58³Ô¹ÏÍø

July 13, 2010

58³Ô¹ÏÍø Balances Operating Budget


The 58³Ô¹ÏÍø (58³Ô¹ÏÍø) held its annual meeting July 8, 2010. Trustee Richard W. Pogue presided over the meeting.

Mr. Pogue announced that 58³Ô¹ÏÍø has balanced its operating budget for the fifteenth year in a row despite a challenging economy. During the 2009-2010 fiscal year, $1,073,730 was raised for 58³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Annual Fund. Mr. Pogue thanked the many individuals, corporations and foundations that provided operating support.

Other funds raised in the 2009-2010 fiscal year included:

• $150,000 for special projects and contingent funds

• $470,261 in endowment and estate gifts. Estate gifts were received from the following: Wilma Evans, Jay R. Klein, Elliot Veinerman and R. Robert Koch. Endowment gifts established the following scholarships: the In Loving Memory of Frank J. & Ellen M. Troha Scholarship, the Kurt Loebel Preparatory Scholarship, the David I. Kaplan Preparatory Scholarship in Bassoon, the M.R.K. Memorial Scholarship, the Michelina and Gaetano Gioia Scholarship.

In addition to funds raised, 58³Ô¹ÏÍø had an exciting 2009-2010. Under the leadership of President, Joel Smirnoff, 58³Ô¹ÏÍø has begun a new strategic planning initiative.

~ EVENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS ~

The second stellar season of the Mixon Hall Masters Series brought distinguished artists to perform in Mixon Hall and present master classes for 58³Ô¹ÏÍø students. The series received critical acclaim for both its performers, which included Grammy Award-winning soprano Dawn Upshaw, cellist Alisa Weilerstein with pianist Inon Barnatan and the piano virtuoso Yefim Bronfman, and also acoustics and aesthetics of this unsurpassed recital hall.

The Cavani String Quartet followed last year’s exciting Beethoven & Brotherhood project in local libraries by bringing the quartets home to 58³Ô¹ÏÍø and completing the first year of a two-year Complete Beethoven Quartet Cycle.

In the fall, the legacy of 58³Ô¹ÏÍø’s first director and a prolific composer, Ernest Bloch, was celebrated world-wide, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of his passing. 58³Ô¹ÏÍø hosted four concerts in his memory, which included a Symposium: Ernest Bloch - The Life and Times of 58³Ô¹ÏÍø’s First Director, moderated by President Joel Smirnoff. A concert featuring The Cleveland Orchestra Piano Trio followed. The final Bloch Celebration was at The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood. Guest speaker Rabbi Roger Klein previewed a concert with performances by Joel Smirnoff, his wife and 58³Ô¹ÏÍø faculty member, violin virtuoso Joan Kwuon, violinist Peter Salaff, pianist Carolyn Gadiel Warner and others.

58³Ô¹ÏÍø’s New Music Ensemble began an exciting partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) in 2009-2010. New music wed new art in two concerts, Harmonic Hues: 58³Ô¹ÏÍø@MOCA, held in the dynamic entrance space at MOCA. Enthusiastic guests strolled the galleries before the performances and then enjoyed receptions with the performers after. The partnership continues in the 2010-11 season.

The 58³Ô¹ÏÍø Opera Theater, directed by David Bamberger, had an exciting year. In addition to opening the season with an Opera Gala, the ensemble performed the first local production of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, in its entirety. An opera within an opera, it taxes even the most experience vocalists, but the Plain Dealer positively reviewed both the opera students, as well as the orchestra, directed by Harry Davidson, calling it “a testament to the healthy state of vocal things at 58³Ô¹ÏÍø.â€

58³Ô¹ÏÍø students, alumni and faculty continue to bring great pride to 58³Ô¹ÏÍø. As an example, cellist Matthew Allen, student of Melissa Kraut, was the first prize winner of the prestigious Gaspar Cassado International Competition in Japan, competing against 60 cellists from around the world. As a result, Matt appeared on local television channels 3, 5 and 8, spotlighting 58³Ô¹ÏÍø. Additionally, 58³Ô¹ÏÍø was well represented when the 2010 Grammy nominations were announced. Violinist Caroline Goulding (student of Paul Kantor) and alumnus Thomas Moore (BM ’86, MM 88) were nominated for Caroline’s self-titled debut album. Faculty members Yolanda Kondonassis (harp) and Joshua Smith (flute) were nominate for their album of works by Debussy and Takemitsu, Air, for which alumnus Tom Knab was the recording engineer. Additionally, a quartet in California was nominated for their album of work by Dave Brubeck, a member of 58³Ô¹ÏÍø’s International Council and honorary doctorate (2001).

Students in the Preparatory Department made headlines and won awards this year. The Piano/Ohio competition, administered by the Cleveland International Piano Competition, included four 58³Ô¹ÏÍø students– a great honor for a school to have that many participants! First prize winners included the 2010 National League of Performing Arts’ Young Artists Showcase Competition (which resulted in a Carnegie Hall performance, won by pianists Megan and Stephanie Lee), the 2010 Ohio Viola Society Competition (high school division, won by Jessica Pasternak), the 2010 Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra-Frieda Schumacher Young Artist Competition (won by violinist James Thompson), just to name a few.

