Colburn School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Colburn School is a music, dance, and drama school located in downtown Los Angeles adjacent to the Museum of Contemporary Art and across the street from the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It consists of two parts — the School of Performing Arts which has open enrollment and serves children in the community through age 18, and the Conservatory of Music which is a degree program with highly selective enrollment.

Contents 1 History 2 Facilities and Architecture 3 Notable Faculty 3.1 Strings 3.2 Woodwinds 3.3 Brass 3.4 Piano & Percussion 3.5 Harp 4 Notable Alumni 4.1 Conductors 4.2 Clarinetists 4.3 Pianists 4.4 Strings 4.5 Vocalists 5 External links 6 References

[edit] History

The school was originally established in 1950 as a preparatory arm of the USC Thornton School of Music, and was located across the street from the Shrine Auditorium, in a warehouse which had been converted into extra USC practice rooms, rehearsal halls, and dance studios. It later broadened its mission and changed its name to the Community School of Performing Arts. In 1980, it finalized its split with USC and branched out on its own. In 1985, the school received a significant endowment from Richard D. Colburn, and it was re-named in his honor. It moved from its original location near the USC campus to its current location in 1998.^[1]

The Conservatory of Music was established in 2003 and offers a Bachelor of Music degree, a Performance Diploma, an Artist's Diploma, and a Professional Studies Certificate to students. The Conservatory offers full scholarship, housing, and stipends to all of its students.

[edit] Facilities and Architecture

The school's main building was originally designed by the archiectural firm Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates and includes the Lloyd Wright designed studio of Jascha Heifetz, which was originally situated in Heifetz's backyard, and was saved from demolition and rebuilt on the second floor of the school's Grand Avenue building.

Also located in the building is Zipper Hall, a small concert venue that hosts professional as well as student performances throughout the year. The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra have both performed chamber music concerts in the facility.

The Conservatory expansion was designed by Pfeiffer Associates (after Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer split up).

[edit] Notable Faculty

[edit] Strings

• Andrew Bullbrook (Calder Quartet), violin
• Benjamin Jacobson (Calder Quartet), violin
• Robert Lipsett, violin

• Paul Coletti, viola
• Jonathan Moerschal, (Calder Quartet), viola

• Eric Byers (Calder Quartet), cello
• Ronald Leonard, cello

[edit] Woodwinds

• Allan Vogel, oboe
• Jim Walker, flute
• Yehuda Gilad, clarinet
• Richard Beene, bassoon

[edit] Brass

• James Wilt, trumpet
• Mark Lawrence, trombone
• Norman Pearson, tuba

[edit] Piano & Percussion

• John Perry, piano
• Jack Van Geem, percussion

[edit] Harp

• JoAnn Turovsky, harp

[edit] Notable Alumni

[edit] Conductors

• Michael Tilson-Thomas (conductor, pianist)

[edit] Clarinetists

• Jonathan Han (principal clarinet, San Francisco Ballet)
• Min Na Lee (second clarinet, Opera Pacific)

[edit] Pianists

• Eric Reed (pianist)
• Patrice Rushen (pianist)
• Donald Vega (pianist)

[edit] Strings

• Robert Chen (violinist, Concertmaster, Chicago Symphony)
• Jennifer Frautschi (solo violinist)
• Leila Josefowicz (solo violinist)
• Katie Kadarauch (violist, Acting Associate Principal, San Francisco Symphony)
• Tamaki Kawakubo (solo violinist)
• Michelle Kim (violinist, Assistant Concertmaster, New York Philharmonic)
• Sayaka Kokubo (violist, Seattle Symphony)
• Anne Akiko Meyers (solo violinist)
• Nokuthula Ngwenyama (solo violist)
• Sheryl Staples (violinist, Principal Associate Concertmaster, New York Philharmonic)
• Hang Su (violist, Detroit Symphony)

[edit] Vocalists

• Danielle de Niese (soprano)

[edit] External links

• Official site
• Description of the school's building by the company that designed its lighting

[edit] References