The Music Academy is a classical music training program in Montecito in

Santa Barbara County, California Santa Barbara County, California, officially the County of Santa Barbara, is located in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa Maria. Santa Barba ...

Overview

The academy hosts an annual eight-week summer music festival, highlighted by concerts and workshops directed by famous composers, conductors, and artists. The festival hosts 136 pre-professional musicians who receive merit-based full scholarships. Programs of study are vocal piano, voice, collaborative piano, solo piano, and instrumental.

History

The first impulse to establish a summer music festival in Santa Barbara came from soprano Lotte Lehmann in 1940. In 1947 the Music Academy was founded by Southern California arts patrons, musicians, conductors and composers. In addition to Lotte Lehmann, founders of the academy were conductor

Otto Klemperer Otto Nossan Klemperer (14 May 18856 July 1973) was a 20th-century conductor and composer, originally based in Germany, and then the US, Hungary and finally Britain. His early career was in opera houses, but he was later better known as a concer ...

, violinist

Roman Totenberg Roman Totenberg (1 January 1911 – 8 May 2012) was a Polish-American violinist and educator. A child prodigy, he lived in Poland, Moscow, Berlin, and Paris, before formally immigrating to the U.S. in 1938, at age 27. He performed and taught nat ...

, harpsichordist Rosalyn Tureck, baritone John Charles Thomas and composers

Ernest Bloch Ernest Bloch (July 24, 1880 – July 15, 1959) was a Swiss-born American composer. Bloch was a preeminent artist in his day, and left a lasting legacy. He is recognized as one of the greatest Swiss composers in history. As well as producing music ...

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

, Roy Harris and

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

, who served as the academy's first composer in residence. Among the first scholarship funders were singer-actors

Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (''The Love Parade'', '' Love Me Tonight'', ''The Merry Widow'' and '' On ...

and

Nelson Eddy Nelson Ackerman Eddy (June 29, 1901 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor and baritone singer who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclub ...

, violinist

Jascha Heifetz Jascha Heifetz (; December 10, 1987) was a Russian-born American violinist. Born in Vilnius, he moved while still a teenager to the United States, where his Carnegie Hall debut was rapturously received. He was a virtuoso since childhood. Fritz ...

and movie producer Daryl F. Zanuck. From 1954 to 1980 the academy's music director was

Maurice Abravanel Maurice Abravanel (January 6, 1903 – September 22, 1993) was an American classical music conductor. He is remembered as the conductor of the Utah Symphony Orchestra for over 30 years. Life Abravanel was born in Salonika, Rumelia Eyalet, Otto ...

Martial Singher Martial Singher (August 14, 1904 – March 9, 1990) was a French baritone opera singer born in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Initially singing only as a hobby, he was encouraged by then French education minister Édouard Herriot to ...

was head of the Voice Department from 1962 till 1981.

Marilyn Horne Marilyn Horne (born January 16, 1934) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages. She is a recipient of the Natio ...

, who had attended the academy in 1953 was named director of the voice program in 1997 and remained in this position till 2018. In 2018, Horne became the honorary voice program director. Since 2010, the academy has held the annual

Marilyn Horne Song Competition The Marilyn Horne Song Competition is an annual competition for participants of the voice and piano programs at the Music Academy of The West. Name The Competition was launched in 1997 as the ''Marilyn Horne Foundation Vocal Competition'' and he ...

, formerly known as the Marilyn Horne Foundation Vocal Competition. In the same year, Scott Reed became the academy's president and chief executive officer. Past presidents have included David Kuehn and NancyBell Coe. In 2014, the Music Academy began an educational partnership with the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

. Under the collaboration, music director Alan Gilbert and orchestra members maintained residencies in Santa Barbara during parts of the festival, and selected Music Academy fellows trained with orchestra members in Santa Barbara and New York City. In 2018, the academy launched a four-year partnership with the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

with music director

Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British-German conductor. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principa ...

