NOTES
SUMMER 2024
NOTEWORTHY CIM Academy graduates plan to continue studying music in college
CIM doesn’t only produce the world’s finest professional musicians. It also turns out tomorrow’s leading students.
Case in point: the 2024 graduating class from CIM’s Academy and Young Artist Program. Out of eight graduating high school seniors, three plan to enter CIM, and another three will study music at other leading schools.
“This phenomenal achievement is a testament to the hard work of our students, the incredible effectiveness of our teachers, and the unparalleled learning environment in the CIM Academy,“ said Paul W. Hogle, CIM’s President & CEO.
The Academy is CIM’s gold-standard program for serious young musicians. Grounded in educational principles advanced by CIM founder Ernest Bloch, it trains “complete” artists well versed in all aspects of music.
The three Academy or Young Artist Program students headed to CIM this fall are cellist Elora Kares (Li/Stauch), flutist Jonah Miller (Ruby-Kushious), and violinist Eivissa Pla Sorolla (O. Kaler).
Three other graduates plan to pursue music elsewhere. They are baritone Michael Temesi (Kuznetsova; University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music), violist Erica Lopez (Bender; Ohio State University), and percussionist Abby Bemak (Rinderknecht; Carnegie Mellon University). A fourth graduate, voice student Kai Shepherd (Call), has opted to remain in the Academy an additional year.
One other former Academy student is now preparing to attend the Curtis Institute of Music. He attributes his success to the time he spent at CIM, training with the best.
“I will always regard the CIM preparatory department as my alma mater,” he said. “I look forward to representing CIM as a proud Academy graduate.”
The CIM Academy’s 2024 graduating class includes (from left) Abby Bemak, Erica Lopez, Reilly Murphy, Elora Kares, Michael Temesi, and Jonah Miller. (Photo by Abigayle Flack)
An artist’s rendering of the renovated Kulas Hall, courtesy of J. KURTZ Architects.
All content written by Zachary Lewis Design by Tom Putters
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2 Noteworthy
CIM Academy graduates plan to continue studying music in college
CIM Academy student appears in Cleveland Orchestra’s The Magic Flute
CIM composer Keith Fitch wins spate of prestigious awards
Instrument owned by CIM alum lands at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
CIM trumpet department enjoys inspiring field trip to Chicago
CIM bolsters faculty with appointments in flute, trombone, double bass, and voice
Violin pedagogue Jessica Lee appointed full-time chair of CIM violin department
12 Features
A masterpiece in the making: The renovation of Kulas Hall
22 Lifetime Giving ON THE COVER
E : marketing@cim.edu | cim.edu
CIM receives transformational $5 million gift from Kevin & Kristen Stein and Family
CIM bolsters piano faculty with two hires straddling Conservatory and Academy
Conductor Leonard Slatkin indulges his love for radio during visit with CIM Orchestra
CIM launches three new programs in summer 2024
Preparatory alum wields The CIM Advantage in wide-ranging performance and teaching career
A finely tuned instrument: Renovated Kulas Hall combines new materials and modern acoustics
An uncommon time: Kulas Hall undergoes renovation
18 Alumni Spotlight
Studies with CIM’s Jason Vieaux prove pivotal for guitar phenom JIJI
20 Alumni News
CIM students (from left) Connor Vrooman, Lisl Wangermann, and Nicholas Schneider perform a scene from CIM Opera Theater’s March production of Die Fledermaus. (Photo by Tim Bates)
Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
CIM Academy student appears in Cleveland Orchestra’s The Magic Flute
Most musicians lucky enough to perform with The Cleveland Orchestra do so as adults.
Then there’s CIM Academy student Maren Scott
A pupil of voice faculty member Jennifer Call, she recently made her debut at age 15, as a spirit in the orchestra’s production of Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute.
“Every time I went on that stage, all I could think was ‘I’m so lucky,’” said Scott, a rising sophomore at Hawken School. “It was so amazing to be out there.”
CIM composer Keith Fitch wins spate of prestigious awards
The second half of 2023 and first half of 2024 were exceptionally good to composer Keith Fitch.
During that period, the head of CIM’s composition department won no fewer than four major awards, further confirming his status as a leading voice in contemporary music.
The most prominent honor, a Guggenheim Fellowship, came first, in spring 2023.
That award put Fitch in the company of such cultural icons as Martha Graham, Aaron Copland, and Thelonious Monk, and sparked Fitch’s plan to compose Picasso’s Guitar, a chamber work highlighting instruments in Picasso paintings. He intends to dedicate the work to former CIM guitar faculty Colin Davin.
A flurry of awards followed in winter 2024.
In one incredible month between January and February, Fitch received a 2024 Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (AAAL); the Composer Award from the EllisBeauregard Foundation; and one of two Individual Excellence Awards from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), along with his predecessor at CIM, Margaret Brouwer.
All of these stand in addition to many earlier honors, which include three ASCAP Young Composer Awards, two awards from the OAC, three National Society of Arts and Letters awards, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Copland House Residency, and awards from the Indiana Arts Commission and the Fromm Foundation.
“I continue to be humbled and honored by all of this recognition,” said Fitch, in response to the 2024 AAAL award. “Being acknowledged in this way...is tremendously gratifying.”
CIM composer Keith Fitch had an uncommonly good year between 2023 and 2024, winning no fewer than four prestigious awards. (Photo by Tim Bates)
CIM Academy student Maren Scott, center, played one of three spirits in The Cleveland Orchestra’s recent production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, with tenor Julian Pregardien.
(Photo by Roger Mastroianni, courtesy of The Cleveland Orchestra)
“It was so amazing to be out there.”
– CIM ACADEMY STUDENT MARIN SCOTT, WHO PLAYED ONE OF THE THREE SPIRITS IN THE CLEVELAND
ORCHESTRA’S
RECENT PRODUCTION OF MOZART’S THE MAGIC FLUTE.
In truth, luck had little to do with it.
Scott was invited to audition for the part – one of three youth roles in the opera – because she’s a member of a chamber ensemble within the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus.
Moreover, she already had high-level performing experience. Each of the last two summers, Scott sang with the Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus, during The Cleveland Orchestra’s presentations of The Lord of the Rings films (of which she is a keen fan).
This was something different, of course. In The Magic Flute, Scott enjoyed significant individual exposure and close interaction with music director Franz Welser-Möst, director of choruses Lisa Wong, and some of the world’s leading figures in opera.
