Bienen School of Music

Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music
Established	1895
Type	Constituent school of Northwestern University
Dean	Toni-Marie Montgomery
Academic staff	125
Undergraduates	425
Location	Evanston, Illinois, USA
Campus	Suburban
Website	music.northwestern.edu

The Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music, or Bienen School of Music, is an undergraduate and graduate institution devoted to musical performance and academics. Located on Northwestern University's campus in Evanston, Illinois, 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, the school was known as the Northwestern University School of Music from 1895 until 2008. In September 2008, the school was named to honor retiring University president Henry Bienen and his wife, Leigh Buchanan Bienen.

Description

One of the top conservatories in the United States, the Bienen School offers performance degrees in all orchestral instruments, keyboard, voice, music composition, jazz studies, and conducting, as well as academic degrees in musicology, music history, music education, and music theory and cognition. It is one of the few music schools that offers a dual-degree undergraduate program in liberal arts, science, journalism or engineering, in conjunction with those respective university schools. The School of Music has about 125 faculty members, over 400 undergraduate students, and over 200 graduate students.^[1][2] In 2010 the school had an acceptance rate of approximately 10%, accepting about 200 undergraduate and graduate students out of more than 2,000 applicants.

History

Initially, the Women's College of Northwestern University contained what was then called the Conservatory of Music, founded by Oren E. Locke in the 1880s. As of 1891, however, enrollment at the Conservatory was stagnating at only 40 students. Peter Christian Lutkin, a noted church organist who ran his own private music school in downtown Chicago, was appointed director in that year, and began widely expanding the curriculum to include not only keyboard and voice instruction but also theory and practice courses that he felt would appeal to amateurs and educators. The Conservatory was soon reorganized as a department within the College of Liberal Arts, and Peter Lutkin was made a professor and the chair of the department. Under his control, the curriculum was further expanded to include music history, counterpoint and harmony. In 1895, the department had a strong enrollment of 200 students and was formally reorganized as the School of Music. Lutkin continued to serve as dean until 1931.

Areas of study

The Bienen School of Music offers 16 academic majors in six degree programs. Students may also specialize in an area that involves one or more other schools, including art and technology, sound design, international studies, legal studies, music theater (by audition), and leadership. Bienen School offers programs in the following areas of study^[3]:

Brass Conducting Jazz Studies Music Composition Music Education Music Theory and Cognition Musicology

Percussion Piano Piano Pedagogy Strings Strings Pedagogy Voice and Opera Woodwinds

Performing groups

The Bienen School of Music currently sponsors 16 ensembles: the Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Contemporary Music Ensemble, Philharmonia, Concert Band, Guitar Ensemble, Wildcat Marching Band, Jazz Orchestra, Baroque Music Ensemble, University Chorale, University Singers, University Chorus, Chapel Choir, and University Women's Chorus. Some ensembles are open only to music majors. In addition, students can form chamber music groups on their own.

Facilities

Regenstein Hall

School Buildings

The Bienen School of Music was traditionally housed in two buildings. The Music Administration Building was built in 1873 as the Women's College of Northwestern University. In 1901 it was named for Frances E. Willard, and served as a women's dormitory. It became the home of the Northwestern School of Music in 1940, and was renovated in 1988.^[4] Vocal studies, piano, and composition departments were housed in this building, in additional to administrative offices and academic classrooms. The organ department, which formerly occupied a wing in this building, was controversially closed in 2003.

Regenstein Hall of Music was built in 1977. This building sits on the "Lakefill" and overlooks Lake Michigan. It houses studios for the instrumental and conducting programs, practice rooms, a rehearsal room and a recital hall.

In February 2008, the University announced that a new $90 million five-story building was to be erected on the southeast campus as part of a renovation plan for that corner of the campus. The new building, which will unite all music faculty and departments in a common location for the first time since the early 1970s, will include classrooms, teaching labs, teaching studios, practice rooms, student lounges, a choral rehearsal room and library, an opera rehearsal room/black box theater, and a 400-seat recital hall.^[5]

Performance Venues

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

• Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Dedicated in 1975, this 1,000 seat venue is the main performance venue for not only the Bienen School but the university as a whole.
• Lutkin Hall. Built in 1941 and named after the first dean of the Music School, Peter Lutkin, this 400-seat hall is used primarily as a recital venue.
• Regenstein Recital Hall. Also known as the "Master Class Room," this 200-seat venue, located in the Regenstein Hall of Music, is commonly used for student recitals.
• Cahn Auditorium. The only venue with a full orchestra pit, it is used by the School of Music primarily for operatic productions.
• The Alice S. Millar Chapel. Built in 1962, this gothic stone structure houses a 100-rank Aeolian-Skinner organ and is used for some choral and mixed performances.

