Noteworthy Purchase of 1609 Hazel puts CIM in charge of student-housing destiny CIM draws closer to CWRU with renewed focus on Joint Music Program CIM expands general education palette in push for modern skill training CIM poised for continued success with appointment of two new deans Michael Tilson Thomas leads “unforgettable” master class at CIM CIM celebrates the life of ‘Miss Olga’ Radosavljevich Gifted viola highlights impact of CIM’s instrument donation program CIM’s Kulas Hall slated for renovation

Purchase of 1609 Hazel Puts CIM in Charge of Student-Housing Destiny

CIM gained a significant asset and accomplished a major goal last spring when it acquired 1609 Hazel, its high-tech student apartment and practiceroom complex.

The building, which abuts CIM, had been on lease from its developer since its opening in July 2020. Owning the structure allows CIM to guarantee students the finest housing along with a world-class education.

“We have taken charge of our own destiny,” said CIM President and CEO Paul Hogle. “We are grateful to our Trustees and donors for encouraging us to build our own facility and enabling us to purchase it.”

The impact of 1609 Hazel on student life is difficult to overestimate. The still-new complex is capable of housing 240 students in 64 deluxe, secure and fully furnished suites, each complete with two bathrooms, wireless internet, air conditioning, full kitchens and laundry machines.

And those are just the apartments. In addition to residences, 1609 Hazel contains 19 individual and three state-of-the-art chamber music modular practice rooms and recording studios, all of which are available to students around the clock. Also within the building are lounges, an exercise studio and a classroom.

Although it’s only two years old, 1609 Hazel already has demonstrated its worth, allowing CIM to safely reinstate in-person learning much earlier than other major conservatories during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Said former Board Chair Richard Hipple: “This is a large part of our critical mission to create the best environment to nurture and grow the next leaders in the world of classical music.”

CIM has acquired 1609 Hazel, its high-tech student residence and practice complex. (Photo by Robert Muller)

CIM Draws Closer to CWRU With Renewed Focus on Joint Music Program

Physically, CIM and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) can’t get any closer. Academically, however, there’s room to tighten, and that’s just what’s happening this fall through a renewed focus at CIM on the Joint Music Program (JMP).

Under the newly revitalized arrangement, CWRU students who take classes or lessons at CIM are being integrated more deeply into life at CIM in general. They’re being welcomed and included in conservatory functions in a way that actively blurs the line between student bodies.

“We don’t want the JMP students to be off to the side somewhere,” said Sean Schulze, CIM’s new associate dean for academic partnerships. “We want them to be squarely under the banner of CIM. There’s a desire to have greater alignment.”

The JMP itself is nothing new. Under its aegis, students have been pursuing extra-curricular passions, crossing back and forth between university and conservatory, since 1968. Today, all CIM students are JMP students, and hundreds of students at CWRU come to CIM for private lessons, music theory and eurhythmics.

The difference now is a desire to strengthen and better promote the relationship, to make CWRU students feel more involved at CIM and attract more students to CIM in general by highlighting the school’s kinship to a major university.

“What we have here is really a gem,” said Hallie Moore, associate dean for student academic affairs at CIM. “The goal now is to foster more cooperation and connection, to create a better sense of community.”

CIM Expands General Education Palette in Push For Modern Skill Training

Even at CIM, there’s more to life than music. Much more. Hence the school’s ongoing commitment to a well-rounded education.

CIM this year added three new courses to its general education curriculum, broadly expanding options for students seeking to fulfill CIM’s non-musical requirements. The new classes will be taught by CIM faculty and stand in addition to the many other courses available through CIM’s partnership with Case Western Reserve University.

“We’re taking new ownership and responsibility for the non-musical elements of the education we offer,” said Dean Southern (DMA ’09, Schiller), vice president of academic and student affairs and dean of the institute. “We’re set up now to always be improving.”

Like last year’s new courses in technology and business, this year’s new courses – “Cultivating Functional Imagination in Music,” “Engaging and Serving Our Communities” and “The Experience of Hearing and Performance” – were conceived with the needs and goals of the aspiring professional musician in mind.

They launched in the second year of a long-term push by CIM to teach and assess fundamental skills critical and complementary to a life in music today, including research, writing, public speaking and digital communication. They brought to nine the slate of general education courses at CIM and joined recently added requirements for a first-year writing seminar and fourth-year capstone experience.

“We really want these to be courses that our students are excited about,” Southern said. “I’m proud of what we’ve done. Now it’s just a matter of letting it run.”

CIM Poised for Continued Success With Appointment of Two New Deans

The pool of administrative talent at CIM deepened considerably this summer with the appointments of Donna Yoo and Fred Peterbark.

