This week I’m flying out to visit the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, which of course is one of the biggest and most important conservatories in the US.
I’ll be the guest of their Office of Entrepreneurship and Career Development. I’ll meet with the people who run it, see what they’re doing. And I’ll have other meetings with faculty and administration of the school. I’ll also attend performances, most notably — since the school is famous for its opera department — a production of Handel’s Rodelinda.
Plus I’ll be a judge for an innovation competition. From which I expect to learn a lot, since most of my fellow judges are business professionals.
Finally I’ll give a talk on the future of classical music. That’s on Monday, February 6, at 7 PM in Ford Hall. Anyone reading this is welcome to come! I’ve got an hour and a half to talk, and I’ll give at least half of that to questions and discussions.
I’m expecting to have lots of fun on my visit, and — from all parts of it — to learn a lot. If you’re at my talk — or if you see me elsewhere during my visit — please say hello. I love meeting people who care about what I write. I think of us as a community, part of the larger community of people who are remaking classical music.
Hope you have a wonderful time at IU! Welcome to the Hoosier state. 🙂
Thanks, Laura! I did have a wonderful time.
Ah, Bloomington. My hometown! I hope you meet Lissa May, who teaches music education and I believe is the director for undergraduate studies in the school.. She was my middle school and high school (2 yrs) band director and was a very important person in my life. FWIW, I also know much of the jazz faculty. … Hope you follow up with further postings about the trip.
Mark, I did meet Lissa. I had lunch with Gwyn Richards, the dean of the school, and two members of the administration. Lissa was one. I liked her a lot, and would have loved to talk with her extensively. That didn’t happen at this lunch, because the conversation developed in other ways. And our paths didn’t cross again. Terrific place overall, I think. Hope I’ll still think that when I get to know it better!
I’m sure you will enjoy Alain Barker and the rest of the staff in the music and entrepreneurship office. My Indiana years were some of the best in my life! (DM, Organ Performance, 2013.) Enjoy!
I so much enjoyed them, Carol! I had the pleasure of meeting Alain at a conference in the fall, which led to the invitation to come to IU. He’s a treasure, and one thing I noticved was how happy his program is. How much the people he works with in it smile. That’s why, in my later post about my visit, I included a photo of Alain with four students who worked in the program. The photo just radiated happiness, and that’s what I found with the four students who work in the program now. And the work they do is pretty wonderful, too.