Music Library

The Music Library (part of the main university library), founded in 1945, occupies the second floor of the Charles Deering Library. It is known primarily for its holdings of music after 1945 and features an extensive collection of John Cage's correspondence.^[6]

Notable alumni

• Christopher Anderson (96) - director, Goin' Band from Raiderland; associate director of bands; associate professor of music, Texas Tech University School of Music
• Ethan Bensdorf (07) - trumpet, New York Philharmonic Orchestra^[7]
• Andrew Bird (95) - musician, songwriter
• Scott Boyer (87) - Principal E flat clarinet and lead second, Virginia Symphony Orchestra
• Mark Camphouse (75) - professor of music and director of the Wind Symphony, George Mason University
• Oto Carrillo - Horn, Chicago Symphony
• Kay Davis (42) - singer with Duke Ellington band
• Bob Dorer - Trumpet, Minnesota Orchestra
• Erinn Frechette-Foster (97) - piccolo, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra; National Flute Association Young Artist Competition and Piccolo Artist Competition winner
• David Griffin (87) - Horn, Chicago Symphony
• Brad Haak (98) - assistant conductor for the first national tour of Disney's The Lion King
• Howard Hanson (17) - composer
• Sheldon Harnick (49) - lyricist for musicals including "Fiddler on the Roof"
• Charley Harrison (89) - jazz guitarist; composer
• Tim Higgins (2004) - principal trombone, San Francisco Symphony^[8]
• Han Kuo-Huang (74) - ethnomusicologist, musician
• Mark Hyams (00) - principal trumpet, Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra
• Chris Marshall - Bassoon, Minnesota Orchestra
• Sherrill Milnes (56) - opera singer, Northwestern professor
• Matthew Muckey (06) - associate principal trumpet, New York Philharmonic Orchestra
• Bryan Nies (97) - resident conductor, Oakland Youth Symphony; Leonard Bernstein Fellowship recipient
• Craig Nordstrom - Clarinet, Boston Symphony
• Mark Nuccio (86) - associate principal and solo E-flat clarinetist, New York Philharmonic Orchestra
• Toby Oft (MM 00) - Principal Trombone, Boston Symphony
• Mary Beth Peil (62) - actress
• David Pharris - Clarinet, Minnesota Orchestra
• Jenny Powers (03) - actress
• Steve Rodby (77) - Grammy Award-winning jazz bassist; album producer
• Tom Rolfs - Principal Trumpet, Boston Symphony^[9]
• Ned Rorem (44) - composer
• Arnie Roth (75) - Grammy Award-winning music director and principal conductor, Chicagoland Pops Orchestra
• David Sanborn (67) - jazz saxophonist
• Robert Sheena - English Horn, Boston Symphony
• Vincent Skowronski (66) - concert violinist, recording artist, classical recording producer, Grammy nominee
• James Smelser - Horn, Chicago Symphony
• Jason Snider - Horn, Boston Symphony
• Vera Stefanovich (09) - Violin
• Sherry Sylar (81) - associate principal oboe, New York Philharmonic Orchestra
• William VerMeulen- Principal Horn, Houston Symphony & Professor of Horn, Rice University
• David Vonderheide- Principal Trumpet, Virginia Symphony Orchestra & Instructor of Trumpet, College of William and Mary
• Todd Wilander (99) - Opera Singer; Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro Colón, Teatro La Fenice Venice, New York City Opera, Opera Holland Park London, New Israeli Opera, Opera Zuid Netherlands, Opera Ireland, New Zealand Opera - Phi Mu Alpha Iota Chapter
• Tim Zavadil - Clarinet, Minnesota Orchestra

References

1. ^ "Bienen School of Music". Northwestern Uiversity Office of Undergraduate Admission. http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/academics/schools/bienen/index.html. Retrieved July 2, 2011. 
2. ^ "Fall 2008 Enrollment Statistics". Northwestern Uiversity Office of the Registrar. http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/academic_records/enroll-grad_statistics/fall_2008_enrollment.pdf. Retrieved July 2, 2011. 
3. ^ http://www.music.northwestern.edu/academics/areas-of-study/index.html
4. ^ "Music Administration Building". Northwestern architecutre archives. http://digital.library.northwestern.edu/architecture/building.php?bid=14. Retrieved July 2, 2011. 
5. ^ "Northwestern to Build New Music Building". news release. February 19, 2008. http://www.music.northwestern.edu/about/news/2008/northwestern-to-build-new-music-building.html. Retrieved July 1, 2011. 
6. ^ "Northwestern University Music Library". Library collections. http://www.library.northwestern.edu/music/collections.html. Retrieved July 1, 2011. 
7. ^ "Ethan Bensdorf". New York Philharmonic Orchestra bios. http://nyphil.org/meet/orchestra/index.cfm?page=profile&personNum=1419. Retrieved July 1, 2011. 
8. ^ "Timothy Higgins Lecturer, Trombone (Beginning Winter 2011)". http://www.music.northwestern.edu/faculty/profiles/timothy-higgins.html. Retrieved July 1, 2011. 
9. ^ "Thomas Rolfs". Boston Symphony Orchestra bios. http://www.bso.org/bso/mods/bios_detail.jsp?id=2100246. Retrieved July 1, 2011. 

• Pridmore, Jay. Northwestern University: Celebrating 150 Years. Northwestern University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-8101-1829-7
• Rebstock, Heather. Advancing Music for a Century: The First Hundred Years of Northwestern's School of Music. Northwestern University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-9709021-0-7

External links

• Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music homepage
• Northwestern University Music Library
• Pick-Staiger Concert Hall