Yoo is now the school’s new dean of artistic administration and operations, and Peterbark is dean of enrollment and aid. The appointments fill out a new three-member academic leadership team, which includes Dean Southern (DMA ’09, Schiller), vice president of academic and student affairs and dean of the institute.

“I can think of no more creative, strategic and courageous higher education administrators and musicians,” said Scott Harrison, executive vice president and provost. “Together they come to CIM with deep experience in every facet required by their roles.”

Yoo is an accomplished horn player and pianist with degrees from Stony Brook University, Eastman School of Music and Yale School of Music, where she directed admissions and alumni affairs. She is also a founding member of the New York Horn Ensemble and has appeared with the Burlington Chamber Orchestra and Albany Symphony.

Peterbark came to CIM after three years at Roosevelt University, where he helped restructure the admissions process at the school’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. He also has worked in music admissions and recruitment at the University of Colorado Boulder, Louisiana State University and Ithaca College.

“Even the greatest of musicians needs a supportive, insightful community in order to thrive,” said Paul Hogle, CIM’s president and CEO. “Our new administrators will apply their passions and many gifts to see that every student here reaches his or her full potential.”

Fred Peterbark, left, is CIM’s new dean of enrollment and aid. Donna Yoo, right, is CIM’s new dean of artistic administration and operations. (Photos by Abigayle Williams)

Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas presides over a rehearsal with the CIM Orchestra at Severance Music Center in April. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)

Michael Tilson Thomas Leads “Unforgettable” Master Class at CIM

Just as Michael Tilson Thomas himself is no ordinary musician, so was the master class the maestro conducted at CIM last April no ordinary music lesson. Indeed, for one participant, it was transformative.

“Not only was the class a precious opportunity,” said DMA collaborative piano student Ying-Ho Joanna Huang (AD ’20, Pontremoli; BM ’17, MM ’18, King) who performed with clarinetist Shihao Hugh Zhu (2017-22, Cohen/Yusuf). “It was an unforgettable lifetime learning experience.”

Although he holds an honorary doctorate from CIM, Tilson Thomas, the acclaimed former music director of the San Francisco Symphony and founder of the New World Symphony, was in town not for a master class but rather for concerts with The Cleveland Orchestra, featuring Britten’s rarely heard ballet The Prince of the Pagodas.

Here at CIM, the conductor’s focus was Debussy, specifically the Premiere Rhapsodie. After her performance with Zhu, Huang – long a fan of Tilson Thomas – said the maestro offered a wealth of comments related to phrasing, historical context and extra-musical meaning, all of them helpful.

Perhaps most importantly, Tilson Thomas encouraged Huang and Zhu on their paths. After describing their performance as “beautiful,” the conductor noted the power Huang, Zhu and other serious musicians have to change lives through music.

“He inspired me [by saying] we have so much to give to the community, not only as passionate performers but also as future educators,” Huang said. “With a kind and open heart, we can bring people around us to know and love classical music.”

CIM Celebrates the Life of ‘Miss Olga’ Radosavljevich

The CIM community mourns the loss this fall of Olga Radosavljevich. Miss Olga was both an alumna of CIM and one of its most cherished faculty members. She retired in May 2019 after 59 years of devoted service.

Miss Olga came to CIM as a student of Arthur Loesser in 1956 and was soon teaching piano in the Preparatory Division. Throughout her long career, Miss Olga taught both Conservatory and Preparatory students to great acclaim.

“I feel extremely fortunate to have had 63 wonderful years at the Cleveland Institute of Music,” she reflected in 2019. “I came as a humble student...and I am retiring with satisfaction that I have given my utmost dedication to my students and to CIM.” Miss Olga completed her bachelor’s degree in 1959, master’s degree in 1961 and Artist Diploma in 1969.

Miss Olga was instrumental in developing CIM’s Young Artist Program. Although the program has evolved to focus on high school students, her rigorous approach to training remains. Miss Olga also put her formidable skills to use as head of CIM’s Preparatory piano department, from 1985 to 2004.

Among her many notable alumni are Ning An (first prize, Tivoli International Piano Competition), Derek Rikio Nishimura (CIM piano faculty), Wei-Tang Huang (collaborative pianist, Schulich School of Music at McGill University), Ines Irawati (artistic director, San Diego Opera’s young artist program) and Vera Holczer (director, Aurora School of Music). These and many others gathered at CIM in December 2017 to joyfully celebrate Miss Olga’s 80th birthday.

Gifted Viola Highlights Impact of CIM’s Instrument Donation Program

Of all the gifts CIM receives each year, instruments are among the most special.

Not only do donated violins, cellos and pianos enable CIM students to train on the high-quality instruments they need to excel. Each one also tells a meaningful story.

