FROM THE DESK OF THE DEAN | | |
Quarterly Newsletter
Fall 2024 | | | |
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The Jacobs School of Music is off to a fabulous start this year. While we are still experiencing cool mornings and warm days, the leaves are changing, and we know that fall is upon us. Perhaps the most shocking thing is that the Hoosiers football team is exceeding all expectations—at least so far! | | |
New and Retired Faculty |
We are thrilled to welcome some of the finest scholars, artists, and performers in the world this fall as new faculty members at the Jacobs School of Music. This includes: Sherri Bishop (Instructional Design), Vincent Carbone (Ensembles), James Ehnes (Violin), Chi Ho Han (Piano), Dinara Klinton (Piano), Ingrid Matthews (Historical Performance), Donald McKinney (Bands), Alyssa McPherson (Ballet), Andy Miller (Percussion), Jonathan Oddie (Historical Performance), Stephen Rose (Violin), Jennifer Salzstein (Musicology), Michael Sammis (Music Business), Jacquelyn Sholes (Musicology), Kathie Stewart (Historical Performance), Lina Tabak (Musicology), Amy Tai (Musicology), and Andy West (Music Production.) Please join me in welcoming this extraordinary group of faculty
to the Jacobs School.
Additionally, Robin Allen (Ballet), Eunjin Bang (Collaborative Piano), Mathew Banks (Piano Technology), Matthew Gemmill (Collaborative Piano), Rebecca Janes (Ballet), Kyunghoon Kim (Collaborative Piano), Carmen Maret (Flute), Gail Robertson (Euphonium), Ben Wesenberg (Music Industry), and Christine Wisch have been named to visiting appointments.
While these new scholars and musicians have joined our community, several others have retired. Congratulations to Wolfgang Brendel (Voice), Evelyne Brancart (Piano), Mauricio Fuks (Violin), Daniel R. Melamed (Musicology), Lee Phillips (Collaborative Piano), Nigel North (Historical Performance), and Tom Wieligman (Ensembles). This group of extraordinary faculty presents decades upon decades of service to the school. We are grateful to them for their service. | | |
Financial Updates |
The budget of the Jacobs School of Music is just shy of $100 million per year. Of that, only about $5 mill (~ 5%) is discretionary, as the remainder are fixed costs, including compensation for faculty, staff, and students (~ 42%), financial aid (~ 28%), and assessments to the university for central services (~ 24%.) Of this, ~11% of our operating revenue came from donors and our endowment, the current market value of which is approximately $185 million. Despite that abundance of resources, there are several factors—some of which are beyond our control—that will challenge us in the years ahead. First, tuition increases are the purview of the State of Indiana, and for many years, have been less than or equal to our much-needed increases in
compensation. Second, we are anticipating larger required assessments to the central university in the years ahead, and third, our allocation of state operating appropriations is stagnant.
As a result, we are working on a variety of fronts to ensure that we remain poised to deliver the world-class education students expect from the Jacobs School of Music. During the year ahead, we will be doubling down on our recruiting and yield plans, reviewing closely open faculty and student academic appointee positions, refining the budgetary structure for IU Jacobs Opera and Ballet Theater, bringing online the new Music Business and Music Production programs to enhance revenue, seeking new lines of revenue, and more. It is our hope that through targeted and data-driven approaches to both increasing revenue and surgical cuts, we will not only be able to maintain our work with these new economic realities, but also remain innovative for the future.
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Philanthropy |
In FY24, the IU Jacobs School of Music achieved exceptional success in philanthropy, driven by the generosity of our donors and supporters, who played a crucial role in advancing our mission. We are proud to announce that the Jacobs School exceeded its FY24 fundraising goal, raising over $11 million in private support through both outright and planned gifts.
A part of this figure comes from our strong annual fund and alumni relations programs. At Jacobs, we fostered meaningful outreach in both areas, which resulted in an 8% year-over-year increase in annual giving, reaching $780,000. Additionally, alumni engagement opportunities grew by 4%, with overall participation increasing by 10%. Alumni engagement opportunities were held across the United States and in several international locations, including Thailand and South Korea.
We extend special thanks to Frank Graves, chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council, for his support of scholarships, innovation grants for the OECD, the April 2024 eclipse activities, and the String Department. We also recognize Kim Pressman and MJ Crousore for their combined philanthropy, which has empowered the Office of Wellness and Arts Health Initiatives (OWAHI). We are deeply grateful to the many donors who have made the Jacobs School their philanthropic priority.