That she was up to the task – and is now considering a career in music – is a testament to CIM and the Academy, Scott said.
Call “helped me discover how I can bring my voice out to the front,” she said. “I definitely credit her for helping me get where I am.”
Instrument owned by CIM alum lands at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
A little piece of CIM history is now on display at Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
This May, as part of an update to its permanent Rolling Stones exhibit, the museum received the famed Excelsior accordion played on dozens of albums by CIM alum and native Clevelander Nick DeCaro, who passed away in 1992.
For DeCaro (1957-59, music theory), CIM “is where it all began,” said Frank and Denise DeCaro, the artist’s brother and sister-in-law, in a written statement.
The multi-talented DeCaro easily ranks among CIM’s most successful and boundary-breaking alumni. Over his long and diverse career, DeCaro served as an arranger, producer, songwriter, or performer on 340 albums by some of the biggest names in popular music.
Among his collaborators were The Rolling Stones, Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, Prince, James Taylor, Randy Newman, Neil Diamond, Gordon Lightfoot, and Johnny Cash.
DeCaro was especially prolific as an accordionist. Playing an Excelsior brand instrument, DeCaro was immortalized on 60 albums, famously including Flowers by The Rolling Stones.
Securing the accordion was no simple matter. Seeds were planted in 2009, in conversation with Cleveland-based producer Tommy LiPuma. Work by Rock Hall librarian Andy Leach then began in earnest after a memorial event in 2018, which underscored anew the significance of DeCaro, his music, and his accordion.
“Being recognized and celebrated at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame... is a tremendous honor to preserve [our] cultural arts and the Nick DeCaro legacy,” the DeCaros said.
The famed Excelsior accordion played by CIM alum Nick DeCaro has been put on display at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (Photo courtesy of Denise DeCaro)
CIM trumpet department enjoys inspiring field trip to Chicago
Not all field trips are created equal. Just ask CIM’s trumpet department.
Without a doubt, the excursion it made to Chicago in April outshone all typical field trips, providing students the memorable experience of a lifetime.
The force behind the adventure was graduate student Austin Cruz (MM ’22, AD ’24, Miller/Sachs). He organized the trip, he said, to “round out” the department’s studies with CIM faculty and in CIM ensembles.
On the program were two great orchestras and two great trumpeters, both of whom the group got to hear and work with directly. In addition, students visited the factories of two prominent instrument makers.
CIM bolsters faculty with appointments in flute, trombone, double bass, and voice
Just as musicians continually chase perfection, so does CIM never stop strengthening its faculty.
To wit, this spring, CIM announced four new or newly promoted teachers, all of whom will commence their new duties this fall.
Newly appointed was Hannah Hammel Maser, principal flute of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Three others – baritone Tyler Duncan, trombonist Brian Wendel, and double bassist Charles Paul – took expanded teaching roles.
“With their rich and diverse backgrounds, these teachers will be an invaluable resource to every student in their care,” said Scott Harrison, CIM’s Executive Vice President & Provost.
Hammel Maser has been principal in Detroit since 2020 and an instructor at CIM most of that time. Before Detroit, she was principal flute of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.
Wendel has taught at CIM since 2022, when he was appointed principal trombone of The Cleveland Orchestra. His teaching load will expand in his new capacity. Previously, he was principal trombone of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
Duncan, a baritone with vast experience, has been with CIM since 2023, in the Historical Performance Practice Program with CWRU. He will begin a conservatory voice studio specializing in early music performance.
Paul comes to CIM from The Cleveland Orchestra, where he has been first assistant principal bass since 2022. He previously played in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and has extensive experience as a chamber musician and collaborator.
“From these new faculty members, our students will gain all the skills, artistry, and resilience they will need to thrive in their profession,” Harrison said.
The CIM trumpet department met with trumpeter Esteban Batallán, fourth from left, during an April field trip to Chicago. (Photo courtesy of Austin Cruz)
Hannah Hammel Maser Tyler Duncan
Brian Wendel
Charles Paul
First and foremost was the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center. Cruz said the department enjoyed a performance celebrating Duke Ellington at Symphony Center and then went backstage to meet iconic trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.
While in town, students also took a masterclass with Esteban Batallán, Chicago’s principal trumpet, and heard the touring Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 with conductor Sir Simon Rattle.
No less rewarding were the two factory visits. All were edified after touring the Schilke plant in Chicago and Conn-Selmer headquarters in nearby Indiana, and one student went home with a brand-new instrument.
Cruz said the Chicago trip was more than worthwhile. Between the two great performances, positive feedback from Batallán, departmental bonding time, and informative tours, the journey provided “a little boost of inspiration at the end of a long semester.”
Violin pedagogue Jessica Lee appointed full-time chair of CIM violin department
For many in music, teaching isn’t just a profession. It’s a calling. Among that group: violinist Jessica Lee
This spring, CIM announced that Lee will leave The Cleveland Orchestra to chair its violin department. In this role, starting fall 2024, Lee will be a full-time faculty member in one of CIM’s most prominent positions.
“After years of teaching while playing in the great Cleveland Orchestra, I am so excited to devote myself full-time to the students I love and admire,” Lee said.
Lee had been assistant concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra, widely regarded as one of the finest in the world, since 2016. Before that, she was in the Johannes String Quartet and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and won the 2005 Concert Artists Guild International Competition.
Lee has taught at CIM since 2016. She also taught at the Oberlin Conservatory and was adjunct professor of violin at Vassar College. She holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School.
In her new role, Lee will extend a long line of acclaimed violin pedagogues and lead one of the nation’s most illustrious violin departments.
First to formally welcome Lee was violinist Philip Setzer, a founding member of the Emerson String Quartet and artistic director of CIM’s string and piano chamber music program.
Lee is “not only a great violinist and musician, but also a very gifted teacher and wonderful colleague and friend,” he said.
“We are all so fortunate to have her now full-time at CIM.”
Former Cleveland Orchestra
assistant concertmaster
Jessica Lee has been named chair of CIM’s violin department. (Photo courtesy of Jessica Lee)
CIM trumpet students met with trumpet legend Wynton Marsalis after his performance with Jazz at Lincoln Center in Chicago.
