National Endowment for the Arts Launches Fifth Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera at the Columbia University Graduate School of JournalismJuly 15, 2008
New York City— The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University today announced the fifth NEA Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera. The institute, which will take place November 8-18 at Columbia University, is part of a series of NEA-funded programs across the country that focus on improving arts criticism in classical music, opera, theater, and dance. The application deadline for this November’s institute is August 19, 2008. “Arts journalists are facing challenging times as are newspapers nationwide,” said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. “Our institute, administered by Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, offers these writers a chance to step away from their newsrooms and busy freelancing lives to focus on the reasons they originally became arts journalists. That is, a love for writing and a passionate commitment to the arts.” The NEA Arts Journalism Institutes are helping to establish the importance of professional training in the coverage of the arts through lectures and seminars with leaders in higher education, the arts and journalism. The programs are designed for print and broadcast journalists located primarily outside the largest media markets, where professional development opportunities are limited. Institutes for dance critics are also being hosted by the American Dance Festival at Duke University and for theater critics at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication. The programs cover most of the participants’ expenses. "I am pleased to see the Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera return to Columbia for the fifth year in a row,” said Nicholas Lemann, dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. “It is now a well-established program, and it fills a real need in journalism and in American communities, which will benefit from knowledgeable arts coverage. The institute provides a rich learning immersion experience that often makes a significant difference in the work of the journalists who take part in it. We will warmly welcome the next group of participants to the Journalism School in November and are very grateful to the NEA for its generous support.” Andras Szanto, former head of the National Arts Journalism Program, will direct the institute at Columbia with institute co-director Anya Grundmann, currently executive producer for NPR Music, and artistic director Joseph Horowitz, the nationally recognized classical music historian and critic. “With almost one hundred alumni, the institute is making a difference in communities around the United States,” said Szanto. “With newspapers cutting critics and more arts writing shouldered by freelancers, this program not only improves skills, but also provides a professional support system for the field.” The attendees – who include critics, reporters and editors in traditional, broadcast and digital journalism media – will work with senior journalists and faculty members to improve their viewing, analytical and writing skills. Because Columbia University is located in New York City, participants will have the unique opportunity to attend performances that cover a wide variety of genres, as well as rehearsals and behind-the-scenes meetings with artists and administrators of several leading classical music presenting organizations. The journalists also develop a firsthand understanding of artistic creation through a physical learning component, notably, a choral voice coaching session by Judith Clurman. Invited faculty and speakers include classical music critics Justin Davidson, Anne Midgette, James Oestreich, and John Rockwell, arts critic and blogger Terry Teachout; and music professors Michael Beckerman, Karen Hanson and Elaine Sisman. Institute participants will meet members of the senior staff of Carnegie Hall, the American Symphony Orchestra League, the New York Philharmonic, and other leading institutions. This year’s group will also attend a daily schedule of concerts including these important events on New York’s classical music calendar:
For more information, visit www.jrn.columbia.edu/events/nea/ *** About the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism For almost a century, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism has been preparing journalists in a program that stresses academic rigor, ethics, journalistic inquiry, and professional practice. Founded with a gift from Joseph Pulitzer in 1903, the school offers master of science, master of arts, and doctor of philosophy degrees. For more on the Graduate School of Journalism, visit www.journalism.columbia.edu. About Columbia University A leading academic and research university, Columbia continually seeks to advance the frontiers of knowledge and to foster a campus community deeply engaged in understanding and addressing the complex issues of our time. Columbia’s extensive cultural collaborations and community partnerships help define the University’s underlying values and mission to educate students to be both leading scholars and informed, engaged citizens. Founded in 1754 as King’s College, Columbia University in the City of New York is the fifth oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. For more information about Columbia, visit www.columbia.edu.
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