Looking ahead to FY25, the Jacobs School continues to build on this momentum, securing gifts that will establish new scholarships and fellowships. We are deeply appreciative to the vision of Georgina Joshi and Louis Addicott-Joshi as well as the Joshi family for their generous gift, which will fund the purchase of a New York Steinway D for the Musical Arts Center. We also thank Gina Leonetti for her $250,000 pledge to the Jacobs Student Support Fund, which provides critical, time-sensitive assistance to students facing hardships. | | |
New and Returning Communications Initiatives |
The Communications team at Jacobs, led by director Chris Mills, has been busy preparing for the year ahead. Resonance is a new publication for and about the Jacobs School of Music. Like an annual report, we’ll share some of the highlights of the last academic year (with a preview or two of what’s to come this year), and unlike an annual report, we won’t talk about money! This new publication will be coming your way very soon, so keep an eye on your mailbox.
In addition, get ready for a new season of Backstories, a series that takes you behind the scenes and into the creative minds of the conductors, directors, choreographers, and designers who bring concepts to life at the Jacobs School. Whether seeing your favorite production for the tenth time or hearing a symphonic warhorse for the first, you’re bound to pick up something new from these insightful commentaries. Join us on social media, YouTube, and IUMusicLive!
Finally, keep your eyes peeled for Prelude—a comprehensive listing of all the upcoming performances for this semester. Print it out, and hang it on your fridge! | | |
Singing Hoosiers’ Seventy-fifth Anniversary |
2024-25 marks the Singing Hoosiers’ seventy-fifth anniversary. With renovations to the Music Annex, the group has settled nicely into its temporary home at 1203 E. Matlock (affectionately nicknamed "Holy Hundred Hall" in days of yore).
The Singing Hoosiers will present their annual fall concert on Saturday, November 2, in Auer Hall and return to the IU Auditorium for two performances of the Chimes of Christmas on Saturday, December 7. This year's collaborators include the IU Wind Ensemble under the direction of Prof. Don McKinney and the African American Choral Ensemble under the direction of Prof. Raymond Wise. On Saturday October 27, the Singing Hoosiers will headline the Indiana State School Music Association's Southland Choral Festival at Indianapolis's Garfield Park. The event features seven invited middle and high school choirs with over 400 student participants.
In June, we were notified that the Singing Hoosiers have been invited to perform at the 2025 National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association in Dallas, Texas (March 19-22). This is a tremendous honor and one reserved for the nation's top choirs. The group is scheduled to perform on Saturday, March 22, at 12:35 p.m. in the Winspear Opera House.
The Hoosiers’ Seventy-fifth Anniversary Spring Concert will be Saturday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the MAC. Join us as we help them celebrate over 70 years as Indiana University's Ambassadors of Song!
Finally, the Singing Hoosiers will perform a number of in-state run-out concerts during the spring semester. Locations include Indianapolis, Ft. Wayne, St. John, and Seymour. Stay tuned for additional details. | | |
Partnerships |
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During my two years at the Jacobs School of Music, we have been exploring and purposefully engaging in strategic partnerships that support the school’s mission, expand opportunities for students, faculty, and staff, and amplify the school’s reputation. These include internal university partnerships and regional and domestic collaborations as well as international cooperation agreements that build brand recognition in key markets and grow interest in the school from around the globe. In this newsletter, I wanted to take an opportunity to highlight a few of those partnerships and note how they support our work.
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Indiana University Focused Partners |
Charles Ives at 150: Music, Imagination, and American Culture
, September 30 through October 8, 2024. This Sesquicentennial Celebration curated by Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Music Peter Burkholder, will include contextualized performances, cross-disciplinary talks, and conversations exploring Charles Ives and his place in American history and culture. Sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the IU Public Arts & Humanities Project, and the Jacobs School of Music; with support from the Charles Ives Society, the Five Friends Master Class Series, and the IU departments of Musicology, Piano, Strings, and Comparative Literature in the IUB College of Arts and Sciences. Media sponsorship is by WFIU Public Radio.
The Kinetic Imagery and Extended Reality Lab
, or KIX Lab as we call it, is a partnership between the Jacobs School of Music and numerous IU Bloomington partners: The Media School, the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, the School of Optometry, the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, the School of Public Health-Bloomington, the College of Arts and Sciences, and University Information Technology Services. This extended reality lab will become the focal point of interdisciplinary, innovative research at the intersection of technology and the arts, and will feature “The Wall,” a 24-foot LED immersive soundstage. This collaboration will enable faculty and graduate students to use virtual and augmented reality in research and creative projects incorporating music and the arts across
disciplines, including public art, science, health and education.
