Full press release .pdf - Manhattan School of Music

120 Claremont AvenueNew York, New York10027–4698FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE917 493 4469 tel212 749 7561 faxwww.msmnyc.eduContact:Phone:Email:Debra Kinzler917 493 4469 (office)dkinzler@msmnyc.eduOffice of PublicRelationsMANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC BOARD OF TRUSTEESAPPOINTS MARJORIE MERRYMAN INTERIM PRESIDENTNovember 29, 2012 – The Manhattan School of Music Board of Trustees are pleased to announce theappointment of Vice President Marjorie Merryman as the School’s Interim President, effective immediately.At MSM, Vice President Merryman currently serves as Vice President for Academics andPerformance, where she oversees composition, voice, opera and contemporary music as well as allacademic related areas. In addition, she has been a member of the School’s composition faculty since2007.Manhattan School of Music Board Chairman Peter Robbins said, “We are delighted that Vice PresidentMerryman will be assuming the role as Manhattan School of Music’s Interim President. She hasexemplified herself as a leader of extraordinary talent in her time at MSM by appointing new faculty,creating new programs, and strengthening existing areas such as the School’s cutting edge ContemporaryPerformance Program. Most recently she was instrumental in creating the School’s first-everexchange with Hong Kong, working with the Hong Kong Arts Development Council to bring theManhattan Hong Kong Music Festival to New York City. Along with her strong leadership and administrativeskills, Vice President Merryman is also an esteemed composer. She is the ideal person tolead Manhattan School of Music during this time of transition.”Marjorie Merryman, in addition to serving as Vice President for Academics and Performance atManhattan School of Music, is an esteemed composer. She has been commissioned and performedthroughout the United States and in many countries in Europe and Asia. Her catalogue includesorchestral, choral, vocal and chamber music, as well as an opera and two oratorios. She has beenthe recipient of numerous awards, including prizes from the American Academy of Arts and Letters,the Walter Hinrichsen Award, the League of Composers/International Society for ContemporaryMusic, the WBZ Fund for the Arts, Composers-Inc (Lee Ettelson Award) and the Radcliffe Institutefor Advanced Study, and the National Endowment for the Arts – Meet the Composer program. Shehas been Composer-in-Residence of the New England Philharmonic and the Billings (MT) SymphonyOrchestra, and has served on the boards of the New England Composers’ Orchestra, the LilyBoulanger Foundation, and many others. Her works are published by C.F. Peters, E. C. Schirmer,APNM, and G. Schirmer; and recorded on the Koch and New World labels.Merryman’s music has been critically acclaimed. A recent review in The Washington Post described herwork as “an artistic treasure.” Richard Buell (Boston Globe) praised her orchestral piece WindhoverFantasy as “quietly majestic” while Lloyd Schwartz hailed it as “a memorable, moving piece that oughtinstantly to enter the concert repertoire” (Boston Phoenix). The work recently received its New Yorkpremiere as part of the 9/11 ten-year commemoration.Marjorie Merryman teaches on the composition faculty of Manhattan School of Music, where shealso serves as Vice President, overseeing the academic areas as well as composition, voice, opera andcontemporary performance. A California native, she holds a PhD in Composition and Theory fromBrandeis University. She taught for 23 years at Boston University and has also taught at Harvard,New England Conservatory and Macalester College. She resides in New York City.

Robert Sirota served as Manhattan School of Music’s president from October 1, 2005 through October 2012, stepping downto pursue his career as a composer fulltime. Manhattan School of Music is working closely with consultants Catherine Frenchof the Catherine French Group and Mary Carlson of the Arts Executive Search to name a new president.* * * * *Manhattan School of Music is a preeminent international conservatory of music granting Bachelor of Music, Master of Music,and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. Founded in 1918 by pianist and philanthropist Janet Schenck, the School is dedicatedto the personal, artistic and intellectual development of its students, who range from the precollege through the postgraduatelevel. Offering both classical and jazz training, Manhattan School of Music trains students in performance and compositionand provides a core curriculum in music theory, music history, and humanities.