COLLABORATION with Carnegie, Juilliard announced

Skidmore-Carnegie-Juilliard-Weill initiative to bring performers to campus

First Residency to Kick Off in October 2007

Skidmore College and The Academy—A Program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute—have announced a new partnership that will bring ensembles featuring some of the finest postgraduate musicians from around the country to the Skidmore College campus for two residencies that will include public performances and educational events on October 3–6, 2007 and February 13–16, 2008.

Approximately a dozen musicians, all participants in The Academy, will visit the Skidmore campus for residencies featuring performances at Filene Recital Hall. The programs also will be offered at Carnegie Hall and the Juilliard School in New York City. Each concert will include encore presentations of new works commissioned for Carnegie Hall's 2006–2007 season and visits by commissioned composers. The residencies will provide opportunities for extended interaction between musicians and music students from Skidmore and the Saratoga Springs community.

The partnership is an extension of the work of The Academy, a new program that serves U.S.-based postgraduate musicians embarking on their careers by helping to bridge the gap between their academic and professional lives. Established in January 2007, the two-year fellowship provides performance opportunities at both Carnegie Hall and the Juilliard; advanced musical training though master classes and coaching; and intensive teaching instruction leading to hands-on experience working with students in the New York City public school system. It is designed to develop the skills and values leading to careers that combine musical excellence with education and community outreach. Sixteen musicians, all graduates of leading U.S. music schools and conservatories, are currently taking part in the new program.

"We are tremendously excited about this collaboration, which will combine the resources of Skidmore College, Carnegie Hall, and the Juilliard School," said Skidmore President Phil Glotzbach. "This effort will bring together outstanding teachers and young artists of great creativity, passion, and talent. Furthermore, it exemplifies the kind of upstate-downstate cultural connections that we are committed to fostering—enriching the cultural life of the entire Capital Region and adding to the growing reputation of Skidmore College and Saratoga Springs as one of the leading arts destinations in the country."

"We're very excited about this opportunity to share some of the engaging, high-quality musical experiences to be presented at Carnegie Hall throughout the year with audiences at Skidmore College." said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall's executive and artistic director. "Carnegie Hall is devoted to bringing great musical experiences to as wide an audience as possible. This partnership is one way that we work to reach audiences in our region who might not frequently have the chance to experience our concerts firsthand in New York. We're also thrilled to expand the performance opportunities available to our Fellows of The Academy."

"This partnership with Skidmore College enriches our dream for the fellowship program," said Joseph Polisi, President of the Juilliard School, "by providing a larger canvas for extraordinary and unique artistic and educational experiences to top-quality young artists who share a belief in the importance of the arts within the context of American society."

This partnership, and Carnegie Hall commissions in the 2006–2007 season, are made possible in part by a grant from the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State attorney general at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. The Academy is supported in part by leadership gifts from Mercedes and Sid Bass; Martha and Bob Lipp; the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation; and the New York City Department of Education. Additional support is provided by Susan and Elihu Rose; the Baisley Powell Elebash Fund; and the William Petschek Family.

About the Partners

Founded in 1903, Skidmore College is a nationally recognized, coeducational, liberal arts college of 2,300 students. Located in Saratoga Springs, New York, which is widely recognized as a center for the arts, the College offers instruction in nearly 70 areas of study that emphasize a creative approach in all disciplines. The arts are a particularly prominent part of the Skidmore experience. The two concerts to be presented next season will join Skidmore's already established Filene and Sterne concert series. The College is also the summer home of the New York State Writers Institute, the Skidmore Jazz Institute, the Anne Bogart-led SITI Theater Company, and a rotating roster of leading dance companies such as Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane, Jose Limon, and Mark Morris. In 2000, Skidmore opened the acclaimed Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, and this fall will begin construction on the 51,000-square-foot Arthur Zankel Music Center. Named for the late New York financier, the Zankel Center will include a 600-seat auditorium with state-of-the-art technology and acoustics, as well as a full range of practice and teaching facilities.

During his life, Arthur Zankel was a generous leader of initiatives at Skidmore and at Carnegie Hall. His legacy is a productive partnership that unites both organizations with other important collaborators to provide dynamic music programming throughout New York State.

Carnegie Hall features the world's greatest soloists, ensembles, and orchestras in its renowned Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, intimate Weill Recital Hall, and technologically advanced Zankel Hall. The legendary concert venue presents over 190 events each year and produces such acclaimed series as Perspectives, Making Music, and Distinctive Debuts. The establishment of the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall paves the way for expanded opportunities as Carnegie Hall moves forward as an international cultural center representing the best in musical performance and arts education.

Now at the start of its second century, the Juilliard School has set this country's standard for education in the performing arts since its 1905 founding. In 1968, the Juilliard became one of the original—and only academic—constituents of Lincoln Center. Its esteemed music programs were joined by a Dance Division (est. 1951) and Drama Division (est. 1968). In 2001, the Juilliard broke new ground by opening its pre-professional Juilliard Institute for Jazz Studies, a collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center, and since has added bachelor and master of music programs in jazz. The Juilliard has grown with and responds to the needs of a thriving cultural community in the U.S. and abroad. Its student body is drawn from 47 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and 46 foreign countries. Its alumni are among the best-known and most respected artists worldwide. The school continues to expand its student and alumni services, curriculum, outreach programs, and its long-range planning, including the ongoing campaign for its $300 million Second Century Fund.

The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall develops and implements Carnegie Hall's music education programs. The Institute uses the world-renowned resources of Carnegie Hall to bring music education to people in the New York City metropolitan region, across the United States, and around the world. The Institute offers programs for the general public, students from preschool through high school, and young professional musicians and composers. School-based programs enable students at all levels to participate in curricula that are age-appropriate, interactive, and conform to New York City, state, and national education standards. The Weill Music Institute also brings its educational programs to national and international audiences, using web-based and distance-learning technology.



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