Executive Vice President and Provost Leadership Profile

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Executive Vice President and Provost Leadership Profile

October 2017 This leadership profile is intended to provide information about Manhattan School of Music and the position of Executive Vice President and Provost. It is designed to assist qualified individuals in assessing their interest in this position.


The Opportunity Manhattan School of Music (MSM), internationally renowned for the excellence and breadth of its conservatory programs, seeks an accomplished, incisive academic and student affairs leader to become its next Executive Vice President and Provost. Working directly and closely with President James Gandre (see Appendix 1, page 13) and alongside faculty and other senior leaders, the Provost will be a proactive and collaborative leader in moving MSM forward as a center of excellence in classical music, jazz, and musical theatre. The Provost is the chief academic and student affairs officer and serves as the President’s second in command, overseeing all academic programs and services, faculty hiring and development, all student affairs and enrollment operations, and leading the School in the President’s absence. The Provost maintains the highest standards of academic excellence and creative endeavor, while encouraging innovation and leadership in arts practice. The Provost plays a vital role in the School’s budget process and allocation of resources, working closely with the Vice President for Business and Finance (CFO) and the President. MSM seeks an individual with demonstrated leadership ability and a deep commitment to the traditions of the past as well as innovative arts education. The new Provost will be a partner and collaborator with the President and share her/ his dedication to students and their success; to excellence in education and performance; to the humanity of the School’s environment; to inclusion and diversity; and to the cultural enrichment of the larger community. The position of Executive Vice President and Provost is an ideal opportunity for a visionary executive with a proven track record of collaboration and creative problem-solving to become a key driver in the realization of MSM’s ambitious goals. The successful candidate will be a superb communicator with all constituents: students, faculty, staff, and trustees. Strong leadership and strategic planning skills must be complemented by a sense of partnership and a commitment to transparency. The Provost will have proven expertise in planning, managing, and stewarding resources; exceptional analytical skills; a supportive and proactive management style that promotes best practices; and the interpersonal skills to create and maintain effective relationships. Most importantly, the next Provost will have the ability to embrace and communicate Manhattan School of Music’s mission, and the commitment to advance the School’s goals. We look forward to welcoming the new Provost into our community during the summer of 2018. For information regarding submitting a nomination or expressing interest in this position, please see the section entitled, “Procedure for Candidacy” on page 12.

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Manhattan School of Music: An Overview

Leonard Slatkin leads the MSM Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

Manhattan School of Music is a remarkable institution with a history of extraordinary success. From its beginnings as a small settlement music school, MSM has become an internationally recognized conservatory and leading force in professional music education. The largest private conservatory in the nation offering training in classical music, jazz, and musical theatre, MSM has upheld its tradition of excellence in music education throughout its history. The School, which will celebrate its centennial during the 2018/19 academic year, was founded by pianist, social worker, and philanthropist Janet D. Schenck. Originally called the Neighborhood Music School, it was located on East 105th Street and tasked with bringing high-quality musical training to the immigrant communities of the surrounding neighborhoods. By reestablishing the musical communities that had existed in these immigrants’ home countries, Schenck hoped to further the nascent cause of music in America. By 1928, enrollment at the School had reached 400 students. Under additional artistic guidance from renowned artists such as Pablo Casals, Harold Bauer, and Fritz Kreisler, the Neighborhood Music School erected a new building and, in 1938, changed its name to Manhattan School of Music. In its first two decades, the School had built a national reputation. By 1943, the School offered the Bachelor’s degree; advanced degree programs soon followed. Now home to more than 960 students—who come from more than 50 countries and from nearly every state—MSM fosters a supportive atmosphere, valuing individuals and welcoming creative exploration, and provides the training to attain the highest standards of performance. MSM’s rigorous curriculum and superb artist-faculty, who continue their own creative explorations at some of this country’s most prestigious institutions, give students the artistic experience and the technical foundation to succeed in the highly competitive world of the arts. Exchange programs, distance learning, and entrepreneurial opportunities further expand the School’s breadth, depth, and reach. Offering more than 700 concerts, recitals, master classes, and community events each year, MSM is a vigorous contributor to the cultural fabric of New York City.