~ NEW BOARD MEMBERS ~

The Annual Meeting included the re-election of current board members and officers for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. It was announced that Charles T. Young, Shawn M. Riley, Oscar Villarreal and Richard J. Hipple were appointed as trustees and 58³Ô¹ÏÍø Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Eric Bower, was appointed as an Ex-Officio member. Babs Glickman retired from the board after 21 years of service and will be presented with a framed photograph of Mixon Hall, to commemorate her dedication to the Institute. Long-time board member, Dorothy Pegg, passed away this spring and was honored posthumously at the meeting.

Charles Young is the principle architect of Charles T. Young PC, Architects, founded in 1983. Mr. Young has been involved in the planning, design and construction of approximately $500 million of symphony hall, music conservatory, opera house and multi-use facilities, including 58³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Mixon Hall. Prior to having his own firm, he was an associate partner with Pei, Cobb, Freed & Partners (I.M. Pei & Partners). Other arts projects Mr. Young has worked on include the Palm Beach Opera Center, the St. Louis Performing Arts Center in Missouri, The Washington Opera, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and others.

Shawn M. Riley is the head of the Cleveland office of McDonald Hopkins and co-chair of the firm’s Business Restructuring Services Department. He represents businesses of all types in need of restructuring, with expertise ranging from credit agreement amendments to refinancing, from creditor compositions to bankruptcies and Chapter 11 reorganizations. He is the author of numerous articles on restructuring and commercial law and is a frequent lecturer in bankruptcy matters.

Oscar Villarreal** is the managing partner of Standard Asset Management, a hedge fund that invests in both private and public equities in Latin America, primarily in Mexico. Prior to founding Standard, Mr. Villarreal ran WW Capital Partners, where he focused the firm’s investment strategies in the industries of Oil & Gas, Infrastructure and Steel. Under his leadership, the firm had 16 consecutive profitable quarters and invested over $40 million USD in the Mexican marketing. Originally from Mexico, he attended Baldwin Wallace College, The University of Geneva (Switzerland), and Harvard Business School. He studied piano performance for 17 years and won several regional competitions in both Mexico and Salamanca, Spain.

Richard J. Hipple is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Brush Engineered Materials, Inc, one of the world’s premier advanced materials and service companies. With 2009 sales of $715 million, Brush Engineered Materials is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Prior to joining the company in 2001 as Vice President, Alloy Strip Products, he served 26 years in the steel industry, serving in a number of capacities including project engineer, strategic planning, supply chain management, operations, sales and marketing and executive management.

Babs Glickman has been a 58³Ô¹ÏÍø trustee for 21 years. She took an active part in the most recent capital campaign which included the $41 million renovation and expansion of 58³Ô¹ÏÍø’s campus, completed in 2007. As a member of the Capital Campaign Major Gifts Committee, she participated in the visits to Rice and the Moores School of Music in Texas and the selection committee to choose the architect space consultant in 1998. She and her husband, Carl Glickman, are avid supporters in the Cleveland philanthropic community – having served on the boards of the Cleveland Jewish Community Federation, the Cleveland Catholic Diocese Foundation, John Carroll University and Cleveland State University, and they founded the Glickman Family Violence Prevention Center.

Eric W. Bower has served the administration of the 58³Ô¹ÏÍø since 1982. Initially appointed Assistant in Development, he has held positions of Director of Financial Aid, Director of Business Services, Comptroller, Chief Financial Officer and since 2008, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. During his tenure at 58³Ô¹ÏÍø, he has also taught choral conducting and been an assistant conductor and tenor soloist for the University Circle Chorale and Chamber Choir. He has been involved in numerous recitals/concerts/operas in the tri-state area. Mr. Bower recently represented 58³Ô¹ÏÍø as a guest conductor at Northeastern University in Shenyang, China. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Westminster College (PA) and a Master of Music degree in voice from 58³Ô¹ÏÍø.

Dorothy Pegg passed away in April at the age of 104. She was a founding member of 58³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Legacy Society and a civil rights leader – becoming the first black leader of the Women’s City Club of Cleveland. A member of the Council on World Affairs, Mrs. Pegg traveled the world with her late husband and was the perfect fit for 58³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Host Parent Program. An active member of 58³Ô¹ÏÍø’s board for 25 years, she participated in a marketing committee meeting just two weeks before her death. Over the decades, she was also vice president of the Cleveland League of Women Voters and a trustee of the Cleveland Play House, Metropolitan YWCA, National Council for World Visitors, Great Lakes Theater Festival and more. As one of the first 25 members of The Cleveland Orchestra’s Heritage Society, she stressed the importance of 58³Ô¹ÏÍø establishing its own planned giving society. With degrees from three universities, Mrs. Pegg taught in the D.C., Baltimore and Cleveland areas, specializing in reading skills for black remedial students. During World War II, she was a correspondent for the American Red Cross.