CORNISH. MUSIC
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All Photos: Michelle Smith-Lewis (unless otherwise noted)
Cover Image: Master String class
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EQUAL OPPORTUNITY Cornish College of the Arts does not discriminate in education or employ足ment on the basis of: gender, race, national origin, religion, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability or veteran status. This policy is consistent with relevant federal regulations and statutes, including those pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Questions regarding the application of this policy and information on services for disabled persons may be referred to the Dean of Student Affairs or the Director of Human Resources.
Cornish College of the Arts offers a musical education designed for today’s world, a world where traditional musical boundaries no longer apply. Founded in 1914, Cornish is the oldest music conservatory on the West Coast. However, we like to think of Cornish as more than a conservatory. We’re an “exploratory.” A place where you’ll find faculty with a deep respect for and appreciation of tradition, but also a willingness to embrace new ideas and experimentation. Maybe you’re a classically trained violinist who likes to improvise, or a singer who wants to combine your love of jazz with a passion for world music. The Cornish Music Department was created for you, for musicians who don’t limit themselves to established categories.
At Cornish, the exception is the norm. Students question assumptions, enjoy challenge, and demand excellence of themselves and their peers. If you push the boundaries of what’s possible—musically, technically, artistically —Cornish could be the place for you. We offer Bachelor of Music concentrations in instrumental performance, voice, and composition with emphases in classical, jazz, and early music. Our selective program is small, allowing you to connect with our faculty in ways just not possible at larger institutions. We’re a place that feels like home, set in the heart of Seattle, one of America’s most livable and artistically rich cities.
Contemporary Big Band, 2011
MUSIC AT CORNISH
CLASSICAL
Michael Jinsoo Lim, strings faculty; member, The Corigliano Quartet
CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE The classical instrumental performance major starts with highly personalized training you receive through weekly, hour-long individual lessons with a Cornish faculty member. Your private instructor will serve as your mentor from your freshman year right through graduation. Your first- and second-year coursework consists of a rigorous curriculum of foundational academic and skills-based courses. Your third- and fourth- year curriculum consists of courses in music history, repertoire, and music electives. Your final year culminates in a senior recital—an evening-length capstone presentation showcasing your best artistic work.
If chamber music is your passion you will work closely with one of our faculty members to hone your craft. You can audition for a number of mixed instrumentation chamber ensembles focused on either classical or contemporary repertoire, play in the Cornish chamber orchestra, or audition for the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra. Unlike many other schools, as a classical instrumental performance major you are welcome—indeed encouraged—to play in jazz, world music, and early music ensembles to broaden your exposure to a wide variety of musical genres. These include the Baroque Ensemble, Tango Ensemble, and Latin Jazz Ensemble, to name a few.
“Cornish was a great environment that got me to focus, to practice, to compose, to study, to get into the routine of self learning, which is what I value to this day.” — Eyvind Kang, MU ‘93, violist and violinist (tours regularly with both guitarist Bill Frisell and performance artist Laurie Anderson)
CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL FACULTY LAURA DELUCA, Clarinet ‡ JUSTIN EMERICH, Trumpet MARA GEARMAN, Viola ‡ VALERIE MUZZOLINI GORDON, Harp ‡ BRENT HAGES, Oboe, English Horn Jennifer Hinkle, Trombone Joe Kaufman, Double Bass ‡ Matt Kocmieroski, Percussion Seth Krimsky, Bassoon ‡ Martin Kuuskmann, Bassoon
Paige Stockley Lerner, Cello Michael Jinsoo Lim, Violin * Peter Mack, Piano Roger Nelson, Conducting, Piano Michael NicolelLa, Guitar David Ritt, Trombone, Bass Trombone, Bass Trumpet ‡ Mark Robbins, French horn ‡ Adam Stern, Conducting, Orchestral Studies Paul Taub, Flute Cristina Valdes, Piano ‡ = Seattle Symphony member * = Concertmaster, Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra
JAZZ
“After 20 years as a professional musician in New York… I appreciate the generosity and dedication of my teachers [at Cornish] even more.” — Brad Shepik, MU ‘88, jazz guitarist
JAZZ PERFORMANCE
Contemporary Big Band, 2011
At Cornish, jazz is in our blood. Founded in 1974, ours was one of the first college jazz programs in the nation, and remains today one of the most innovative, boasting stellar alumni such as violinist Eyvind Kang, guitarist Brad Shepik, and pianist Myra Melford. The foundation of your education begins with the highly personalized attention you receive in weekly, hour-long individual lessons. Your first- and second-year coursework consists of skills-based courses designed to prepare you to succeed as a practicing jazz artist. Specialized courses in improvisation, jazz arranging, composition, and Brazilian and Indian rhythm further refine your skills.