, and a free after school choral program called ''Sing!'' for children ages 7–11 taking place in elementary schools in Santa Barbara County. Participants perform at the Music Academy of the West and collaborate with the London Symphony Orchestra. The academy partnered with the

UC Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...

to preserve historic audio and video recordings of concerts, masterclasses and recitals held at Music Academy of the West. In 2017, 400 early recordings have been digitized, among them recordings of Lotte Lehmann, Marilyn Horne, and Jerome Lowenthal.

Alumni

Alumni of the Music Academy are former attendants of the conservatory programs. Many of them fill important professional music positions around the world, performing in top-tier orchestras, opera houses, and teaching on music school faculties. Others have gone on to leadership roles in other institutions. Notable alumni include:

Voice

* Lucine Amara (1947) * John Brancy (2013) *

Grace Bumbry Grace Melzia Bumbry (born January 4, 1937), an American opera singer, is considered one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation, as well as a major soprano earlier in her career. She is a member of a pioneering generation of African-Ameri ...

(1956, 1957, 1958) *

Sasha Cooke Sasha Cooke is an American mezzo-soprano. Cooke was born in Riverside, California, and grew up in College Station, Texas, where her parents are professors of Russian at Texas A&M University. She earned a bachelor's degree from Rice University and ...

(2002) *

Benita Valente Benita Valente (born October 19, 1934) is an American soprano whose career has encompassed the operatic stage as well as performance of lieder, chamber music and oratorio. She is especially lauded for her interpretations of Mozart and Handel, but ...

(1953, 1955, 1956, 1957) *

Juan Diego Flórez Juan Diego Flórez (born Juan Diego Flórez Salom, January 13, 1973) is a Peruvian operatic tenor, particularly known for his roles in bel canto operas. On June 4, 2007, he received his country's highest decoration, the ''Knight Grand Cross in t ...

(as Juan Florez, 1995) *

Rodney Gilfry Rodney Gilfry is a leading American operatic baritone. After launching his career at Frankfurt Opera in 1987, Gilfry quickly established a reputation for stylish singing and acting. A renowned Mozart specialist, he has given acclaimed performanc ...

(1981) *

Donald Gramm Donald John Gramm (February 26, 1927 – June 2, 1983) was an American bass-baritone whose career was divided between opera and concert performances. His appearances were primarily limited to the United States, which at the time was unusual for an ...

Kay Griffel Kay Griffel (born December 26, 1940, in Eldora, Iowa) is an American operatic spinto soprano. Early life and education After earning a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University, she pursued further studies with Lotte Lehmann at the Music Aca ...

(1958) * Thomas Hampson (1978, 1979) * Megan Marie Hart (as Megan Hart, 2010) *

(1953) *

Robert W. Jensen Robert William Jensen (born July 14, 1958) is a former professor of journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. From 1992 to 2018 he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in media law, ethics, and politics. He has focused much of his ...

(as Robert Jensen, 1949) *

Isabel Leonard Isabel Leonard (born February 18, 1982) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer based in New York City. She is of Argentine ancestry on her mother's side. Education Leonard was born in New York City. For five years she sang with the Manhattan S ...

(2005) * Kathryn Lewek (2009) * Lotfi Mansouri (1957) * Simone Osborne (2008, 2009, 2011) *

Susanna Phillips Susanna Phillips (Huntington) is an American singer who has sung leading lyric soprano roles at leading American and international opera houses. Early life and education Phillips was born in Birmingham, Alabama and grew up in Huntsville where she ...

(2002, 2003) * Rinat Shaham (1995, 1996, 1997) *

Nadine Sierra Nadine Sierra (born May 14, 1988) is an American soprano. She is most well known for her interpretation of Gilda in Verdi's ''Rigoletto,'' and Lucia in Donizetti's ''Lucia di Lammermoor.'' Currently performing in leading roles in the top opera hou ...