CIM receives transformational $5 million gift from Kevin & Kristen Stein and Family
CIM received the single largest contribution from a couple in school history in March: a $5 million gift from Kevin & Kristen Stein and Family.
The gift pushed CIM’s Second Century Campaign past $33 million and enshrined the Stein name alongside legendary CIM benefactors including Mixon, Robinson, Kulas, and Addicott.
“We could not be more grateful to Kevin, Kristen, and their family for this incredible endorsement of CIM and investment in the future of classical music,” said Paul W. Hogle, CIM’s President & CEO.
Most prominent among the initiatives the Stein gift supports is the renovation of Kulas Hall. But the gift also underscores the need for endowed scholarships, which in turn fuel alumni success.
CIM bolsters piano faculty with two
hires
straddling Conservatory and Academy
The piano department at CIM scored two wins this spring with the appointments of Ilya Itin and Dr. Daria Rabotkina to the faculty.
Both were unanimously endorsed by the search committee and will teach in both the Conservatory and the Academy, beginning this fall. Rabotkina will also serve as CIM’s first Director of Academy Piano Studies.
They join an illustrious piano program dating back to Victor Babin and extending to CIM’s new artist-in-residence, pianist Gabriela Montero.
“CIM’s piano department is already superb, and these appointments push us to the next level in strengthening the links between piano training at the Academy and Conservatory levels,” said Scott Harrison, CIM’s Executive Vice President & Provost.
Rabotkina was associate professor of piano at Texas State University, where she also founded the FunKey Piano Project. Before that, she taught at the Kazan State Conservatory, where she studied. She also holds degrees from the Mannes College of Music and Eastman School of Music.
Itin taught at the Musashino Music Academy in Tokyo and sustains a busy schedule of performances worldwide. He won first prize at the 1991 Casadesus Competition and gold at the 1996 Leeds International Piano Competition. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory and has taught at several institutions, including The Juilliard School.
“Ilya and Daria are world-class pianists and pedagogues,” said Antonio Pompa-Baldi, head of CIM’s piano department. “Them joining our faculty emphatically confirms CIM as a piano destination in the U.S. and beyond, for developing pianists of all ages.”
Acclaimed pianists Ilya Itin, left, and Dr. Daria Rabotkina have joined CIM’s piano faculty. (Photos courtesy of the artists)
Kevin & Kristen Stein and Family made a $5 million gift to CIM in March. (Photo courtesy of the Steins)
The gift also creates an organ recital series and masterclass honoring Curtis K. Stein, Kevin Stein’s late father. The hall’s organ loft and concert pipe organ also will be renamed in his memory.
Kevin Stein is president of TransDigm Group, a leading producer of aerospace components. At CIM, he is a Trustee, chair of the Investment Committee, and member of the Executive Committee.
Kristen Stein is the principal designer of Stein Design Team. She also holds degrees in childhood development and a master’s degree in educational administration.
“Cleveland owes its status as a musical capital in large part to CIM,” said Kevin Stein. “We are honored to help extend that tradition by empowering the world’s most talented classical music students to attend CIM and hone their craft in a venue equal to their highest aspirations.”
“Cleveland owes its status as a musical capital in large part to CIM.”
–
KEVIN STEIN, WHO TOGETHER WITH HIS WIFE KRISTEN STEIN AND FAMILY MADE A $5 MILLION GIFT TO CIM, THE LARGEST SINGLE CONTRIBUTION FROM A COUPLE IN THE SCHOOL’S HISTORY.
Conductor Leonard Slatkin indulges his love for radio during visit with CIM Orchestra
Conductor Leonard Slatkin got to indulge not one but two passions during his visit to CIM in late February.
In addition to conducting, his primary vocation, the former director of The Cleveland Orchestra’s Blossom Festival also dabbled in radio broadcasting, a lifelong hobby, in an interview with Cleveland’s classical station, WCLV.
Speaking with Bill O’Connell, the station’s vice president of programming, the music director laureate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra expounded on everything from the weather to the state of American music and his program with the CIM Orchestra (which included his wife’s Double Play), all with the greatest of ease.
And no wonder. In his hometown of St. Louis, where he long directed the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Slatkin – owner of perhaps the most radio-friendly voice of any conductor working today – hosts a radio program he created in 2019 called The Slatkin Shuffle
It’s far from a new hobby. Years ago, also in St. Louis, Slatkin hosted a radio show called The Slatkin Project
Before that, as a youth growing up in Los Angeles, the future conductor lived within walking distance of a classical radio station, where his love for broadcasting was sealed alongside his love for music – classical and otherwise.
“I grew up in an atmosphere where there was only good music and bad music,” Slatkin told O’Connell, noting that now, in his own radio shows, “We always try to explore whatever is out there. It’s so wide, we should never limit ourselves.”
Conductor Leonard Slatkin, right, happily agreed to an interview with WCLV’s Bill O’Connell during his February visit with the CIM Orchestra. (Photo by Tim Bates)
CIM launches three new programs in summer 2024
This was no ordinary summer at CIM. Even as the school began renovating Kulas Hall, it offered several new programs for everyone from the youngest children to career-minded young adults.
FUNdamentals was an overture to the beginner, a week-long day-camp in late summer for children in grades two through six. With a stimulating mix of group classes, listening sessions, and eurhythmics lessons, instructors cultivated a healthy love for music and a desire to keep studying.
The idea, said Jennifer Call, Associate Dean of Academy & Public Programs, was “to be engaged in fun activities making and creating music” so that “[k]ids that aren’t already our students may start to see themselves here.”
In June, CIM’s renowned string faculty launched the Chamber Music Intensive, a week-long seminar for high school, collegiate, and pre-professional string players.
This new camp saw skilled young artists studying and performing in small groups with top educators including CIM’s Todd Phillips and Si-Yan Darren Li, and Catherine Cho, a violin instructor at The Juilliard School.
Last but far from least was the Lang Lang Young Scholars Summit, a new summer offering for pianists within a multiyear mentorship program presented by the Lang Lang International Music Foundation.
In late June, students spent a week training with Distinguished Professor of Piano Antonio Pompa-Baldi, as well as Keyboard Division Head Kathryn Brown (AD ’93, Schenly), eurhythmics faculty Sonia Hu (BM ’15, MM ’17, Radosavljevich/Shapiro), faculty career advisor Ariel Karas (BM ’10, MM ’11, D. Cerone/L. Cerone/Rose), and piano faculty members Daniel Shapiro and Sean Schulze
“It’s amazing to see our scholars get this chance to grow and learn at such a renowned place,” Lang Lang said.
