AMS Newsletter February 2005

AMS NEWSLETTE R THE AMERICAN MUSICOLOGICA L S O C I E T Y CONSTITUENT MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF LEARNED SOCIETIES VOLUME XXXV, NUMBER 1 February, 2005 ISSN 0402-012X 2005 Annual Meeting AMS Launches the OPUS Campaign The American Musicological Society will The American Musicological Society hold its 2005 National Meeting in Washing- launched an ambitious new five-year capital ton, D.C. An extraordinary array of muse- campaign at the Annual Meeting in Seattle. ums, theaters, art galleries, and national mon- OPUS—Opening Paths to Unlimited Schol- uments awaits visitors. Late October weather arship—reflects the Society’s goal of serving is generally mild, perfect for a stroll under the a broad spectrum of members at all stages American elms along the National Mall, with of their careers. Realizing that there is no its spectacular view of the U.S. Capitol at one single career path to excellent scholarship end and the Washington Monument at the and no single kind of scholarship, we seek other. In close proximity to cities and towns to give all our members as much access to in Maryland and Virginia, the District of Co- research tools, travel, fellowships, publica- lumbia is a fine starting point for daytrips to tions, and recognition as we are able. Our either Baltimore or Richmond. commitments to scholarly excellence and to the needs of our members demand no less. Washington abounds The OPUS Campaign recognizes that with musical life the AMS is a work in progress, seeking to support excellence in the work of its The Society will meet Oct. 27–30 at the members. The special challenges we face Omni Shoreham, an historic Washington in the twenty-first century arise from our Georgiary McElveen with Jessie Ann Owens, hotel that has hosted presidents and world strengths: the increased breadth of the field OPUS Campaign Chair leaders. Just blocks from the Woodley Park to include more types of scholarship and stop on Washington’s convenient Metrorail modes of inquiry, the enhancement of individual research capabilities by online databases system, the hotel is a few minutes’ ride from and tools, the improvements to the Annual Meeting to maintain its position as the central Washington’s bustling downtown. For those continued on page 3 who want a temporary refuge, the Shoreham is located on the edge of Rock Creek Park, one of the city’s most beautifully landscaped 2004 Annual Meeting: Seattle continued on page 5 Looking back at a very intense joint An- meeting was further enhanced by the events nual Meeting of the AMS with the Society and arrangements set up by the Performance In This Issue… for Music Theory, it is easy—for this program Committee (chaired by Neil Zaslaw) and the President’s message . .2 chair, at least—to remember the surprises and Local Arrangements Committee (chaired by New Awards Established . .4 somewhat harder to recall the many things Stephen Rumph). During breaks, many at- Awards, Prizes, and Honors. .6 that went as projected. Certainly the sessions, tendees made it out to such local attractions Grants and Fellowships . .9 panels, concerts, and concurrent events at- as the Experience Music Project or the Pike Executive Director’s Report . .10 tracted a remarkable turnout—some 1,790 Place Market, and everyone had a chance to Presidential Forum . .11 by Bob Judd’s count. This meant that some admire the mountain views during the first Committee Reports. .11 sessions were jam-packed with attendees, pro- few sunny days. As always, Bob Judd made News Briefs . .14 viding a certain amount of emotional energy the entire experience of the Program Com- Forthcoming Conferences . .15 if not a lot of sitting space. mittee—from receiving abstracts to fixing Calls for Papers . .16 The quality of the program was due first last-minute equipment failures—infinitely Obituaries . .17 to the members of the Program Commit- easier by his unfailing energy and concern. Papers Read at Chapter Meetings . .18 tee (Jann Pasler, Anna Maria Busse Berger, Intellectually, we tried to do justice to the Financial Report . .23 Richard Will, Ellie Hisama, and Tony Shep- pard), to whom I am deeply indebted. The continued on page 5 –1– President’s Message Does the AMS exist between Annual room and size of audience. The Performance “Happy is the man who loves his work,” and, Meetings? Committee, led by Neal Zaslaw, also deserves mutatis mutandis, I feel that way about the Say “Phoenix” or “Baltimore” and the thanks for well-conceived lecture-recitals and AMS as well as MOW. world of that meeting is instantly conjured up, performances. And who can forget the sound from the papers to the dinners to the weath- of “Swingshift: the AMS 2004 Swing Band”? Revealing the