That's despite the fact that the music graduate programs were determined to be excellent, among the best at the school, in a recent university-wide assessment.
Chasalow's post makes some reference to Brandeis "leaning into" the sciences, that is, the administration thinks that the humanities can be abandoned in favor of the sciences. This is a tragic outcome for a university with a long tradition as a liberal arts school and a music department with a storied history.
I understand that the Board of Trustees has not yet voted on this, so perhaps there is some hope. Keep an eye on this blog; I will have updates as to actions that can alumni and other interested parties can take to try to talk Brandeis out of this nonsense.
This is just so incredibly sad and wrong. So many really fine composers who've gone through that program to significant careers. In addition to Rakowski and Chasalow, whom you mention, the other graduate faculty composers, Yu-Hui Chang and Erin Gee, are both powerfully creative composers and teachers. This program has attracted the best and brightest students for so many years, for good reason.
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed. And I completely forgot to mention that I'm a Brandeis graduate and was a music major there.
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