CIM launched several new camps and other programs in summer 2024, including Music FUNdamentals. (Photo by Tanya Rosen-Jones)
Preparatory alum wields The CIM Advantage in wide-ranging performance and teaching career
It’s amazing what one can build atop a solid base. Just ask violinist and electronic music producer Alexis Panda, aka PFuzz.
Out of early studies at CIM, the Shaker Heights native fashioned a stunningly diverse and rewarding career – and attracted media attention.
“Classical music has been a great foundation,” said Panda, whose nickname derives from her stage name, Panda Fuzzipants. “I’m really grateful.”
Panda’s CIM journey started at age 3, with eurhythmics. At age 5, she began private violin lessons, studying with Marta Soderberg and James Gomez
She later enrolled at Interlochen Arts Academy, where she considered creative writing and visual art, and then at Miami University, where “I was going to study everything I could,” Panda said.
It was at Miami that Panda encountered electronic music, using borrowed computer software. This led her to Berklee College of Music, where she studied the art more deeply, along with violin.
In San Francisco, Panda became Pfuzz, mastering new software and combining electronics with violin. Her current home is Salt Lake City, where she teaches remotely and performs “psychedelic” and “cinematic” music with dance beats.
Panda still draws on her time at CIM. In her own teaching, she strives to give her students a thorough foundation like the one she herself received.
At CIM, “You have all these opportunities to play for and with your friends, and that’s a huge asset,” Panda said.
“It’s very important to me now that my students have a comprehensive knowledge to supplement their lessons. It gives them such an advantage.”
Alexis Panda, aka PFuzz, has built an eclectic performance and teaching career on the early training she received at CIM. (Photo provided by Alexis Panda)
FEATURE
A masterpiece in the making: The renovation of Kulas Hall
Clevelanders need not look far to spot the work of architect Jonathan Kurtz. Lakeview Cemetery, Cleveland Public Library, John Carroll University: All of these bear his imprint.
Kulas Hall, though, stands apart, even within that distinguished portfolio. Unlike any other project Kurtz and his Cleveland-based company have completed, the renovation of CIM’s crown jewel involves an existing space in which many have a stake and about which many have deep, complex feelings.
“This is certainly one of our studio’s most transformational projects,” Kurtz said. “Kulas Hall is a place generations of people really care about. Elevating that room to an even higher standard? That’s a real privilege.”
A privilege, yes, and a challenge. Not only is Kulas Hall a historic venue that occupies a prominent place on Cleveland’s musical
of Trustees and chair of the Kulas Hall Renovation Task Force. “There’s hardly a group at CIM that will not be positively impacted by this renovation.”
Fundamentally, the Kulas Hall renovation is a makeover. It’s about constructing a new acoustic environment within a framework – the school – that cannot be dramatically altered.
The objective is to turn a room with demonstrably bright, uneven acoustics into a space that’s markedly quieter, warmer, and more consistent, all within the space’s existing footprint.
“Our job was to come up with something that satisfies all the acoustical demands and meets all the practical considerations,” said Kurtz. “Our goal is always to synthesize the often competing interests of a project. We do this by weaving constraints with aesthetic ambitions.”
landscape. Its renovation also stands alone as a project with unique priorities and considerations.
Out of a room built in 1961 for solo recitals and chamber music, CIM is fashioning a modern, multipurpose space that meets the needs of the CIM Orchestra and CIM Opera Theater as well as smaller ensembles and a wide array of guests including Apollo’s Fire, ChamberFest Cleveland, and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra.
Kulas Hall is “where the music happens, and it’s utilized by everyone,” said Bonnie Cook (BM ’77), secretary of CIM’s Board
Kurtz was in fact the fourth design team member selected by Cook and the Kulas Hall Renovation Task Force. First was Dawn Schuette, of Chicago-based Threshold Acoustics, followed by Theater Projects and project manager Cost+Plus. After Kurtz then came Turner Construction and engineers Algebra AEC and Barber & Hoffman.
Gone, in the new hall, will be the angled, sound-scattering side walls. In their place will be straight, smooth surfaces composed of light but dense materials that reflect sound evenly (see pages 14-15 for more details). Over these will hang acoustic curtains that can be raised or lowered as needed.
Behind the stage will be an acoustic shell that can be moved forward or back to accommodate large or small groups. The stage floor will remain largely as it was. Beneath it, however, will come a more practical and comfortable orchestra pit, one that can be set up and accessed much more
Kulas Hall in an early stage of renovation, during work on the stage and ceiling areas. (Photo by Tim Bates)
Kulas Hall as it looked much of the time since the current CIM building opened in 1961. (Photo by Tim Bates)
easily, thereby freeing up time for other uses of the space.
Some of the most dramatic change is taking place at the top, where the ceiling is due to be raised some 30 feet to the current ceiling deck. This will allow sometimes-noisy HVAC ductwork to be rerouted and make room for adjustable acoustic panels, a true theatrical catwalk, and more technology needed in opera productions.
Overall, “It will be closer to a true shoebox environment,” Kurtz said. “You’re going to have sound that has much more depth and greater legibility.”
Straightening the side walls comes at a slight cost, reducing the room’s seat capacity from 535 to 465. This, though, is not really a problem, at least not in Kurtz’s mind.
For one thing, the new seats will be more spacious. For another, they’ll also be more accessible, situated on level tiers instead of a slope.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, most classical spaces in Cleveland are either smaller or significantly larger than Kulas. Size-wise, that leaves the renovated hall more or less where the old one lived, in what Kurtz called a “sweet spot.”
“It’s a unique size to this market,” he said. “It’s filling a void and will be even more of an asset to the community. It’s going to be exciting to see how the life of this hall changes.”
Along with acoustics and layout, the room’s color-scheme is also getting a makeover. In place of a predominantly light palette will be an array of darker, warmer tones. Kurtz said this will establish a contemplative space in which music is the focus, an intimate environment that evokes gatherings around a fire.
“We want Kulas to be a place where both audiences and musicians slow down and become enveloped,” he said.