Case in point: The viola CIM recently received from composer Richard Sortomme and his wife, Carol Webb, a former violinist in the New York Philharmonic.

Built in 1982 by Webb’s father, Harold Emery Webb, a former engineer at General Electric, the Stradivarius-inspired viola served Sortomme for a decade in concerts throughout New York City, including Alice Tully Hall. It also received an important stamp of approval from Robert Vernon, a close friend of the couple’s and the renowned co-head of CIM’s viola department.

Webb and Sortomme donated the viola to CIM last summer, citing Cleveland as the proper home for the instrument.

The Webb viola isn’t the only recent donation. In June, CIM received an Allen Digital Computer Organ, which now graces the halls of 1609 Hazel, CIM’s student residence. Meanwhile, undergraduate student Megan Lin (Laredo/Lowe/Sloman) plays a violin gifted by the Bolton Family.

CIM also gratefully accepts pianos. Since 2017, CIM has received or been gifted funds to purchase no fewer than 16 Steinway pianos. All of these are in addition to financial gifts supporting the purchase of new wind instruments.

CIM viola department co-head Robert Vernon, right, poses with composer Richard Sortomme and his wife, violinist Carol Webb. (Photo courtesy of Richard Sortomme) Olga Radosavljevich spent 63 years at CIM, both as a student and as a member of the faculty.

CIM’s iconic Kulas Hall is slated for renovation next year. (Photo by Robert Muller)

CIM’s Kulas Hall Slated for Renovation

A major renovation project is in store at CIM. Sixty-two years after its opening, Kulas Hall is now up for a makeover.

Work is slated to begin next year and finish in fall 2024, with several CIM performances taking place at Severance Music Center during the interim.

Many at CIM are eager for a new complement to Mixon Hall. Conceived in 1960 as a venue for solo piano and voice recitals, the 585-seat Kulas quickly emerged as the home of the CIM Orchestra, CIM Opera Theater and numerous other large ensembles for which it was never intended.

Plans for a revitalized hall envision a true, adaptable gem, a one-of-akind venue in University Circle that meets the logistical, acoustic and technological demands of everything from solo recitals to recordings with 100-piece orchestras and fully staged opera productions.

Construction has yet to begin but many at CIM already have been working on the project behind the scenes since 2021.

A dedicated taskforce chaired by CIM alumna and Trustee Bonnie Cook (BM ’77) started by selecting an acoustician, Dawn Schuette, partner with Chicago-based Threshold Acoustics. After that, the group retained Cost+Plus, a Florida-based project management firm.

The third step was to appoint Theatre Projects, a New York-based theater design firm behind hundreds of distinguished spaces worldwide. Lastly, after receiving credentials from a dozen firms, the task force selected Cleveland-based architects JKURTZ.

“A world-class conservatory deserves a world-class concert hall, and that’s exactly what we’re going to get,” said Eric Bower (MM ’82), senior vice president of CIM.

CIM’s Luminaries Event Exceeds Brightest Expectations

By Maggie Ginn Rooney, Associate Director, Individual Giving

When I and a group of passionate community members began to work on CIM’s Luminaries Benefit last fall, excited to bring people together on campus during Commencement, all we could do was imagine.

Little did we know how perfectly the event would ultimately come together, how far reality would exceed even our rosiest dreams.

For one thing, it was an evening of incredible music. Violinist Jennifer Koh premiered a work by David Serkin Ludwig. We heard pianist and CIM alumna Michelle Cann (BM ’09, MM ’10, Schenly/D. Shapiro) and music by Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate (MM ’00, Erb/Pastor). We remembered Ryan Anthony (BM ’91, MM ’93, Zauder), who passed away in June 2020.

It was also an evening of connections, of bonds forged and renewed over delicious food and drink. We paid tribute to Joe and Ellen Thomas, a couple who have been dedicated to CIM for over 30 years and have supported the future of classical music through such legacy gifts as Thomas Commons, the Ellen and Joe Thomas Endowed Fund and the Ellen B. Thomas Vocal Scholarship.

All of this we did while raising more than $180,000 in vital scholarship funds, every one of which will help current and future students achieve their dreams and potential. We set out to honor Joe and Ellen Thomas but ended up with a whole other list of people, corporations and foundations to thank.

In that way, too, Luminaries turned out far, far better than we could have hoped.

Elliott and Gail Schlang Gift Raises Bar for Community Engagement at CIM

CIM’s community engagement mission received a giant shot in the arm this fall in the form of a major gift from Elliott and Gail Schlang.

