CMS's Fiftieth Anniversary Events Continue
Kathleen Lamkin
Spring 2008 has been filled with CMS events continuing the 50th anniversary celebrations while various groups have met to plan summer institutes and the grand finale anniversary celebration, the 51st National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Highlights of the spring were the five SuperRegional Conferences held throughout the country from the end of February through mid April. From north to south and east to west keynote speakers addressed participants, composers’ new music was heard, cutting-edge research was shared, stimulating lecture/recitals were offered, music projects engaged the communities - all of this with colleagues from our wide variety of music disciplines gathering to network with one another and develop professionally. It was an extraordinary time in the life of the Society. From reports I have received and from what I experienced personally, we can be proud that this new model for conferences was extremely beneficial and a real success. Being the first time for this conference model, there was extensive coordination required between the chapters. Persons in charge of the planning efforts, from the chapter presidents to the coordinating committees, to the program chairs, the program committee members, the local arrangements committees and local hosts, all are to be commended for a job well done; the total experience was indeed celebratory. Read further about some of the specific super regional meetings in this newsletter.
Continuing to expand professional skills, our members can take advantage of the summer professional development institutes. Those offered this summer are the CMS/Juilliard Institute for Music History Pedagogy held at Juilliard, June 4–8, and the Round Top Roundtable: Administrating Music in Higher Education held at Round Top, Texas, August 11–15. Outstanding professionals in the field will be leading both institutes. Check the website for details.
The major event concluding the anniversary celebrations will be the 51stNational Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia, at the beautiful, newly remodeled and futuristic Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel, September 25-28.It is an ideal modern setting for focusing on how to best lead our profession in the years ahead. The College Music Society will again be meeting jointly with the Association for Technology in Music Instruction and Pi Kappa Lambda. Robert Weirich, Chair of the Program Committee, and his committee members have appropriately titled the 51st conference “A Changing Profession in a Changing World”. Although The College Music Society has always looked forward throughout its fifty-year history, this conference will concentrate further on developing ways to make a substantive difference in our profession.
Many special events have been planned for the national conference beginning with two pre-conference workshops on Wednesday, September 24, one on technology and the other on career services. During the conference there will be a wealth of distinguished keynote speakers. Our CMS Trotter Lecturer Samuel A. Floyd, Jr., author of numerous articles and books including The Power of Black Music, was the Director of the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College in Chicago for many years. The CMS/ATMI keynote speaker will be Pauline Oliveros, composer, accordionist and author. Robert Spano, Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will present the Pi Kappa Lambda keynote address. Tickets for performances of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra can be purchased prior to the conference.
A special CMS Choral Concert titled Phoenix Rising: New Choral Music from the South is scheduled for Friday evening at Sisters Chapel on the Spelman College campus. Atlanta area collegiate choral ensembles from Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, Spelman College, Morehouse College and singers from the University of Georgia will perform new choral works. The program will conclude with the premiere of a commissioned choral work by Clifford Callender of Florida State University performed by the combined choral groups and conducted by Simon Carrington, CMS Board Member for Performance, founder of the King Singers and currently Music Director of the Yale Schola Cantorum. This is an excellent opportunity to experience the collaborative work of the academic institutions in the Atlanta area organized by music administrators and faculty at the various local colleges and universities.
For Saturday evening Bernard Dobroski, Chair, and his banquet committee are planning an entertaining evening of Atlanta culinary delights along with lively entertainment to celebrate the conclusion of our anniversary celebrations. Purchase a ticket and join in the merriment as we segue into the years beyond fifty.
Through the many presentations, lecture/recitals, keynote speakers, festival of new music concerts, concert by Atlanta area collegiate ensembles, banquet, and community engagement projects the program promises reinvigorating professional development and an opportunity to consider our “changing profession in a changing world”. For more information about the 51st National Conference, read Robert Weirich’s article in this newsletter and check the web site for more details. More importantly start making plans to attend this forward-thinking national conference. Our 9,500 individual members, the many committees of The College Music Society, the board, and ourinvaluable national office staff, continue to move forward the Society dedicated to advancing music in higher education. We work daily to affect change in our profession taking our experience, expertise, ideas and passions for music to our students, faculty, administrators and the communities in which we live. Through our individual and cumulative efforts we can indeed make a difference in our world.