Funding for the renovation began with a $1 million lead gift from the Kulas Foundation, whose founder is the hall’s
namesake. Additional support has come from CIM’s ongoing Second Century Campaign and from hundreds of other donors including Trustees, Governing Members, alumni, private foundations, corporations, and the State of Ohio.
Most notable among the contributions is a $5 million gift from Kevin & Kristen Stein and Family, the largest single gift from a couple in CIM history. That gift, announced in March, pushed the $40 million campaign past $33 million.
Groundbreaking on Kulas Hall began in late May 2024, shortly after Commencement. The project has a 15-month timeline, and a grand reopening is slated for September 2025.
This begs the question of where everything typically held in Kulas will take place in the meantime. The answer? All over.
During renovation, CIM artists will perform in Mixon Hall as well as nearby spaces including Severance Music Center, Cleveland Museum of Art, and Maltz Performing Arts Center. CIM Opera Theater plans to stage productions at Playhouse Square.
This season on the road presents considerable opportunity for artistic
“We want Kulas to be a place where both audiences and musicians slow down and become enveloped.”
– Jonathan Kurtz, principal architect at J. KURTZ Architects
growth, but it also entails a certain amount of disruption. Without a doubt, patience and understanding will be required throughout the year, as work continues in earnest.
But the rewards of that patience will be great. Paul W. Hogle, CIM’s President & CEO, heralded the renovated hall, promising a transformative space that will meet the CIM standard of excellence for performers and listeners alike, for generations to come.
“After our renovation of Kulas Hall, our students will have a musical home that meets their pre-professional needs and prepares them to take their place on the greatest stages of the world,” he said.
An artist’s rendering of the renovated Kulas Hall, as it will look for piano recitals. (Image courtesy of J. KURTZ Architects)
A finely tuned instrument: Renovated Kulas Hall combines new materials and modern acoustics
Kulas Hall won’t just look different following renovation. It will sound different, too. Dramatically.
According to the project’s leaders and CIM’s faculty experts, when the hall reopens in fall 2025, all can expect a space much friendlier to performers, listeners, and sound engineers alike.
“It’s a win-win across the board, regardless of the program,” said Christopher Springthorpe, a senior consultant with Chicago-based Threshold Acoustics, whose work guided the project’s design. “Everyone will definitely benefit from the upgrades.”
In 1961, when the current CIM building was built, times were different. No one then imagined that in addition to piano recitals and chamber music, Kulas Hall would also one day house a major orchestra, an active opera company, and high-fidelity recording and live broadcasting.
They saw no problem with a capacious, angled layout, slatted side walls, or HVAC equipment above a high ceiling.
But what they never imagined is exactly what came to be. Over the years, as CIM itself grew, Kulas Hall transformed from a space for chamber music into a multipurpose concert and recording venue.
Chamber and vocal music thrived as planned, but when larger ensembles played, listeners found – and acoustic tests later proved – that sound tended to be on the brighter, even harsh side. At the same time, within that environment, one’s experience of sound varied significantly by location, as waves bounced unevenly off the angled, slatted side walls.
Recordings, meanwhile, suffered from all of this as well as low-level HVAC noise, yielding what CIM Director of Recording Arts and Services Alan Bise (BM ’94, Knab) called “a general lack of soft presence.”
“It was clear that Kulas Hall was built when CIM was much smaller,” said Dawn Schuette, a partner at Threshold. “These days, it’s essentially a giant classroom. It needs to be able to do everything.”
Soon, that’s exactly the kind of room Kulas Hall will be. The renovation design by Threshold and lead architect Jonathan Kurtz, of Cleveland-based J. KURTZ Architects, will bring forth a space that is both acoustically consistent and highly flexible.
The room’s angled side walls will be straightened, resulting in a more intimate and sonically warmer shoebox layout. The wall surface will be a terrazzo made of recycled wood with bronze accents, and behind that will be a scaffolding of iron bars and dense cardboard honeycombs. On the hall’s rear wall, meanwhile, bronze will figure more prominently, but the effect on sound reflection will be similar, Springthorpe said.
This combination is physically strong and will produce a space that is much more acoustically active, but doesn’t require heavier materials such as brick, which would overload the room’s existing structure. Flexibility, meanwhile, will be achieved with acoustic banners, each of which can be raised or lowered in front of the side walls to suit the event at hand.
Kurtz, in describing the new Kulas Hall, likened the space to the inside of a wooden string instrument, such as a violin or cello. Visually and acoustically, the room will be resonant and enveloping, a place that’s all about making sound and music.
“It’s an incredibly integrated solution that gives us a fresh aesthetic vision but also maintains the hall’s warmth,” Kurtz said. “Through the use of innovative materials, we’ve been able to create a less distracting palette, so the musicians are always the focus.”
Also headed for significant overhaul is the area overhead.
The original Kulas design included a great deal of open space above a high ceiling, especially over the stage. This led to sound fading or even getting lost, Schuette said. Within that space, too, sat HVAC equipment, a low hum from which was prone to appear on recordings.
All these issues will be mitigated. The new design reduces unused open space, includes a sturdy catwalk and room for theater technology, and features new lower and acoustically reflective ceiling panels. Like the side banners, these can be adjusted (that is, tilted) to accommodate a specific performance.
Cleveland-based engineers Algebra AEC also contributed a nifty solution to the HVAC problem, one that eliminates the interference issue and heats and cools the room more evenly.
“There’s been some real gymnastics around that ductwork,” Springthorpe said. “We worked closely together throughout the whole process, to reconcile all those needs.”
Of greatest interest to many, of course, will be what’s happening with the stage, and the answer to that all-important question is: quite a lot.
“These days, it’s essentially a giant classroom. It needs to be able to do everything.”
– Dawn Schuette, a partner at Chicago-based Threshold Acoustics
Unlike the side walls in the main hall, the side walls on stage will remain in place and composed of brick. However, they’ll now be covered in the same wood terrazzo in use throughout the rest of the hall.
The stage’s rear wall, meanwhile, will resemble the main hall’s, in that it will feature an array of bronze rods. All pieces will be affixed and nestled tightly, for a surface that is both structurally durable and acoustically reflective.
The stage floor will look and function much as it did before, with refurbished white oak. The orchestra pit beneath it, however, will be updated to be significantly easier to set up, access, and occupy. Where it used to take staff members days to prepare Kulas Hall for an opera production, the new room will be fully transformable in hours.