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PROGRAMS Manhattan School of Music offers the Bachelor of Music (BM) and the Master of Music (MM) degree in Voice, Instrumental Performance, Jazz, and Composition. A Master of Music degree is also offered in Conducting, Collaborative Piano, Orchestral Performance, and Contemporary Performance. The Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program accepts a small number of exceptionally talented violin and viola students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The dual degree program in Music Education and Performance offers an MM from Manhattan School of Music and an MA in Music Education with K–12 Music Teacher Certification from Teachers College Columbia University. For undergraduates, a partnership with Barnard College also offers expansive possibilities for elective courses. Beyond the Master’s degree, MSM offers a Professional Studies Certificate and a Doctor of Music Arts (DMA) in Voice, Instrumental Performance, Jazz, Composition, Conducting, and Collaborative Piano. Exceptional students may audition for the highly selective Artist Diploma Program. In the fall of 2016, MSM launched its undergraduate program in Musical Theatre. Now in its second year, it is already one of the most selective programs at the School, with an applicant pool that has grown by nearly 50 percent. Bebe Neuwirth serves as the program’s Artistic Advisor. Manhattan School of Music’s Precollege Division, providing pre-professional training to musically gifted young people, is considered to be one of the strongest precollege programs in the country. This full-day Saturday program enrolls 475 students ranging in age from 5 to 18.

FACULTY The outstanding 200-member studio faculty includes musicians from New York’s leading performing institutions, including the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, along with internationally acclaimed solo, chamber, jazz, and Broadway artists.

MSM Associate Dean and Director of Jazz Arts Stefon Harris with students at a Fall 2017 master class

The academic (classroom) faculty members are scholars, writers, and practitioners in music theory, musicology, and the humanities and social sciences. Another 100 artist-faculty members teach in the Precollege Division.

ALUMNI MSM alumni are active in every aspect of contemporary musical life and beyond. Many are among the most acclaimed performers on the great stages of the world, from Lincoln Center to Covent Garden to the Montreux Jazz Festival to Broadway. They include Grammy Award winners and nominees, MacArthur Fellows, Avery Fisher Career Grant recipients, Oscar and Tony winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, and a distinguished list of prizewinners in the Van Cliburn, Naumburg, Tchaikovsky, and Rubenstein international competitions, among many others. Distinguished alumni include violinists Elmar Oliveira, Viviane Hagner, Guy Braunstein (concert artist and former concertmaster, Berlin Philharmonic), Bing Wang (associate concertmaster, Los Angeles Philharmonic), and Yooshin Song (concertmaster, Detroit Symphony); opera singers Susan Graham, Dawn Upshaw, Catherine Malfitano, Dolora Zajick, Lauren Flanigan, Brandon Jovanovich, Simon O’Neill, Liam Bonner, Anthony Roth Costanzo, and Yunpeng Wang; jazz musicians Stefon Harris (the current Associate Dean and Director of MSM Jazz Arts), Ron Carter, Jane Monheit, Jason Moran, Miguel Zenón, Christian Sands, Steve Turre, Dave Grusin, Hugh Masekela, Max Roach, and John Lewis; composers John Corigliano, Aaron Jay Kernis, Tobias Picker, Gunther Schuller, Elliot Goldenthal, Jack Perla, and Anna Clyne; conductors Kristjan Järvi, Alondra de la Parra, and Earl Lee. Alumni in administration include Jesse Rosen, President and CEO of the League of American Orchestras; Howard Herring, President and CEO of the New World Symphony; Fred Bronstein, Dean, Peabody Institute/The Johns Hopkins University; David Handler and Justin Kantor, founders of le poisson rouge; Jeff Sharkey, Principal (CEO) of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; and Daniel Andai, Dean of Music, New School of the Arts, Miami-Dade College. Other alumni are in a variety of fields outside of music, including Jared Bernstein, economist, Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; Cynthia Boxrud, MD, surgeon, and professor at UCLA Medical School; Elizabeth VanArsdel, Senior Vice President/Senior Wealth Advisor at New Mexico Bank & Trust; and David Wolfsohn, JD, Partner, Duane Morris LLP, to name just a few. 4