Work of the AMS er. In January and June we are all busy with The evening offerings were quite stimulat- Revealing some of the work of the AMS other things. But ask anyone actively involved ing as well, because the SMT has paper ses- is the new Administrative Handbook adopted in the work of committees and chapters, not sions during the 8–11 p.m. “slot,” while the by the AMS Board at its meeting in March to mention the work of submitting abstracts, AMS has less formal panels, study sessions, 2004, and soon to be posted at the AMS Web writing papers, and otherwise making the and interest groups. Competing for attention site. A project originally of the Committee world safe for musicology, and the answer of were the exceptional array of evening concerts on Committees (CC), formed by President course is that the AMS never goes away. planned by Stephen Rumph and the Local Ar- Jessie Ann Owens and under the guidance rangements Committee, to whose dedicated, of the late John Daverio, the Handbook was behind-the-scenes work we are truly grateful. Does the AMS exist between Annual worked into publishable form by the 2004 This year’s Presidential Forum, ably orga- CC, which I chaired and which taught me a Meetings? nized by outgoing President J. Peter Burk- lot about the workings of the Society, and by holder, highlighted a recent theme of AMS the executive impetus and unerring editorial Board meetings and of the OPUS Campaign: What allows the question to be asked is the oversight of Peter Burkholder. As a result, the “The AMS at Your Service.” Peter has been special role played by the Annual Meeting: it activities of the AMS will be transparent to an articulate advocate for a humane vision of crystallizes a moment in the life of the Society its members. musicology and of our Society, and I thank each year when we come together for scholar- The AMS calendar begins and ends at the him warmly not only for his contributions but ship, networking, musical performance, and Business Meeting on Saturday evening of the for his help to me in preparing for this role. friendship. Totting up the memorable mo- Annual Meeting, and thus the 2004 Board ments of those meetings (and perhaps sub- gave way to the 2005 Board in Seattle. I tracting some, from “the time I made a fool An Historic Opportunity would like to thank the outgoing directors at large, Scott DeVeaux, James Hepokoski, and of myself to the dean of Beethoven sketches” A major event in Seattle was the Friday Mary Hunter, for their dedicated service to to “the time I was snubbed by Professor X”), evening kick-off banquet to launch the OPUS the Board and to the Board committees over one discerns the outline of a scholarly life well Campaign. The evening seemed to mark an the past two years. I cannot leave thanking lived. historic moment as well as an historic oppor- mode without mentioning our outstanding tunity. The sense of optimism, camaraderie, executive director, Bob Judd, whose reliable and energy promised good things for this new Reflections On Seattle wisdom and indefatigable activity on behalf venture, and we owe a debt of gratitude to The Seattle meeting combined a lively of the Society have contributed so much to Anna Maria Busse Berger and Michelle Fil- downtown scene with scholarly papers, con- the life of the Society (and especially to its lion for making it such a festive evening. certs, study groups, meetings of sister societies, president). My heartfelt thanks to Bob for all and social events. We were fortunate to have that he does. the Society for Music Theory (SMT) meeting A sense of optimism, The new prizes announced at the Busi- with us, and the variety of papers on offer at camaraderie, and energy ness Meeting were a result of the extraordi- any time made for hard choices and stimulat- nary generosity of our member-donors, who ing cross-currents. The decision by Program have allowed us the wonderful experience of Committee Chair Robert Kendrick to foster The Campaign is highlighted in Jessie seeing such luminaries as Lewis Lockwood, more short sessions led to even more flexibil- Ann Owens’s article on page one, but I want Claude Palisca, and H. Colin Slim recognized ity and diversity of organization. Bob and the here to offer a gloss on the Campaign’s title: by these awards. They developed from the Program Committee did an outstanding job OPUS—Opening Paths to Unlimited Scholar- profound sense that the field has grown well in selecting papers, and I heard much praise ship. The campaign literature describes the beyond the borders of 1967, when the first of the program expressed in the halls; we owe AMS as a “work in progress, seeking to sup- Einstein and Kinkeldey prizes were awarded.

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