Organists also will be pleased. No changes are being made to the Kulas Hall organ itself; inside the renovated room, however, the instrument will have much more acoustic “life,” Springthorpe said. “It will definitely benefit from the upgrades,” he said.
If there’s one thing Kurtz wants the CIM community to understand about the renovation of Kulas Hall, it’s that acoustics were not an afterthought. In truth, they drove the design.
At every step of the way, in every choice of layout and material, Kurtz consulted Threshold and CIM stakeholders to ensure the renovated Kulas Hall simulates the great concert venues of the world, where CIM students are headed.
“This renovation plays into the legacy of craft and innovation that is embedded in the CIM building,” Kurtz said.
“We don’t often get projects where we’re able to hold onto this kind of high-quality material. For us, to have CIM embrace the quality and adventurousness of this, it’s not common, and it’s a privilege.”
FEATURE
An uncommon time: Kulas Hall undergoes renovation
Photos by Tim Bates and artist rendering courtesy of J. KURTZ Architects.
Several dignitaries pose for a photo at the launch of the Kulas Hall renovation project. They are, from left, Steve Herbster of Turner Construction; CIM President & CEO Paul Hogle; Trustee Kevin Stein; Lou Grasso, Vice President of the Kulas Foundation; Nancy McCann, President of the Kulas Foundation; and lead architect Jonathan Kurtz.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Studies with CIM’s Jason Vieaux prove pivotal for guitar phenom JIJI
As head of CIM’s guitar department for 23 years, Jason Vieaux (BM ’95, Holmquist) has seen plenty of gifted students.
None, though, quite compares to JiYeon Kim, aka JIJI.
An acclaimed performer and educator at Indiana University, Kim easily ranks among Vieaux’s most accomplished former pupils. But she also stands out as a once-in-acareer wunderkind, a special talent who enrolled at CIM at age 15.
“To say that we were impressed would be an understatement,” says Vieaux of Kim. “She was so technically accomplished for someone so young.”
The feeling of admiration was – and remains – mutual.
Like many, Kim was thoroughly impressed when she first heard Vieaux live, at a 2008 masterclass in her native South Korea.
At the time, she had been on a musical plateau, struggling to gain self-confidence. She’d even started to consider giving up the guitar.
Something about Vieaux, however – who she well knew from his acclaimed recordings –made her think he might be the answer to her problem, no matter that he was based on the other side of the world.
“His teaching was so constructive and efficient,” Kim recalls. “I just remember being blown away. With him, it was solely about the music. He really helped me with my confidence.”
Confidence proved handy as Kim faced what she regarded as the next step: enrolling at CIM. In her mind, studying with Vieaux was a “no-brainer,” but at age 15, she was still quite a bit younger than even the youngest of traditional U.S. conservatory students.
Happily, Vieaux was just as eager to teach Kim as she was to be taught. He accepted her masterclass performance of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s aptly named Capriccio Diabolico as her application and made special arrangements for her to audition at CIM and take the required entrance exam outside the normal times.
This yielded another memorable moment. Where most applicants audition with 15 minutes of music, Kim treated Vieaux’s studio class to nothing less than a full 45-minute recital featuring what Vieaux called “some of the most difficult music one can play on the guitar.”
With that, doubt faded. “That made the process of enrolling [Kim] at CIM a lot easier,” Vieaux said.
What it didn’t do was smooth Kim’s transition to life and college in the U.S.
With her older sister, a clarinetist, already enrolled at CIM, Kim wasn’t exactly homesick. She was, however, new to living on her own.
Moreover, facing a thick language barrier, she faced challenges in her humanities
courses at Case Western Reserve University, in which the ability to read, write, and speak English were paramount.
But she had help. As her mentor, Vieaux “was the best, like a dad,” Kim said, and was patient as he guided her musical, academic, and personal development.
She also took full advantage of CIM’s advisers, relying on them for help with coursework, and made plenty of friends bonding over favorite television shows. At least one of those friends, cellist Wesley Skinner (BM ’13, MM ’15, Kraut) joined her several years later as a doctoral student at Arizona State University and remains in her life to this day.
Not everything was a struggle, of course. Kim was clearly in the right place. In addition to her lessons with Vieaux, Kim thrived in her music theory courses at CIM and positively adored eurhythmics, then taught by Nadia Tarnawsky
A runner-up finish at a concerto competition remains a proud CIM achievement, one made all the more special given that her pianist had to pause the performance to peel apart stuck pages.
Kim also thrilled to an “epic, eye-opening” world music class at CIM with percussionist Jamey Haddad. “That definitely took me out of my comfort zone,” Kim said. “I just loved watching him play. He was the coolest human being.”
Still, Kim’s favorite teacher was Vieaux. Indeed, so highly did she value his instruction, she followed him to Philadelphia, when he accepted a teaching post at the Curtis Institute of Music.
After that came graduate studies at Yale University, followed by a freelance stint in New York City. Throughout this time, Vieaux was never far from Kim’s mind. Indeed, because of him, she decided to follow in his footsteps and accept a position at Arizona State University, where she remained for five years.
“I would say he inspired me to go into teaching,” Kim said.
This is where Kim’s and Vieaux’s stories begin to dovetail, where their lives come full circle.
Eager to pass on Vieaux’s wisdom to a new generation, Kim returned the many favors from Vieaux and invited him to conduct a masterclass at Arizona State, where she taught. She thrilled to see her students warm to his teaching, just as she had, and to hear him offer advice similar to her own.
“I feel like I model a lot of my own teaching now on him, so that was very validating for me,” Kim said. “I was also happy to give them that experience. It was so cool to see my students star-struck.”
The friendship remains strong. What was originally a close bond between teacher and student has blossomed into an enduring and fruitful connection between peers.
To wit: This summer, Vieaux and Kim were slated to co-lead a guitar intensive at the Tanglewood Music Center. The two-week program marked both the first significant guitar event at Tanglewood and the first time the two worked together on the same level.
“I still feel like I’m forever his student, but he always talks to me as an equal,” Kim said of Vieaux. “I’m just grateful that CIM accepted me. If it hadn’t been for that, none of this would have happened.”
ALUMNI NEWS
Have some news? Visit cim.edu/alumni and click the Share Your News button. News is accepted on an ongoing basis and may be held for a later issue.