The new $500,000 gift establishes The Schlang Family Fund supporting the growth and sustainability of CIM’s community engagement initiatives and partnerships. It helps CIM expand on already robust efforts to collaborate and connect with individuals and organizations across Northeast Ohio.

In particular, the new fund will help produce a community concert series, a student-teacher program at Cleveland School of the Arts, and a variety of in-school and extracurricular community education activities still under development.

“We hope that...increasing community engagement and visibility will project CIM’s excellence to the entire Cleveland community,” wrote Elliot Schlang, a CIM Trustee.

The Schlangs are all about community engagement – and CIM. They’ve long been active with CIM and other cultural and health-based organizations, supporting community engagement at CIM as well as the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Orchestra and University Hospitals. One of their gifts notably enabled cochlear implant recipients to attend a CIM Orchestra concert at Severance Music Center.

Elliott Schlang is founder and managing partner of Great Lakes Review and a trustee emeritus at CMA. Gail Schlang is a retired audiologist and a leading arts and education volunteer and local patron. The couple feels a kinship for CIM on account of the prominent part they see it playing in the future of classical music, here and worldwide.

“CIM is a treasure we need to highlight,” Elliott Schlang said.

Gail and Elliott Schlang have endowed The Schlang Family Fund at CIM, in support of CIM’s community engagement initiatives and partnerships. (Photo courtesy of the couple)

Partners for CIM Welcomes New President

CIM’s largest group of community supporters has undergone a change in leadership.

Drawing the curtain on a remarkable tenure, Jean Koznarek has stepped down as president of Partners for CIM, the community group that advocates on behalf of CIM students.

Now at the head of the active and growing corps sits Anne Jarrad, director of advancement at Julie Billiart Schools.

“I am incredibly grateful for all of Jean’s dedication and hard work,” said Jarrad, a staunch supporter of inspired learning environments. “Jean’s leadership and commitment have helped generations of CIM students succeed in their studies and feel welcome and appreciated during their years in Cleveland.”

In the constellation of CIM supporters, Partners for CIM is one of the brightest stars. Its 150-plus members pick up where official mechanisms leave off, working tirelessly to foster closer ties between students and the broader Northeast Ohio community. By creating opportunities for the public to experience CIM talent, it generates greater awareness and support of the school around the region.

Partners also enjoy an array of perks, including invitations to special events, subscriptions to CIM publications and personal connections to current CIM students.

As her presidential term begins, Jarrad said she plans to build on the foundation Koznarek laid to broaden the group’s membership, vision and impact.

CIM Community Grows with New Full-Time, Guest and Visiting Faculty

Bassist Maximilian Dimoff, left, and violinist Jessica Lee, right, both members of The Cleveland Orchestra, have joined the CIM faculty, along with choral conductor Jonathon Turner, center. (Dimoff and Lee photos by Roger Mastroianni; Turner photo courtesy of the artist)

First-year students weren’t the only new arrivals at CIM this fall. The school also saw an influx of new full-time, guest and visiting faculty. Indeed, including appointments made during the pandemic, the school in fall 2022 was teeming with fresh faces.

Brand-new to CIM were Ian Howell, CIM’s first faculty countertenor and director of vocal chamber music; music theory teachers Joseph Sferra and Gabriel Novak (BM ’18, Fitch); and Preparatory Division clarinetist Robert Davis (BM ’01, Nereim), violist Cristina MicciBarreca (BM ’21, Irvine/Ramsey), cellist Nathaniel Hoyt (MM ’22, Weiss), choral conductor Jonathon Turner, and guitarist Rodrigo Lara Alonso. Guitarist Jason Vieaux (BM ’95, Holmquist) and soprano Dina Kuznetsova moved to full-time status.

No less inspiring were the lists of new guest and visiting faculty. The former included Malcom Lowe, former concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra; pianist Michelle Cann (BM ’09, MM ’10, Schenly/D. Shapiro); Wei Yu, principal cello of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Harold Robinson, principal bass of The Philadelphia Orchestra; conductor Anthony Parnther; saxophonist Steven Banks; and percussionist She-e Wu. The latter, meanwhile, boasted the Sphinx Virtuosi, the Wu Han-Philip Setzer-David Finckel Trio, violinist Margaret Batjer, pianist Artina McCain (MM ’06, Brown), cellist Mike Block (BM ’04, Aaron), and composers Sebastian Currier, Marcos Balter and Chen Yi.

These join a slate of recent faculty additions notably including Carlos Kalmar, director of orchestral and conducting programs; violinist Philip Setzer, artistic director of string chamber music; and three members of the famed Cleveland Orchestra: principal bass Maximilian Dimoff, principal horn Nathaniel Silberschlag and assistant concertmaster Jessica Lee.

Welcome to the CIM community, everyone!