(2007) *

Riki Turofsky Riki Turofsky (born 20 February 1944 in Toronto) is a Canadian concert and opera soprano, broadcaster, and video producer. She has sung leading roles with opera companies in Canada, the United States, and Europe, and has performed on the concert ...

(1970) * Erin Wall (2000) * William Workman (1965)

String instruments

Violin

Pamela Frank Pamela Frank (born June 20, 1967) is an American violinist, with an active international career across a varied range of performing activity. Her musicianship was recognized in 1999 with the Avery Fisher Prize, one of the highest honors given t ...

(1983, 1984)

Viola

Donald Weilerstein Donald Weilerstein (born 1940) is an American violinist and pedagogue. Early life and education Weilerstein was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Berkeley, California. He began playing the violin at the age of four and earned a Bachelor o ...

(1955) * Jan Karlin (1975, 1976) *

Cynthia Phelps Cynthia Phelps (born 1961 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California) is an American violist whose versatile career involves work as a chamber musician, solo artist, and orchestral musician. Phelps is currently the Principal Violist of the New York P ...

(1979, 1983)

Cello

* Catherine Hewgill (1981) *

Jeffrey Solow Jeffrey Solow (born January 3, 1949) is an American cello virtuoso and past president of both the American String Teachers Association and the Violoncello Society, Inc. of New York. Biography Born in Los Angeles, Solow began cello lessons at th ...

(1964, 1965, 1966)

Double Bass

Orin O'Brien Orin O'Brien (born 1935) is an American double bassist. She has been a member of the New York Philharmonic since joining in 1966 under the direction of Leonard Bernstein; she was the first woman to join the orchestra. She was on the faculty at the ...

(1952, 1953, 1955)

Wind instruments

Horn

Barry Carl Barry Strauss Carl (born April 20, 1950) is an American voice-over actor and musician best known as the bass of the a cappella vocal band Rockapella while the group was house band on the PBS children's geography game show '' Where in the World I ...

(1966, 1967, 1971)

Trumpet

Anthony Plog Anthony Plog (born November 13, 1947) is an American conductor, composer and trumpet player. Life Plog was born in Glendale, California, United States. He is a fellow of the Music Academy of the West where he attended in 1968. From 2006 to 2007 ...

(1968)

Tuba

* Jeffrey Anderson (1982)

Clarinet

David Shifrin David Shifrin (born January 2, 1950) is an American classical clarinetist and artistic director. Biography David Shifrin received early musical training at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in 1963. He attended the Music Academy of the West su ...

(1968)

Bassoon

* Benjamin Kamins (1968, 1969)

Piano

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gr ...

(1950) *

James Newton Howard James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American film composer, music producer and keyboardist. He has scored over 100 films and is the recipient of a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and nine nominations for Academy Awards. His film scores ...

(1967, 1969) * Martin Katz (1964) *

Paul Schenly Paul Schenly (born April 15, 1948) is an American classical pianist. He is the founder and director of the summer music festivaPianofest in the Hamptons He also serves as the artistic director of the Cleveland International Piano Competition and ...

(1964, 1965, 1969)

Conducting

Jung-Ho Pak Jung-Ho Pak (born February 4, 1962 in Burlingame, California) is an American symphony conductor. He was Artistic Director of the San Diego Symphony and of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, of which he is now Conductor Emeritus. He was Music Dir ...

(1989) * David Wiley (1990)

Other students

Music students using the facilities for music training or performing with visiting orchestras without being enrolled are not considered alumni. Among those students are: *

Susan Allen Susan Allen (born March 27, 1963) is an American politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 62B, a southside district encom ...

(with the Santa Barbara Youth Theatre, 1963) * Judith Beckmann (singing lessons with Harold Reed and Lotte Lehmann) *

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her campy style, she has been referred to ...

(singing lessons at facilities)

Sources

References

External links

Music Academy
{{Authority control Music schools in California Classical music festivals in the United States Music festivals in California Tourist attractions in Santa Barbara County, California Music Academy of the West