Alumni
John Bian (MM ’16, Preucil) joined the second violin section of The Philadelphia Orchestra.
Kayla Bryan (MM ’24, I. Kaler) won a violin position in The Louisville Orchestra.
Scott Burgess (BM ’87, Goslee/Knab) was promoted to director of audio and media production at the Aspen Music Festival and School.
Karisa Chiu (MM ’24, Laredo/Lowe) won the $2,000 Arden J. Yockey Scholarship in Tuesday Musical’s 2024 Annual Scholarship Competition.
Jinjoo Cho (YAP ’06, BM ’11, MM ’13, PS ’15, Kantor/Laredo) was appointed associate professor of violin at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University.
Paolo Dara (GD ’24, Rose) was named principal viola of the Grand Rapids Symphony.
Evan Fein (BM ’07, Brouwer/ Teissonnière) released Over Under with cellist Luke Severn and joined baritone Colin Leavin on a Nordic art song tour.
Arielle Fentress (BM ’24, Irvine) won second prize at the 2024 Ohio Viola Society Competition.
Ryan Finefrock (MM ’14, Clouser) was promoted to manager of orchestra personnel at The Cleveland Orchestra.
Jessamyn Fry (BM ’21, Kraut) was named interim principal cellist of The Louisville Orchestra.
Gaston Frydman (BM ’23, MM ’24, Pompa-Baldi) was named a fellow in the Gabriela Montero PianoLab at the Academy Music Conservatory.
Jake Gerritsen (MM ’22, Dixon) won a position with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Ellen Gira (BM ’17, Geber/Weiss) received a Canadian Folk Music Award for Traditional Album of the Year with duo partner, fiddler Jocelyn Pettit.
Dylan Glenn (MM ’18, Billions) won first prize and Best Performance of a Spanish Work at the XXVI Certamen Internacional Jóvenes Intérpretes Pedro Bote.
Nathaniel Heyder (BM ’21, Fitch) was named a composition fellow at the 2024 Alba International Music Festival in Alba, Italy.
Rebekah Hou (MM ’24, Kondonassis) won first prize at the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition.
Judith Ingolfsson (MM ’94, AD ’96, PS ’97) released an album of sonatas by Rebecca Clarke on OehmsClassics.
Kengo Ito (MM ’18, Damoulakis) won a one-year trial with the Royal Swedish Opera.
Maggie Johns (MM ’24, Brown) won second prize in the 2023 American Virtuoso International Music Competition.
Timothy Kantor (MM ’09, Kantor) was appointed senior lecturer in violin at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Courtney Elise LeBauer (DMA ’02, Preucil) was named associate professor of violin and viola at Converse University Petrie School of Music.
Ksenia Leletkina (MM ’08, Pompa-Baldi) was appointed to the vocal arts faculty at The Juilliard School.
Marquise Lindsey-Bradley (BM ’23, Yusuf) was appointed marketing and engagement director at Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.
Muyu Liu (BM ’24, Pompa-Baldi) won second prize at the 1st Gunma International Music Competition.
Sam McDaniel (MM ’24, Wilson) was appointed full-time organist and choirmaster at Saint James School in Hagerstown, MD.
Gregoire Micza (MM ’20, Rose) joined the second violin section of Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg.
Chris Neiner (MM ’20, Fitch) was selected for the American Composers Orchestra Earshot Reading Sessions with the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra.
Mark Nowakowski (PS ’05, Brouwer/ Schoenfield) released the album Metanoia and was named associate professor at Kent State University.
Eva Roebuck (MM ’19, Robinson) won a position in the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.
Yoav Sadeh (BM ’22, Fitch) had a premiere in Berlin and was selected for a residency sponsored by the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
Erik Schweikert (BM ’86, Yancich/ Weiner) was named principal timpanist of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
Sami Seif (BM ’21, Fitch) founded Ensemble Phoenicia and was named a winner in the 2024 ASCAP-Morton Gould Young Composer Awards.
Marcus Stevenson (BM ’22, Irvine) joined the Ivalas Quartet, the graduate string quartet in residence at The Juilliard School.
Alexander Wasserman (DMA ’11, Pompa-Baldi) recorded an album of French piano and woodwind music on Centaur records.
Andrew White (BM ’86, MM ’89, AD ’89, DMA ’03, Vassos) won the Europe Video Award for Best Actor for his performance in Faust-Fragment
Patrick Yim (BM ’12, MM ’14, Preucil/ Updegraff) released New Waves: New Works for Violin & Viola by Chinese Composers on Albany Records.
STUDENTS
Kelsey Berg (organ, Wilson) was named co-winner of the George Matheson Memorial Scholarship Competition in Brooklyn Heights, NY.
Tony Yan Tong Chen (piano, Brown) took second prize in the 2024 Kuleshov International Piano Competition and won an award for best Bach performance.
Clancy Ellis (conducting) was selected to participate in the 2023 Riccardo Muti Italian Opera Academy.
Soo Ji Lee (piano, Brown) won grand prize at the 2023 Young Soloist International Music Competition and the Platinum Award at the 2024 Euterpe Music Awards in Piano.
Qingzhuo Li (violin, O. Kaler) won first prize at the Music International Grand Prix in New York City.
Alex Moiseev (composition, Fitch) took third prize in the young artist category of the Music Teachers National Association Composition Competition.
Sooah Park (flute, Ruby-Kushious) was a JMP Concerto Competition winner at Case Western Reserve University.
Brian Ping (cello, Weiss) won silver in the collegiate division of the 2024 Cleveland Cello Society Scholarship Competition.
Lourdes Pinney (viola, Irvine) won first prize at the 2024 Ohio Viola Society Competition.
Evan Pyne (violin, I. Kaler) won a 2023 Mark Zinger Memorial Foundation scholarship.
Fiona Tsang (cello, Weiss) was awarded the gold medal (Jean and Jim Triner Prize) in the Cleveland Cello Society Scholarship Competition in May 2024.
ACADEMY
Elora Kares (cello, Li) won top prizes at the 2024 Aurora Young Artist Competition, Suburban Symphony Orchestra Young Soloists Concerto Competition, and Lakeland Civic Orchestra Young Artists Competition.
Kaidi Wang (piano, Schulze) won the Junior Division of the 2024 Ohio Music Teachers Association Buckeye Auditions.
