Cincinnati,? I hear you say. And I say right back, why not? This midwestern city - one of our older ones, actually - has long been known as a musical city. Their orchestra, The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, is the fifth oldest in the US, and their opera company is now the second oldest. They boast the longest running choral festival in the western hemisphere, and the Conservatory at the University of Cincinnati is world-renowned for its various music education programs.
It also helps that the spark plug behind the Hall of Fame is David Klingshirn, who has been involved in Cincinnati's arts scene for more than 20 years. The Taft Museum, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Arts Festival, Cincinnati Ballet, Ohioana Library Association, and the above-mentioned Symphony Orchestra have all benefited from his involvement, either as board member or other influential capacity.
Several years ago, he decided that the time was right for such a venture, and began to travel the country, garnering support and ideas for the implementation of such a dream. Now, he is the executive director of the organization.
A National Artistic Directorate (of individuals) in conjunction with the Professional Artistic Advisory Council (of organizations) selected the first group of honorees in celebration of "the exceptional individuals of the past and present who have created our songs and symphonies, built our orchestras, developed our great schools and conservatories, and touched the hearts and minds of people everywhere."
Among the members of the Directorate are Samuel Adler, author/annotator Martin Bookspan, soprano Phyllis Bryn-Julson, orchestra managers Ernest Fleischmann and Henry Fogel and composers Gunther Schuller and Olly Wilson. The Advisory Council encompasses the broad spectrum of music: education, musical performance and several national sanctioning bodies. It is indeed representative of American classical music.
Actually, the official opening was Sept. 12, 1997, and part of that observation included the introduction of a new series of United States Postal Service stamps honoring American composers and conductors. Three of those artists featured on the stamps will be in this first class of inductees: conductor Leopold Stokowski along with composers Charles Ives and Samuel Barber.
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Kelly Ferjutz's Classical Music topic, please visit the Discussions page.