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BLAIR Vanderbilt University FortyYearsYoung WINTER 2005 Blair celebrates 40 years of precollegiate instruction Forty Years From the Dean Blair faculty reminisce about the formative years his is a special year for the Blair School Cover: Pierce Trey, a member of the of Music and, accordingly, a special issue Children’s Cello Choir that toured Germany last summer (see page 8). of the Quarter Note. Through our con- Photo by Neil Brake. T Young cert series, special events featuring faculty, students, and alumni, and through our publi- B Y L ISA D U B OIS The BLAIR QUARTER NOTE, the newsletter cations, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of of the Blair School of Music, is published twice a year in cooperation with the the founding of the Blair School. ring on the festivities! Organist Emeritus, Peter Fyfe; Office of Advancement Communications From its inception, Blair has represented excel- for alumni, current students, and other The Blair School of Associate Dean and Associate friends of the School. lence in musical performance and instruction, Music is 40 years old! Professor of Flute Jane Kirch- and we are proud that this essential principle The BLAIR QUARTER NOTE, Volume 29, DANIEL DUBOIS B ner; Senior Artist Teacher of A group of faithful faculty Number 1, Winter 2005 remains the guiding force in all that we do. In Piano and holder of the © 2005 by Vanderbilt University. members started at or near 1964, there was no music major for Vanderbilt students, but there was an energetic, Chancellor’s Chair Roland All rights reserved. the beginning—and stayed accomplished, and dedicated faculty with inspired students. Del Sawyer, the first direc- Schneller; Professor of Pi- on as the academy grew Editor, Bonnie Arant Ertelt tor and subsequent dean of the Blair School, established a solid foundation of superb ano Emerita, Enid Katahn; Director of External Affairs, Cindy Steine from a small precollegiate Contributors, Lisa DuBois, Angela quality in the curriculum, faculty hires, and program development. Blair owes him an Joseph Joachim Professor program at Peabody Col- Wibking Fox, Jim Patterson incalculable debt of gratitude, for none of the progress Blair has made since then could of Violin Chris Teal; and Art Director, Donna DeVore Pritchett lege to a premier accred- Designer, Suzanna Spring have occurred without his principled and forthright guidance. Adjunct Assistant Profes- ited precollegiate and Executive Director of Advancement In 2005, the Blair School has a nationally respected collegiate program, outstanding sor of Violin and former Communications, Ken Schexnayder collegiate music school at precollegiate student Mary precollege and adult instruction, a broad array of courses for Vanderbilt University stu- Vanderbilt University. Kathryn Vanosdale. Precollege, adult, and undergraduate dents who are not music majors, and talented, accomplished students of all ages. All alumni are encouraged to send their Curious about the “good professional or personal news to: this is made possible by a superb faculty whose achievements on the world’s stages are ol’ days,” Quarter Note spoke QN: How did the Blair matched by their wisdom and inspiration in the teaching studio and classroom. The BLAIR QUARTER NOTE separately to several of these ven- Academy of Music get started 2400 Blakemore Avenue The past year has seen new milestones in the School’s maturation: the first Euro- back in 1964? Nashville, TN 37212-3499 erable faculty members: former pean tour by a collegiate ensemble, two European tours by precollege ensembles, Director/Dean Del Sawyer; Adjunct Del Sawyer: At that time I was a teach- Or by e-mail to: a record enrollment in the precollege and adult program, growing audiences for the Professor of Organ and University ing fellow of trumpet at George Peabody [email protected] many concerts in our outstanding new facilities, and active collaboration with civic and Undergraduate alumni news now regional arts organizations. Our faculty members perform and give lectures through- appears in Vanderbilt Magazine’s class notes section. Any news sent by under- out the world and provide students at Vanderbilt University and in the Middle graduate alumni is forwarded to Tennessee region with instruction of the highest caliber. Blair School of Music–a Timeline Vanderbilt Magazine. With all these achievements, there is every reason to celebrate a distinguished Visit us on the Web at past, a vibrant present, and the promise of a brilliant future. That is what you will find 1964 1967 1968 1969 www.vanderbilt.edu/Blair/ in all of the Blair School’s concerts this year and in this issue of the Quarter Note. Blair Academy of Music opened Blair String Quartet estab- Suzuki program, one of first Fifth Blair anniversary. Vanderbilt University is committed in September, as the precol- lished. First members were programs in the region, begun Faculty: 10 full-time, to principles of equal opportunity and I hope you will join with us in celebrating this remarkable history and, better still, lege division of the School of Sheldon Kurland and Stephen by Sharon Rogers. 