CAMPUS

View of Riverside Church, Grant’s Tomb, and the Hudson River from Andersen Hall

Since 1969, Manhattan School of Music has been located at Broadway and 122nd Street. As part of New York’s Morningside Heights/West Harlem academic community, it includes among its neighbors in the “academic acropolis” Columbia University, Barnard College, Columbia Teachers College, Bank Street College, Union and Jewish Theological seminaries, Riverside Church, International House, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Manhattan School of Music’s campus consists of three buildings, constructed in 1910, 1931 (by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, the architects who designed the Empire State Building), and 2001 (the 19-story Andersen Residence Hall, which houses approximately 500 students in addition to performance spaces and practice rooms). The School has eight performance spaces, ranging from 25 to 700 seats, and a state-of-the-art recording studio. The Peter Jay Sharp Library and the Evelyn Sharp Performance Library contain scores, books, periodicals, audiovisual recordings, on demand streaming of concerts, and a large range of performance materials. With the Distance Learning Program, the first of its kind at a major international conservatory, Manhattan School of Music maintains a leadership role in the use of technology for music performance and education. An online digital video archive has more than 3,500 hours of educational video accessible on demand and the School has recently partnered with the New World Symphony to expand the reach of this archive. Utilizing Internet2 technology, the School collaborates with conservatories, universities, and P-12 schools throughout the world. The program is greatly enhanced by the participation of artists such as Pinchas Zukerman, Thomas Hampson, Glenn Dicterow, Robert Mann, and many other MSM faculty members. During the past three years, MSM has invested more than $10 million in campus improvements, including creating 28 new Wenger SoundLok practice rooms; two new acting/dance studios; newly renovated offices for classroom faculty; a new HVAC system and complete LED replacement of all lights in the 1910 and 1931 buildings; and a complete cafeteria renovation. This past summer, MSM began a $15 million renovation of MSM’s primary performance hall (see Appendix 2: The Centennial Project on page 15). This renovation was made possible by an anchor gift by Noémi Karpati Neidorff (BM ’70; MM ’72) and Michael Neidorff, a grant from the City of New York, and the generous support of members of the Board of Trustees, the International Advisory Board, faculty, staff, and alumni. 5


Mission, Vision, and Values Manhattan School of Music is deeply committed to excellence in education, performance, and creative activity; to the humanity of the School’s environment; and to the cultural enrichment of the larger community. A premier international conservatory, MSM inspires and empowers highly talented individuals to realize their potential. We take full advantage of New York’s abundant learning and performance opportunities, preparing our students to be accomplished and passionate performers, composers and teachers, and imaginative, effective contributors to the arts and society.

Strategic Plan 2014–19

MSM Opera Theater’s Fall 2016 mainstage production of Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito

One of President Gandre’s first initiatives upon joining the institution was to launch a broad-based strategic planning process that involved all sectors of the MSM community: students, faculty, staff, and trustees. Rooted in the institution’s history and its singular role in music education in this city and (well-) beyond, the plan was intended to articulate a vision, identify MSM’s goals, and set a clear course for the next five years. The resulting plan identified four strategic priorities and concurrent specific initiatives to lead MSM toward its 100th anniversary in 2018–19 and lay the foundation for its second 100 years. Now in its fourth year, much of this plan has already been accomplished or is well underway.

FOUR STRATEGIC GOALS Goal 1: Ensure Artistic and Academic Excellence Ensure that every MSM student receives an excellent education. Take full advantage of the overall talent of the student body, the quality of our educational programs, our outstanding faculty, and our New York City location. Increase educational opportunities through distance learning and new technologies. Form additional productive and mutually beneficial partnerships with other educational institutions, performance venues, and arts organizations across the city, state, region, nation, and world.

