Composition faculty member John Corigliano received a Grammy nomination in December for best classical contemporary composition for his Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan, recorded on the Naxos label by JoAnn Falletta (MM '83, DMA '89, orchestral conducting) and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Soprano Hila Plitmann (BM '95, MM '97, voice) was nominated for best classical vocal performance in the work.

Guitar and chamber music faculty member Sharon Isbin performed with violinist Mark O'Connor at Symphony Space in January. After solo sets, they joined forces to premiere O'Connor's new work for guitar and violin, Strings and Threads.

Graduate studies faculty member Michael Musgrave attended the International Musicological Conference on late phases of Brahms's works from the 1880s and 1890s that was held in the Schloss Elizabethenburg, Meiningen, Germany, in September and presented a paper titled "The 49 German Folksongs for Solo Voice (Choir) and Piano Accompaniment: A Comparison with Earlier Versions."

Clarinet and chamber music faculty member Charles Neidich was a guest artist with the Musica Reginae Society Chamber Artists at Queens College in January. He performed the Brahms Clarinet Quintet on his specially commissioned reproduction of the Ottensteiner Clarinet, the instrument used during Brahms's lifetime. Caroline Chin (MM '04, violin) is artistic director of the ensemble, which also includes Cyrus Beroukhim (MM '01, DMA '07, violin), Junah Chung (MM '94, viola), Miranda Cuckson (BM '94, MM '01, DMA '06, violin), Jeffrey Morrissey ('89, voice/opera), and Tom Rosenthal (BM '00, viola).

Violin and chamber music faculty member Itzhak Perlman ('68, violin) and Yo-Yo Ma ('72, cello) were among the performers featured on the program for the 56th presidential inauguration, which took place on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20. They played an arrangement of the Shaker hymn "Simple Gifts" by John Williams ('55, composition).

Composition faculty member Christopher Rouse was named 2009 Composer of the Year by Musical America in December.

STUDENT NEWS

Violin student Sabina Torosjan performed with guitarist Vilian Ivantchev at the Bulgarian Consulate General in New York in January, presented by the American Foundation for Bulgaria. Works by Piazzolla, Beethoven, Walton, Champlin, and Bartok were on the program.