Amped at IU: The Jim Irsay Guitar Collection
. An exhibit in two parts featuring the Jacobs Guitar Department at the McCalla School in collaboration with University Collections. The exhibit kicked off with a special one-day celebration on September 27 featuring guitars owned and played by Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan, David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Prince, Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Nancy Wilson, Les Paul, Pete Townsend, and The Edge. Guided tours of the one-day-only guitars and year-long exhibition took place along with an opening concert featuring the Jacobs Electric Guitar Orchestra and Jacobs guitar majors. In addition, guitars not normally seen on The Jim Irsay Collection Tour will be featured in a year-long Irsay Guitar Exhibit at the McCalla School alongside additional instruments held by the
Jacobs School and IU’s Traditional Arts Indiana. | | |
International Partnerships |
During the pandemic, international collaborations between music schools had to be postponed while all institutions dealt with the emergency in our own home institutions. We now have strategically entered several new partnerships in the last two years with peer schools. With international student applications to Jacobs up 17% in one year and 40% in two years, we simply cannot ignore our engagement with feeder and peer institutions, alumni, and donors across the globe.
To rebuild these relationships globally, we pulled together a Jacobs Global Dean’s Advisory Committee of faculty and administration in the spring of 2023 to review previous relationships, reignite those that were already in place, and work toward expanding relationships when there were appropriate opportunities. Below are some of the highlights of these partnerships.
We have traditionally had a few, targeted relationships with conservatories and schools of music in Europe. However, some of our most robust programs have been outside of higher education. In addition, there is a large group of Jacobs alumni in Europe that is particularly willing and eager to engage with students as they launch into the profession. During spring break in March 2025, we will send a small number of highly qualified singers to Berlin with faculty member Tichina Vaughn (voice) to connect with Jacobs alumni in Germany, visit a variety of opera houses, sing for representatives from several agents, opera houses and young artist programs, and learn about the Fest system.
China remains our largest international market for student recruitment. Enrollments to Jacobs were up 58% from China in the last year alone. We have regular connections with several of the largest music schools in China: Central Conservatory and China Conservatory in Beijing, Shanghai Conservatory in Shanghai, and Tianjin Juilliard in Tianjin. We regularly have faculty who give master classes in these schools and very frequently, they serve as pipelines for recruitment to Jacobs. In addition, we entered a strategic partnership agreement with the Zhejiang Conservatory in Hangzhou in May 2024. Under this agreement, our two faculty string quartets- in-residence, the Pacific Quartet (Jacobs) and the Hangzhou Quartet (Zhejiang), have done residencies at the other
institution, and several faculty from Jacobs have done master classes at Zhejiang, including Dan Perantoni (tuba), Li-Kuo Chang (viola), and myself (voice). Finally, we are planning a large, international joint project with Zhejiang for the spring of 2026 that should raise Jacobs' profile internationally.
South Korea is home to our second largest community of students, and yield from that one country increased by 19% in the last recruiting cycle. We have long had relationships with both Korea National University of Arts and Seoul National University, and there is an incredibly strong alumni group centered in Seoul. In November 2024, faculty members Kyung Sun Lee (violin), Sung-Mi Im (collaborative piano), and the Pacifica Quartet will be in residence in Seoul while we will welcome to Jacobs a contingent of violoncello players from K-Arts for master classes and concerts. All of this is supported by a donor and serves to deepen our connections to this important part of the world.
Finally, we have had students from Thailand at the music school since the 1950s. Many of those persons went on to be seminal figures in music, business, and politics in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) world. As a result, we are investing in the future of this growing part of the world with new partnerships and scholarship support. In Bangkok, we have affiliation agreements in place with the Mahidol University College of Music and Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music. In addition, we signed an affiliation agreement with Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of the National University of Singapore in the summer of 2024. All students from the ASEAN region are eligible to apply for the Dr. Saisuree Scholarship, providing at least half tuition funding
for all students from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Several faculty have done master classes in Bangkok and Singapore in recent months, including Norman Krieger (piano), Simin Ganatra (violin), Brandon Vamos (violoncello), Jason Bergman (trumpet), Kathleen McLean (bassoon), and P. Q. Phan (composition). In addition, Daniel Duarte (guitar) was in residence at Mahidol for a new fellowship opportunity for about four weeks in July.
All these targeted opportunities raise the profile of the Jacobs School of Music, provide opportunities for our students and faculty to expand their international networks, serve to increase our applications from qualified applicants from abroad, and so much more. We look forward to further engagements with these and other institutions. | | |
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Abra K. Bush |
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David Henry Jacobs Bicentennial Dean |
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Indiana University
107 S. Indiana Ave
Bloomington, IN 47405
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