Goal 2: Optimize Physical Infrastructure and Human Resources Develop and execute a comprehensive, institution-wide plan to upgrade educational and administrative technologies, performance venues, classrooms, studios, public spaces, and offices. Repurpose space owned or leased by MSM to optimize educational quality and revenue generation. Assess and optimize human capital to increase service quality.

Goal 3: Enhance Finances Ensure and maintain our fiscal sustainability by enhancing and promoting high quality, fiscally sound offerings, and phasing out financially nonviable offerings. Increase earned revenues from partnerships, contracts, and degree and nondegree offerings. Maintain an effective Advancement Office to maximize alumni and donor participation as well as scholarship and endowment growth.

Goal 4: Increase Visibility Achieve wider recognition of MSM’s world-class quality. 6


Fulfilling the Mission Manhattan School of Music has been at the forefront of innovation and creativity in its degree offerings for 50 years. In the 1970s it was one of only several colleges in the nation to have an Office of Career Planning targeted at music students. In the 1980s MSM was the first independent conservatory to offer jazz degrees. In the 1990s the School founded two renowned programs: the graduate Orchestral Performance Program and the Distance Learning Program. In this century, MSM launched the Center for Music Entrepreneurship, expanding the reach of its offerings to prepare students professionally; created the graduate Contemporary Performance Program; and in 2016 launched a Bachelor’s program in musical theatre, the only such program at an American independent conservatory. Future plans include online and hybrid courses and degree programs. Throughout the year, MSM brings nearly 100 acclaimed artists and conductors to campus — both in person and via distance learning — for master classes and to work with the School’s student ensembles. This year that list includes Ferruccio Furlanetto, Martin Katz, Sir Thomas Allen (voice); Robert McDonald and Barry Douglas (piano); members of the Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, London Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Boston Symphony, and Pittsburgh Symphony; Barry Harris, Joe Lovano, Christian Scott, Maria Schneider, and Linda Oh (jazz); performers Bebe Neuwirth, Joanna Gleason, Victoria Clark, and Joan Lader (musical theatre); and Koichiro Harada and Anton Nel (chamber music), among many others. International exchange programs have been developed with Beijing’s Central Conservatory, London’s Royal College of Music, Shanghai Conservatory, Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Australian National University, Japan’s Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts, and conservatories in Oslo, Copenhagen, Stuttgart, and Amsterdam. MSM has developed a variety of strategic alliances with educational agencies and has created model music education partnerships not only with New York City public schools, but in communities nationwide. The School’s extensive outreach activities prepare students to be effective artist-educators through pedagogical instruction and practical teaching experience. Students are also given the opportunity to present inspirational and interactive performances to diverse and underserved communities. The School has forged new alliances with other arts and educational institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harlem Stage, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, National Sawdust, American Ballet Theater, other peer independent American conservatories, and its neighbors in Morningside Heights. Manhattan School of Music’s summer offerings include “MSM Summer,” a program with 125 students ranging in age from 11 to 18, and a Summer English Study program that has enabled MSM to help many international students become stronger in English before they begin their formal degree study during the fall semester. MSM Musical Theatre Program’s inaugural class performing in the Fall Showcase 2016

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The Future

Bobby Sanabria conducts the MSM Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at Lincoln Center

Manhattan School of Music is an impressive and highly specialized niche institution. The School is financially sound and stable. As momentum builds and its reputation for excellence deepens, new and exciting opportunities present themselves at every turn. The senior leadership team is talented and committed. The artist-faculty and classroom faculty are engaged and dedicated to the students and the work that they do. The Board of Trustees is committed to the institutional enterprise and eager to move ahead, led by a focused, dedicated, and energetic leader, Lorraine Gallard. The entire campus community has been revitalized and there is a palpable sense of optimism about the future. This is an ideal time for a new Executive Vice President and Provost to join this institution, which is poised to make great strides in the years ahead. Manhattan School of Music is unique in that while it is highly selective, it is also very dependent on earned income. The School admits fewer than 40 percent of the students who apply to the College each year, but it is also 83 percent dependent on its College and Precollege tuition revenue (95 percent dependent on earned income overall) while maintaining a discount rate of 38 percent. The School’s 2017–18 comprehensive fee, covering tuition, room and board, and fees is $65,000 for most students.

