton Review called it a “perfect college town,” Money Magazine named it “one of the best college towns in the nation,” and Travel & Leisure calls it “one of America’s Greatest Main Streets.”
8- Creative Thought Matters. Creativity is in our DNA, our curriculum, and our community.
9- Student performances you can’t find anywhere else. The National College Comedy Festival was founded here in 1989 and Beatlemore Skidmania, though younger, is one of our greatest traditions. Both are entirely student-run!
10- We eat well. An entire dinner dedicated to waffles to help student de-stress during finals week, a whole day dedicated to chicken fingers, theme dinners, and free cookies for anyone who takes a tour—it’s no wonder we came in at #10 for best college food in America.
11- Entrepreneurship runs strong. Each semester, about 125 students in 20 teams prep and pitch real business plans for real company execs who grill and grade them on the spot. It’s an experience that bonds more than 7,000 Skidmore alumni and convinces many students to take up Skidmore’s most popular major.
12- Strong leadership. With more than decade under the presidency of Philip A. Glotzbach, Skidmore has made great strides in securing a stronger financial foundation, improving the campus footprint, diversifying our student body, and increasing science literacy.
13- It’s easy being green. About 40% of campus heating and cooling is now geothermal, with a goal of 50% by 2020. Our student-managed composting program has turned more than 40,000 pounds of waste into compost for the Community Garden and the garden has produced more than 5,000 pounds of food for the dining hall.
14- Over the years, Skidmore has helped more than 1,400 individuals find love. Some fell in love on campus, and others decided to get married here. Happy Valentine’s Day to all the #SkidmoreSweethearts who have lived here, laughed here, and loved here.
Original post: 14 Reasons…