Miaochen Yu (piano, Brown) won first prize in the senior division of the Aurora School of Music’s Young Artist Competition.
FACULTY
Rodrigo Lara Alonso (guitar) published Motivic Construction in Leo Brouwer’s Concierto Elegíaco in the spring 2024 edition of Indiana Theory Review
Caitlin Martinkus (music theory) published a review-article of Journeys Through Galant Expositions, by L. Poundie Burstein, and How Sonata Forms: A Bottom-Up Approach to Musical Form, by Yoel Greenberg, in Theory and Practice
Jeremy Paul (interdisciplinary artist-inresidence) won Best Projection Design in the 2023 Cleveland Critics Circle Theater Awards.
Antonio Pompa-Baldi (piano) released Suite Nothings on the Steinway & Sons label, with pianist (and wife) Emanuela Friscioni.
IN MEMORIAM
Gladys Blaner (BM ’51) passed away Aug. 23, 2023, at age 97. She was a beloved piano and violin teacher in Rehoboth Beach, DE.
John Cabala, a former CIM student, passed away May 22, 2024. He was a music teacher, director, and organist at St. Bernadette’s Parish for 66 years.
Morris Jacob (BM ’75, MM ’77) passed away Nov. 2, 2023. He was a longtime member of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Thomas Muraco, a former CIM faculty member, passed away Feb. 3, 2024. He was a renowned pianist, conductor, and teacher.
Paul Phillips (1964-68, Kroll/Granat/ Weilerstein) passed away March 27, 2024. He spent 40 years in the violin section of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Helen Turner Thompson, a former CIM student, passed away March 5, 2024, at age 93. She held musical roles with Mt. Sinai Baptist Church, Antioch Baptist Church, and Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church.
LIFETIME GIVING
Thank you to the many supporters past and present who have made a CIM education possible for generations and continue to shape the future of classical music. Below are some of the most generous donors, whose lifetime giving to CIM has exceeded $250,000 (as of June 12, 2024).
$10,000,000+
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
The Fred A. Lennon Charitable Trust
$5,000,000–$9,999,999
Kulas Foundation
Barbara and Mal* Mixon
Kevin & Kristen Stein and Family
$2,500,000–$4,999,999
Gay C. and Edward Addicott*
Mr. and Mrs. F. J. Callahan*
Elizabeth D. Hicks*
State of Ohio
Barbara S. Robinson (HDMA ’06)*
$1,000,000–$2,499,999
Hope S. and Stanley I. Adelstein*
Mr. and Mrs. A. Chace Anderson
Vitya Vronsky Babin Foundation
Eleanor H. Biggs*
The Cleveland Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Gilliam
Clive and Mary* Hamlin
Linda Harper and Jim Martin*
Jean and Dick Hipple
Mort* and Emilie Kadish
The Kresge Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander McAfee*
John P. Murphy Foundation
Ohio Arts Council
Partners for CIM
The Payne Fund
Dick (HDMA ’06) and Pat* Pogue
Mrs. Alfred M. Rankin
The Reinberger Foundation
Susan Rothmann, Philip Paul, and Jeremy
Paul
Edith H. Smith*
Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Thomas
United States Department of Education
Anonymous
$500,000–$999,999
Ms. Ruth Beckelman*
Mr. and Mrs.* Eugene J. Beer
Helen C. Brown*
Ann C. and Hugh Calkins
Irad (BM ’87, MM ’88) and Rebecca (BM ’87, MM ’89) Carmi
Mr. Arthur L. Charni*
Larry B. Faigin*
The GAR Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Carl D. Glickman*
Margaret R. Griffiths Trust
The George Gund Foundation
Tom and Iris Harvie
The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation
Mr.* and Mrs. Daryl A. Kearns
KeyBank
Dr. Vilma L. Kohn*
Mr. Richard A. Manuel*
National Endowment for the Arts
NewBrook Partners
C.K. “Pat” Patrick* and Nancy Patrick
Jane Kottler Post*
Audrey and Albert B. Ratner
Gail and Elliott Schlang
Mrs. Bert E. Siegel*
The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation
Anonymous (2)
$250,000–$499,999
Paul M. Angell Family Foundation
John and Elizabeth Aten
Mrs. Marguerite A. Barany*
Mr.* and Mrs. Alfred J. Buescher, Jr.
M.E. & F.J. Callahan Foundation
Delores Comey*
Robert Conrad (HDMA ’98)
Charlie and Grosvie Cooley
Virginia Deupree Crumb (BM ’77) and Carl & Jeanne Crumb
Dr. Mark H. Curley
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Drinko*
Rebecca and George* Dunn
Alice S. Feiman (BM ’32, MM ’36)
William O. & Gertrude Lewis Frohring Foundation
The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation
The Dorothea Wright Hamilton Fund
Mrs. Beverly S. Harris*
The Hershey Foundation
The Albert M. Higley Co.
George M. and Pamela S. Humphrey Fund
Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc.
Carter Kissell*
Joy Miller Kiszely*
Emma Lincoln*
Mrs. Elliot L. Ludvigsen*
Charles and Sue Marston
Mr. Joseph B. McClelland*
Meldrum & Fewsmith Communications
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Laura Ingrid Messing*
Edith and Ted Miller*
David and Inez Myers Foundation
Ohio Department of Higher Education
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond P. Park
The Ranney Scholarship Fund
Peter J. Reichl*
Sam and Sarah Sato*
Astri Seidenfeld
Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Taplin, Jr.*
Carole Hershey Walters
Ms. Annette E. Willis*
Every year, individuals, corporations, and foundations contribute generously to the Cleveland Institute of Music, directly supporting the transformative music education of CIM students. Through this incredible commitment and community of donors, CIM empowers the world’s most talented classical music students to achieve their dreams and potential.
Make your contribution to CIM with a meaningful gift of any size at cim.edu/donate or contact a member of CIM’s development team at 216.795.3160 *deceased
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Be the Future of Classical Music
Every year, hundreds of classical music students walk through our doors to have access to some of the best training opportunities in the world. We are grateful to the hundreds who help ensure the next generation of classical musicians has access to these experiences by making donations to CIM’s Annual Fund every year.
Deepen your investment in the future of classical music by making a gift to CIM’s Annual Fund using the QR code or visit cim.edu/donatenow
cim.edu/donatenow