FINANCES Manhattan School of Music’s 2017–18 annual operating budget is $60 million, including a $16.5-million College scholarship budget. MSM’s endowment and investment portfolio now totals nearly $30 million. It raises from $2 to $6 million annually from alumni, friends, trustees, and various private and public institutions. Its overall debt currently stands at $33.7 million at a low, fixed rate.

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The Role of the Executive Vice President and Provost: Opportunities and Expectations for Leadership The Executive Vice President and Provost will be joining Manhattan School of Music at a pivotal moment as it moves to build on its tradition of excellence while securing its long-term future through proactive planning and resource development. This is clearly not a status quo position. The Provost will have the opportunity to be a creative partner with a resourceful and innovative President and a supportive Board of Trustees in imagining and implementing forward-thinking initiatives that will allow the School to continue to flourish in the years ahead.

PARTNER WITH THE PRESIDENT The Executive Vice President and Provost will join a President with a clear vision for the future and a Board of Trustees and senior leadership council whose members are committed to working in a collaborative and supportive spirit. All share a strong commitment to enhance the School’s reputation as a leader in professional music education with a history of excellence. The President would welcome a partner to provide entrepreneurial thinking and strategic analysis to support future institutional planning. The Provost will work closely with the President to enhance the college’s identity and profile and will both challenge, as necessary, and derive inspiration from his thinking. The Provost’s complex portfolio of responsibilities covers the core mission of the institution. The Provost will be a visible and inspiring leader for the institution’s artistic and academic mission, providing vision and passion to propel the institution forward. Short- and long-term responsibilities include: • Continually assessing academic programs and services, student life, and enrollment management to enhance services to students and to improve efficiency and effectiveness, both in the College and Precollege.

• Energizing and inspiring faculty and staff to enhance the working environment with a strong sense of community.

• Recruiting, retaining, evaluating, supporting, and developing faculty.

• Serving as an artistic leader, including coordinating and overseeing the performance repertoire of each performance season.

• Providing oversight of the enrollment/scholarship budget.

• Leading diversity and inclusion efforts throughout the college.

• Playing a pivotal role in budgeting and allocating resources, working closely with the President and Vice President for Business and Finance/CFO.

• Fostering a culture of partnership and collaboration and open and effective communication in decision-making.

• Driving the effort for continuous and meaningful improvement, involving the deans, faculty, and staff.

• Overseeing the accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

• The Executive Vice President and Provost has six direct senior reports: Vice Provost and Dean of Faculty (open position) Dean of Enrollment Management Dean of Students Dean of Performance Operations Dean of Distance Learning and Recording Arts Dean of the Precollege • The Provost also serves as: Liaison to the Board of Trustees’ Committee on Academic Affairs and Student Success Chair, Provost’s Council Chair, Council of Chairs (academic department chairs and specific administrative offices/divisions)

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Preferred Characteristics and Capabilities Manhattan School of Music seeks a confident, self-assured, and innovative academic and artistic leader with superb analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills to serve as its next Executive Vice President and Provost. The ideal candidate will be a seasoned professional of the highest integrity, who will serve as a resource for many individuals and groups within the institution; work with colleagues in a spirit of partnership, collaboration, and fiscal responsibility; and possess the interpersonal skills to build trust, creating and maintaining effective relationships with a broad range of internal and external constituents. Position requirements: • A deep commitment to the mission of an independent conservatory (preferably candidates will have attended and/or worked at an independent conservatory).

• A strong commitment to students and their creative and intellectual development.

• Outstanding leadership and strategic planning skills, including the ability to lead change with an inclusive style.

• A strong and clear commitment to academic and artistic excellence, including a record of establishing academic procedures that define best practice.

• Demonstrated success in planning, managing, and stewarding human, physical, and budget resources.

• Evidence of an entrepreneurial orientation with an eye to new opportunities and emerging challenges.

• Proficiency with directing an institution-wide academic and student affairs assessment.

