The academic year has come to a close with both familiar, time-honored traditions and new efforts and initiatives. That juxtaposition of the new and the old is becoming a defining characteristic of the Peabody Institute, and I am excited to share with you a few recent updates.<\/p>\n
Graduation<\/u><\/p>\n
At the 133rd<\/sup>\u00a0graduation\u00a0of the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University in May, we celebrated the 224 students of the class of 2015 who received degrees ranging from the Bachelor of Music to the Doctor of Musical Arts. It was moving and exciting to see these young artists prepare to take the first steps in their careers as they enter the next phase of their lives. It was a time both to reflect on their time at Peabody, and to contemplate the complex and increasingly unpredictable world that the 21st<\/sup>\u00a0Century musician faces.<\/p>\n It was also a time to reflect on the opportunities and challenges our communities face. To help us do this, we welcomed Congressman Elijah Cummings to address our graduates. Congressman Cummings has spent a career being an inspirational voice for many who would otherwise be without a voice. He was also a picture of reassurance and steadfastness through recent unrest in west Baltimore.<\/p>\n Recent Challenges in Baltimore<\/u><\/p>\n That brief period of unrest also brought a proactive and thoughtful response from the Peabody community. The Peabody campus remained completely safe and secure during those few days, but like all Baltimoreans, we felt the pain of our west Baltimore neighbors. In response, we held a Town Hall conversation for students, faculty, and staff that provided a candid forum for feelings to be expressed.\u00a0 Peabody students helped with the clean-up efforts, and brought their musical talents to serve the community through\u00a0impromptu performances<\/a>\u00a0in Mount Vernon, and by participating in a special Baltimore Symphony Orchestra\u00a0community concert. I think Baltimore is a wonderful city, and wrote a\u00a0letter to the editor<\/a>\u00a0of the Baltimore Sun saying so. And in perhaps one of the most poignant moments, a long-planned set of performances of Peabody student Frances Pollock\u2019s new opera \u2013Stinney<\/em><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 came to fruition, displaying with immediacy both the power of music to express the human condition and its timely relevance to contemporary society.<\/p>\n In short, we were reminded of the importance of community connectivity \u2013 one of our four pillars at Peabody \u2013 to both Peabody\u2019s role in its home city, and to individual musicians training for their roles in contemporary communities. Looking ahead, students and faculty will have a new opportunity to develop innovative interdisciplinary and community projects through the recently announced\u00a0Dean\u2019s Incentive Grants, available for the first time this coming year.<\/p>\n Enrolling a New Class<\/u><\/p>\n During this time, we also have been finalizing our incoming class for next year. After several challenging years, applications were up five percent for the 2015-16 academic year, and we are seeing a higher percentage of accepted students enroll. We are on track to meet our enrollment goal of 550 full-time students next year in the Conservatory, slightly more than the current year. In addition, the prevalence of high audition ratings among those accepting offers of admission indicates a level of excellence in students choosing Peabody.<\/p>\n Putting Peabody on the Cutting Edge<\/u><\/p>\n Enrollment is what happens before students come to Peabody; we want a dynamic musical environment awaiting them when they arrive. Conservatories tend to be \u201cconservative\u201d as the name indicates.\u00a0Here at Peabody we are moving in a new direction.\u00a0This in part entails a commitment to music of our time from bold new compositional voices writing today for new audiences and new venues. How is that manifesting itself?<\/p>\n Peabody has a world-class\u00a0composition department<\/a>\u00a0with Kevin Puts, Michael Hersch, and Oscar Bettison.\u00a0In addition to the Peabody Modern Orchestra, Peabody will launch a flexible new music ensemble beginning this fall.\u00a0Also this fall, Peabody presents Michael Hersch\u2019s opera,\u00a0On the Threshold of Winter<\/em><\/a>, sure to be a major event.\u00a0And putting Peabody on the international stage in the area of commitment to music of our time, BSO Music Director Marin Alsop records works of Pulitzer-Prize winning composer Kevin Puts with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra for\u00a0release on Naxos<\/a>\u00a0in 2016.\u00a0 In addition, the\u00a0New Music Gathering<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a national conference of performers and composers \u2013 will be hosted here in Baltimore at Peabody in January 2016.\u00a0Peabody will also be part of a co-commissioning consortium that includes the Detroit Symphony for a flute concerto by Aaron Jay Kernis, written for flute faculty member Marina Piccinini, with the PSO giving the mid-Atlantic premiere during the 2016-17 season.<\/p>\n Look for more to come as Peabody makes music of our time a vital hallmark of our brand, along with a growing focus on the path required to become a holistic and complete artist-musician in the 21st<\/sup>century.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" June 5, 2015: Quarterly Update The academic year has come to a close with both familiar, time-honored traditions and new efforts and initiatives. 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