15 part-time. affirmative action. the promise the Blair School holds for generations to come. Music of George Peabody Col- Clapp (violins), Lee Kull (viola), lege for Teachers. Fall enroll- and David Vanderkooi (cello). Printed on recycled paper ment: 224 students. Faculty: 1 1971 full-time (Roland Schneller), 19 Blair Woodwind Quintet estab- Original part-time. John Friedel (Del) lished. Two of first members members of Sawyer, director. Building at were Bobby Taylor (oboe) and 1208 Eighteenth Avenue South the Blair String Quartet– Jane Kirchner (flute). Myra Jackson Blair—mother of on the Peabody campus. Fund- Sheldon Valere Blair Potter—for whom ed by the Justin and Valere Kurland and the Blair School was named Potter Foundation; Valere Blair Stephen Clapp Potter named it in honor of her (violins), David Oval inset photo at top—Kathryn mother, Myra Jackson Blair. Vanderkooi Plummer, who celebrates 30 NEIL BRAKE (cello) and Lee 2 BLAIR Quarter Note years with the Blair School this Kull (viola) Winter 2005 3 year, back in 1986. College for Teachers School of Music. The dean of the Peabody Roland Schneller: I was 24-years old, my wife was pregnant, Enid Katahn: I was giving private piano lessons in Nashville the job, I inherited many exceptional collegiate and precol- Music School, C. B. Hunt, was conducting a national search and I’d spent the summer living in a trailer park at a fine arts and Del asked me that first year if I would come and teach legiate students from Stephen Clapp, who is now retiring as and had to twist my arm to be a candidate. But C.B. was a summer camp. I desperately needed a job. It was late August at Blair. I said no. In the meantime, I had taken a course dean of the Juilliard School. wonderful man and said he’d back me 100% if I took the and by the time I responded to notices about music position certifying me to teach groups, which, if I wanted to do that, I had a lot to learn, because I wasn’t a very experienced job—and he sure lived up to his promise! openings, Blair’s was the only one that hadn’t been filled. I meant I’d have to put a second piano in my living room. The teacher. I taught both Connie Heard and Mary Kathryn Vanos- It was a whirlwind. In two and a half months I renovated was really fortunate to get that job. next year, Del invited me again, and this time I said yes. dale during their senior year of high school. They were quite a building, hired a faculty and made my own flyers. I didn’t Del became a good friend and cohort. We kind of hung I taught for 35 years before retiring. Those early days at advanced and very savvy, had studied with some of the have an office, so I worked at the Pancake Pantry and at around together and dreamed together, making it up as we Blair were a trial in some respects. In the original building best people in the region, and went on to study with many the Peabody Student Center. Because I was a performing went along. I kept busy helping him do whatever needed to the walls were very thin. I was upstairs next to a violinist, illustrious musicians. I can’t claim to have had a big impact musician, I knew all the musicians in Nashville, and I asked be done, whether it was administrative, going down to the and he stopped me one day and said, “Enid, can’t you have on their careers. my friends to direct me to the ones known to be both good printer to proofread something, or shoveling snow off the your students play a little more softly?” I said, “No! When teachers and good performers. Those were the people I tried front walk. We both treated Blair like it was our baby. the music says loud, they have to learn to play loudly. I’m Mary Kathryn Vanosdale: Chris Teal was a great influence to hire. not training them to play in this dinky little room. I’m train- on my career, actually. I started taking lessons at Blair the But I also had to solicit the students. So I hit the pave- Peter Fyfe: I was an organist and choirmaster at Christ Epis- ing them to play on stage!” first year it opened, and had a lot of teachers through the ment. I went to the newspapers, the radio stations, the TV copal Church, now Christ Cathedral. After Blair opened, the years. I spent a year and a half with Chris and then went stations.