• Understanding of the higher education landscape broadly and professional music education specifically.

• Broad experience in overseeing and managing budgets within a complex organization.

• Significant understanding of accreditation and other federal and state regulatory issues and requirements.

• Active and visible engagement in campus performances and activities.

• Knowledge of the current issues and unique financial challenges facing higher education institutions.

• Demonstrated commitment to inclusion and diversity.

• Proven ability to work productively with a supportive Board of Trustees.

• Ability to see the big picture without losing sight of the details.

• High energy, drive, and work ethic.

• Strong team management skills and the ability and experience to mentor, encourage, and inspire staff to outperform their expectations.

• Demonstrated ability to set and achieve ambitious goals and objectives.

• Minimum of eight years in senior management leadership.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Creativity, flexibility, and an entrepreneurial approach to problem solving.

• Persuasiveness.

• Sense of humor.

• Master’s degree (doctorate preferred). Significant experience in executive higher education administration will be considered in lieu of graduate degree.

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Search Advisory Committee Ms. Linda Chesis, Chair, Woodwind Department Dr. Monica Christensen, Dean of Students Ms. Lorraine Gallard, Chair, Board of Trustees Ms. Hilda Harris, Voice Professor Mr. Stefon Harris, Associate Dean and Director, Jazz Arts Ms. Nancy Heller, Board of Trustees Ms. Carol Matos, Vice President for Administration and Human Relations Dr. Linda Mercuro, Board of Trustees; Chair, Committee on Academic Affairs and Student Success Mr. Ray Morales, Assistant Vice President for Information Technology Ms. Christianne Orto, Dean, Distance Learning and Recording Arts Dr. John Pagano, Chair, Humanities Department; Faculty Trustee Mr. Luis Perez, Associate Dean and Director, Musical Theatre Dr. Lisa Yui, Theory/Piano Literature Professor and Assistant Dean for Assessment

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Procedure for Candidacy Inquiries, nominations, and applications are invited. Potential candidates are encouraged to make confidential inquiries to either Carol Matos, Vice President for Administration and Human Relations (cmatos@msmnyc.edu; 917-493-4450), or James Gandre, President (jgandre@msmnyc.edu; 917-493-4438). For fullest consideration, application materials should be received by Monday, November 27, 2017. Credential review will continue until the position is filled. Nominations and application materials should be sent to: Carol Matos, Vice President for Administration and Human Relations cmatos@msmnyc.edu Candidates should provide a curriculum vitae, a cover letter that addresses the responsibilities described in the Leadership Profile, and a list of three references, who will not be contacted without prior approval (Microsoft Word or PDF formats are required). Equal employment and equal educational opportunity have been and will continue to be fundamental principles at Manhattan School of Music, where employment and enrollment are based upon personal capabilities and qualifications without discrimination or harassment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship or veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. Manhattan School of Music does not permit retaliation against individuals who oppose a discriminatory practice or participate in an investigation.

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Appendix 1: The President

President Gandre with graduating students at Commencement, May 2017

Dr. James Gandre, an educator and musician with a deep commitment to students and the development of American conservatory learning, returned to Manhattan School of Music to assume the presidency in 2013. He had previously served the School for fifteen years (1985–2000), most recently as Dean of Enrollment and Alumni. In 2000, Dr. Gandre became Dean of Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, where he went on to serve concurrently as the Interim Dean of the College of Education, and ultimately as the University’s Provost and Executive Vice President. President Gandre has broad knowledge of the history and discourse of the American conservatory, the subject of his doctoral dissertation, And Then There Were Seven: An Historical Case Study of the Seven Independent Conservatories of Music that Survived the 20th Century. He has also written about conservatories and music schools in Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories that Shaped Our Culture (ABC-CLIO, 2013). He presented his views of conservatory education, its future, and its impact on cultural life in America in an article in the 2014 Musical America Directory. Dr. Gandre co-authored a chapter entitled “The CAO [Chief Academic Officer] and the Chief Financial Officer: Managing a Critical Connection” in The Provost’s Handbook (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015). As a performer, James Gandre has appeared as a soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, London Classical Players, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and members of the San Francisco Symphony. His professional choral engagements include more than 175 performances with the New York Philharmonic, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Warsaw Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, New York Chamber Symphony, American Symphony, Opera Orchestra of New York, and Voices of Ascension, as well as more than 20 commercial recordings and television appearances on EMI/ Angel, EMI/Capital, Teldec, Delos, MusicMaster, Warner Records, and on NBC’s The Today Show, PBS’s Live from Lincoln Center, ABC, and CBS. Dr. Gandre has lectured and served on panels at higher education institutions throughout the country and beyond, including the Curtis Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Amherst College, Oberlin College, University of Michigan, China Conservatory of Music, Peabody Institute, Mannes College of Music, Stanford University, University of Michigan, and the University of Maryland. For four years he served as the external adjudicator for graduation performance examinations at Australia’s University of Melbourne School of Music and was a Regional Selector for NYU’s Alberto Vilar Global Fellowship in the Performing Arts.