At Cornish, the jazz program focuses on ensemble playing with a dozen different ensembles in a variety of traditions, from bebop to blues, fusion to free jazz. Expand your horizons by playing in the Contemporary Big Band or explore African Drumming. Cornish faculty members not only coach all ensembles, they play in them—contributing valuable insight gained through their experience as professional, practicing artists. Masterclasses, workshops and multi-week residencies by some of the premier artists working in jazz today also offer you the opportunity to take your playing to the next level. Recent visiting artists have included Rudresh Mahanthappa, John Hollenbeck, Lee Konitz, Butch Morris, Matt Wilson, Rufus Reid, and Sachal Vasandani.
Jazz Faculty Paul de Barros, Jazz History Dawn Clement, Piano Chuck Deardorf, Bass Becca Duran, Jazz Voice Randy Halberstadt, Piano, Theory Kelly Harland, Jazz Voice Jeff Hay, Trombone Wayne Horvitz, Composition Mark Ivester, Drums Johnaye Kendrick, Jazz Voice
Jim Knapp, Jazz Composition, Theory Margie Pos, Bass, Musicianship Julian Priester, Trombone, Professor Emeritus Murl Allen Sanders, Accordion Jovino Santos Neto, Latin Jazz, Composition Chris Spencer, Jazz Guitar Hans Teuber, Woodwinds Ben Thomas, Vibraphone, Tango Jay Thomas, Trumpet, Saxophone Tom Varner, French Horn Beth Winter, Jazz Voice
VOICE & OPERA
Old Maid and The Thief by Gian Carlo Menotti, 2011
VOCAL PERFORMANCE Cornish’s innovative vocal program begins with our outstanding vocal faculty, practicing artists who routinely sing at major opera houses and at leading festivals around the world. Our program allows both jazz and classical vocal students to benefit from a unique, team-taught, first-year curriculum that provides students with a proper foundation in technique, diction, and interpretation. You work one-on-one with a private voice instructor who helps you develop your own distinctive voice. Jazz vocal students gain valuable experience by focusing on learning the jazz vocal repertoire and developing the skills necessary to create their own arrangements. Classical voice students study Italian, French, and German Diction, Italian Language, Vocal Repertoire, and the art of acting through music.
As a vocal performance student you can audition for and sing in Chorus, Chamber Singers, and the Jazz Vocal Ensemble. You may want to audition for one of the two fully staged opera productions mounted at Cornish each year. These productions, sung in Italian, French, German or English, provide an opportunity to gain valuable experience singing repertoire from baroque to contemporary.
“One of the most important things I learned was how to develop the ability to map my own path as an artist… regardless of whether or not it fit into an accepted norm.” — Karen P. Thomas, MU ‘79, choral conductor and Artistic Director, Seattle ProMusica
VOCAL Faculty MICHAEL DELOS, Bass Baritone Becca Duran, Jazz John Duykers, Tenor Kelly Harland, Jazz Ross Hauck, Tenor Johnaye Kendrick, Jazz
Jessika Kenney, Javanese & Persian Voice Natalie Lerch, Soprano Cyndia Sieden, Coloratura Soprano Kathryn Weld, Mezzo Soprano Beth Winter, Jazz Nancy Zylstra, Baroque Repertoire
COMPOSITION
Cornish students in the recording studio. Photo: Winifred Westergard
“Cornish gave me the chance to find my own voice as a composer and as an artist.” — Joshua Kohl, MU ‘93, Co-Artistic Director, Degenerate Art Ensemble
A long and distinguished tradition of innovation and creative exploration has attracted composers to Cornish since John Cage invented the prepared piano here in the 1930s. Experimentation is in our DNA. That tradition continues with our composition program—ranked as one of the most innovative in the country. As a composition major you will explore private instruction in a broad range of styles while taking skills-based and survey courses that offer a chance for collaboration and feedback. These include a weekly composition colloquium course as well as classes in counterpoint, orchestration, arranging, notation, songwriting, electronic music, and Pro Tools® digital audio recording.
Composition seminars provide students with the opportunity to hear their works performed by a professional ensemble. Past seminars have included composing for string quartet, jazz ensemble, jazz orchestra, percussion ensemble, dance, voice, and electronic media. Your final year culminates in a senior recital —an evening-length capstone presentation intended to showcase your best work. As a composition student you may explore jazz or classical traditions as sources for inspiration, or incorporate elements of contemporary society and world culture to arrive at your own distinctive voice. For students who want to pursue in-depth work in both composition and performance, Cornish also offers a Composer/Performer major.
