Conservatory of Music

George Li Performing with the Cleveland Orchestra

Pianist George Li, 14, is the Winner of the Cooper Competition

George Li, a 14-year-old pianist from Lexington, Massachusetts, is the first-prize winner of the inaugural Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition. His stellar performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, with Jahja Ling conducting The Cleveland Orchestra in Severance Hall on Friday, July 30,  brought the week-long piano competition, held at Oberlin, to an exciting climax. It also brought Li the top prize of $10,000, one of the largest awards offered by an international youth competition. The prize includes concert engagements with orchestras in Beijing and Shanghai, China, and a full, four-year scholarship to the conservatory. The Cooper Competition is presented by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Cleveland Orchestra. Listeners of National Public Radio can look forward to a feature about the Cooper Competition in the days to come. Noah Adams, senior correspondent for NPR's national desk and veteran co-host of "All Things Considered," spent time on the Oberlin campus this past week documenting the experiences of the participants, their parents, and the judges.

The Top Three Finalists of the Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition Perform Tonight with the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall

Forty-three young pianists arrived in Oberlin on July 22 to embark on an intense, high-stakes endeavor: the Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition, which began elimination rounds on July 23. After nearly a week of competition, three emerged to claim the top spots and a performance tonight with the Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by Jahja Ling, in Severance Hall. The top three finalists are John Chen, 16, of Leesburg, Virginia; George Li, 14, of Lexington, Massachusetts; and Kate Liu, 16, of Chicago, Illinois. They were selected Wednesday, July 28, at the conclusion of the competition’s solo finals round, and will present their full concerti tonight. The performance begins at 8 p.m. and is broadcast live on 104.9-FM WCLV, with a simulcast at www.wclv.com.

The Thomas and Evon Cooper Competition Takes Place July 23-30

Hear 40 of the most promising young pianists in the world give the performances of their lives, and experience the excitement when three of them reach the finals of the Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition and one of the world's most beautiful concert halls, Severance Hall. They will perform there with the internationally acclaimed Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by Jahja Ling of the San Diego Symphony. Presented by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Cleveland Orchestra, the Cooper Competition takes place July 23 through July 30. In addition to the chance to perform with the internationally acclaimed ensemble, the competition features more than $20,000 in prize money. The first-prize winner will take home $10,000, one of the largest awards offered by an international youth competition, and will receive concert engagements with orchestras in Beijing and Shanghai, China. Moreover, the top three competitors will be awarded full four-year scholarships to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, pending admission, that are valued at more than $100,000 each. The Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition is sponsored by Thomas and Evon Cooper, who reside near Boston.

Acclaimed Baroque Musician Kathryn Montoya ’99 Joins Conservatory Faculty

Dean of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music David H. Stull has announced the appointment of Kathryn Montoya as assistant professor of recorder and baroque oboe, effective July 1, 2010. "I am thrilled to return to Oberlin and work again with this wonderful faculty in the dynamic atmosphere that so well prepared me to flourish in the professional music world," says Montoya, a graduate of Oberlin's Historical Performance Program. "It is a great privilege to be back, and I hope to extend to my own students the same generous preparation that I received at Oberlin."

Baritone Timothy LeFebvre Joins Voice Faculty

Dean of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music David H. Stull has announced the appointment of baritone Timothy LeFebvre as associate professor of singing at the conservatory. LeFebvre, who previously was assistant professor of voice at Binghamton University, becomes an official member of Oberlin’s voice faculty on July 1, 2010.

Wendell Logan, Legendary Founder of Oberlin’s Jazz Studies Department, Dies at 69

Wendell Logan, who arrived at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 1973 to build, from the ground up, one of the most respected jazz studies programs in the United States, died on Tuesday, June 15, 2010, in Cleveland, Ohio. He was 69 years old. Logan was Professor of African American Music and Chair of Oberlin’s Jazz Studies Department, which he founded. Throughout his distinguished career as composer, performer, and educator, he received numerous commissions and won many awards, including the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship and the Cleveland Arts Prize in Music. "This is a tremendous loss to our community and the world of music,” says Dean of the Conservatory David H. Stull. “Wendell Logan’s profound impact on our lives, and his work as an artist and teacher, will continue to influence generations of young musicians. He leaves a legacy of courage, accomplishment, artistry, and humanity that will be a permanent inspiration for us all.”

Kohl Building Celebration Weekend Captured in Words and Pictures

Where the Jazz Is: NEA Podcast with Dean David Stull

After being awarded the National Medal of Arts from President Obama and the National Endowment of the Arts in February, David Stull, Dean of Oberlin Conservatory of Music, sat down with the NEA’s Josephine Reed to talk about the Oberlin Conservatory of Music’s international footprint. The podcast released by the NEA covers topics ranging from successful Oberlin graduates spread throughout the professional music world, to the new Bertram and Judith Kohl Building, to the high number of international students at Oberlin Conservatory and an explosion of jazz in China.

Listen to the podcast

James Neumann

The James and Susan Neumann Jazz Collection

The Conservatory is Awarded the 2009 National Medal of Arts

The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a recipient of the 2009 National Medal of Arts, the highest award given by the United States government to artists and arts patrons in recognition of the wealth and depth of their creative expressions. President Barack Obama presented the award to Dean of the Conservatory David H. Stull at a White House ceremony on Thursday, February 25, in the East Room. The White House has produced a video of the event. A gala dinner celebrating the honorees, sponsored by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, took place the previous evening at the National Museum of American History. Oberlin College President Marvin Krislov, Robert Lemle ’75, chair of Oberlin College’s Board of Trustees, and trustee Stewart Kohl ’77 were in attendance.