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President Gandre has served on the Board of Directors of Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival and Chicago High School for the Arts. He has also served on the Board of Visitors of the Walnut Hill School for the Arts (MA) and on the Diversity Working Group sponsored by the Elizabeth Morse and Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trusts. President Gandre has been a consultant to institutions as diverse as Canada’s Royal Conservatory of Music, Chicago’s Institute for Clinical Social Work, and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and has served as a site team member for the American Bar Association’s accreditation division at City University of New York, University of Pittsburgh, University of North Dakota, and Indiana University-Purdue University. Dr. Gandre is a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (GRAMMYS). He has been a judge for the regional finals auditions for the Metropolitan Opera National Council, a panelist for the William Randolph Hearst Foundation/New World Symphony’s symposium on future multicultural recruitment for the orchestra, and a panelist for the joint Andrew W. Mellon Foundation/Aspen Music Festival panel about bridging the worlds of musical training and future music performance. He also served as the first Chair of the Advisory Committee for National Performing and Visual Arts College Fairs presented by the National Association for College Admission Counseling and has presented numerous panels on issues affecting LGBT youth and college/high school professionals at educational conferences. A Wisconsin native, Dr. Gandre earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Lawrence University, a Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and his Doctor of Education from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He is married to Boris Thomas, JD, PhD, a psychotherapist in private practice. The President has six direct reports:

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• Executive Vice President and Provost

• Vice President for Business and Finance/CFO

• Vice President for Advancement

• Vice President for Media and Communications

• Vice President for Administration and Human Relations

• Chief of Staff, Office of the President


Appendix 2: The Centennial Project With construction underway on Manhattan School of Music’s milestone Centennial Project, which will see a grand new entrance, an expansive new lobby, and a fully renovated principal performance space (Neidorff-Karpati Hall), the School is gearing up to launch its next hundred years with an architectural revitalization that underpins every aspect of its mission. Grand New Entrance: Claremont Avenue’s European flavor, the bucolic beauty of Sakura Park, and the imposing grandeur of the Riverside Church and Grant’s Tomb will heighten the sense of occasion that accompanies every arrival at MSM’s doors. New Entryway and Lobby: This space, just inside MSM’s new main entrance on Claremont Avenue, will act as both the School’s main entryway and the lobby for Neidorff-Karpati Hall. The removal of walls and the addition of glass doors, while retaining the existing Art Deco detail, will create a larger and more visually expansive space. Neidorff-Karpati Hall Reborn: The renovation of MSM’s concert hall will feature an entrance sound lock; new house lighting, décor, seats, and carpeting; a widened proscenium and new acoustic shell; and a shortened balcony. The work will carefully maintain the hall’s classic Art Deco detail, a legacy of the original 1931 design by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, the architects who designed the Empire State Building. Distinguished MSM alumna and world-renowned mezzo-soprano Susan Graham has said of the hall’s renovation: “This wonderful hall launched me into New York opera, which opened the door to the rest of the world. I am thrilled MSM is committing to its renewal, just in time for the School’s 100th anniversary celebrations and for future generations of young opera singers.”

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