COMPOSITION Faculty Tom Baker, Composition Emily Doolittle, Composition, Theory Gary Gibson, Music Notation, Composition Janice Giteck, Composition Gretta Harley, Interdisciplinary Arts Jim Knapp, Jazz Composition, Theory
Jarrad Powell, Composition, Gamelan Jovino Santos Neto, Jazz Composition Robin Holcomb, Songwriting Wayne Horvitz, Composition Linda Waterfall, Songwriting
EARLY MUSIC
If Early Music is your passion we offer the option of pursuing a Bachelor of Music in instrumental or vocal performance with an emphasis in early music. You will follow the standard curriculum for any other instrumental or vocal performance student, and play in the Cornish Baroque Ensemble. You may also audition for the baroque opera production mounted every fall.
Artist Diploma students with Stephen Stubbs, faculty
ARTIST DIPLOMA IN EARLY MUSIC If you already possess a bachelor degree and are performing at a very high level we also offer an Artist Diploma in Early Music. This is a one-year, post-baccalaureate, performance-oriented program designed for students who desire additional intensive private instruction, coaching, and ensemble performance experience in early music performance practices prior to embarking on a professional career or pursuing further graduate-level studies. You benefit from weekly private instruction with a primary instructor as well as ongoing coaching and access to the entire early music faculty.
Admission to the Artist Diploma in Early Music program is by audition only. Enrollment is highly selective and limited to 12 students per year. Vocalists and instrumentalists (violin, viola, viola da gamba, cello, bass, harpsichord, lute, guitar, harp, recorder, flute, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, and cornetto) are encouraged to apply.
EARLY MUSIC Faculty Stephen Stubbs, Lute, Program Director Vicki Boeckman, Recorder Tekla Cunningham, Violin Maxine Eilander, Harp Kris Kwapis, Baroque Trumpet, Cornetto Anna Mansbridge, Renaissance/Baroque Dance Ingrid Matthews, Violin
Byron Schenkman, Piano, Harpsichord Janet See, Baroque Flute Cyndia Sieden, Soprano Jillon Stoppels Dupree, Harpsichord Margriet Tindemans, Viola da Gamba Nathan Whittaker, Baroque Cello Nancy Zylstra, Voice
Rudresh Mahanthappa, visiting artist
VISITING ARTISTS
Each year the Cornish Music Series presents more than two dozen public concerts, and an equal number of master classes and lecturedemonstrations. These events feature an expansive selection of artists from different musical traditions that might not otherwise be heard in Seattle, and important emerging artists expanding the boundaries of contemporary music. This includes artists as diverse as Laurie Anderson, Carla Bley, Anthony Braxton, Jane Eaglen, Rinde Eckert, Vladimir Feltsman, Bill Frisell, Philip Glass, Dave Holland, Sheila Jordan, Meredith Monk, Hermeto Pascoal, Ralph Towner and Kenny Werner.
The Cornish Music Department also invites visiting artists to conduct longer one- or two-week residencies. You work directly with these artists in intensive workshops, rehearsals, and concert presentations. Recent extended residencies at Cornish have included composers Louis Andriessen and Butch Morris, saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, and opera director James Darrah.
Humanities & Sciences Liberal Studies Learning and the BFA Degree
An essential component of your BFA degree includes the courses you will take outside of your major in the Humanities and Sciences Department. As the general education division of the College, we provide a liberal studies curriculum that engages Cornish students in an exploration of the social, environmental and cultural contexts in which artistic production takes place, while developing critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills. The curriculum helps you consider multiple perspectives when looking at complex problems and issues, drawing on a variety of ways to understand the world and our human experience. Our curriculum is constantly changing and inquiry based. It is intended to engage you in active analysis and problem-solving in relation to thematic issues that may have a long-
standing history, but that continue to challenge contemporary societies and individuals, both locally and globally. Classes are limited in size and conducted “seminar style.� Students at Cornish are not passive learners; they contribute to and help shape the experience in their classes. Many classes go into the community, exploring the urban and natural environment, doing field observations and visiting local organizations and the people involved in them. Both in and out of the classroom, instructors in Humanities and Sciences help you acquire the kind of confidence and competence that will serve you well both during and after college, in your personal and professional lives. In the end, our aim in Humanities and Sciences is to inspire the curiosity and habits necessary for life-long learning and development.