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The McCormack Endowed Visiting Artist-Scholar Residency
Past Residencies: 2003-2008
Spring 2008: Sir Jonathan Miller
Sir Jonathan Miller, author, lecturer, humorist, television producer and presenter, and film director was in residence during the spring of 2008. Born in London, he studied natural sciences and medicine at St. John’s College at the University of Cambridge and University College London, and went on to work as a hospital doctor after graduating in 1959. He was heavily involved in the university drama society and the Cambridge Footlights, and helped write, produce and star in the legendary comedy revue Beyond the Fringe which helped launch the careers of Alan Bennett, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Sir Miller went on to become the editor and presenter of the BBC’s flagship arts programme Monitor, and wrote, produced, and directed various films, operas, and Shakespeare plays. Miller was appointed a Commander of the British Empire in 1983 and knighted for his services to the arts in 2003. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London and Edinburgh, and a Foreign Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. During the first week of April Sir Miller met with faculty, students, and members of the Skidmore and surrounding Saratoga Springs communities. In addition to a series of films, the following events were offered to the public free of charge: Laughing Matters: Humor & Comedy (a lecture with Jonathan Miller); Film and the Imagination (a panel discussion with faculty and students); and a Conversation with Jonathan Miller (with Skidmore faculty).
Spring 2007: Richard Danielpour
In the spring of 2007 Grammy Award winning composer Richard Danielpour visited Skidmore on three separate occasions. He is best known for his collaboration with Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison on the creation and development of Margaret Garner, his first opera. Danielpour and members of the Margaret Garner cast participated in classes and took part in special campus and community events. Their visit culminated with the presentation of a staged concert performance of selections from the opera and a post-concert conversation.
Richard Danielpour is one of the most gifted and sought-after composers of his generation. His music has attracted an illustrious array of champions, and, as a devoted mentor and educator, he has also had a significant impact on the younger generation of composers. Danielpour has received commissions from the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia and Stuttgart Radio Orchestras, Orchestre National de France, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and San Francisco, Pittsburgh, National, and Baltimore Symphonies. His work has been championed by Yo-Yo Ma, Jessye Norman, Dawn Upshaw, Emanuel Ax, Frederica von Stade, Thomas Hampson, Gary Graffman, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, the Guarneri, Emerson, and American String Quartets, and the New York City and Pacific Northwest Ballets. Danielpour’s many honors include a Lifetime Achievement Award and Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, a Guggenheim Award, Bearns Prize from Columbia University, and grants and residencies from the Barlow Foundation, MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, Copland House, and the American Academy in Rome. In Fall 2002, he became one of the first recipients of a coveted Alberto Vilar Fellowship and Residency at the American Academy
in Berlin.
 Spring 2006: Nnenna Freelon |
 Skidmore College welcomed the third McCormack Resident, Robert Pinsky, to campus in April 2005. Pinsky is an innovative poet who often draws on personal experience and contemporary themes in his work. He served as Poet Laureate of the United States (1997-2000) and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1997. While in residence, Robert gave a public reading, collaborated with students and faculty in classes, participated in an open event at the Tang entitled “Favorite Poems About the Heavens”, and spent a morning with the Saratoga Springs High School Advanced Placement English students and another morning with Lake Avenue Elementary School first graders. |
Fall 2004: Joshua Redman, musician
Skidmore’s second McCormack Visiting Artist-Scholar, Joshua Redman, was in residency October 11-15, 2004. Described as “one of the jazz world’s most prominent, profound saxophonists,” Redman interacted closely with Skidmore students, including a class of saxophonists, the Skidmore Jazz Orchestra, several Skidmore jazz ensembles, a Music Department senior seminar, and a gathering of ALANA * students. In addition, he worked with the Saratoga Springs High School Jazz Orchestra. His schedule included four events open to the public – a CD signing at Borders Books and Music, an open rehearsal, a master class, and a concert. Redman’s jam-packed week also included several occasions to collaborate closely with members of the campus and Saratoga Springs communities.
* African-American, Latino, Asian-American, and Native American
Spring 2003: Michael Ondaatje, writer
Skidmore launched the McCormack Artist-Scholar Residency in spring 2004 with a highly successful visit by noted author Michael Ondaatje, who gave a public reading, led a discussion about film, met with classes, collaborated with faculty, and participated in a range of small gatherings with members of the campus and Saratoga Springs communities. Perhaps best known as the author of The English Patient, which was made into an Academy Award winning film, Ondaatje is the author of 11 books of poetry and of a number of novels. His latest book The Conversations, explores the art of film editing.
