LEVINE'S MARYLAND CAMPUS TO MOVE TO THE MUSIC CENTER AT STRATHMORE

On January 3, 2005, Levine's Maryland Campus will open the door to its new home at the Music Center at Strathmore on Rockville Pike in North Bethesda, after 10 years at its Kensington location. As the principal tenant of the Education Center at Strathmore, with 50 faculty members and more than 575 students, Levine will offer extended morning programs in early childhood music, daytime home school courses, chamber music, private instruction and in the fall of 2005, music technology courses. Levine is excited to join the Music Center, along with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, CityDance Ensemble, Strathmore, Washington Performing Arts Society, Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra and the National Philharmonic.

Levine will celebrate the first day of classes at its new location with free musical performances, tours and refreshments for students, their families and the community beginning at 4:00 pm on January 3. Families will be able to register for classes and lessons during the festivities.

Levine's opening concert at the Music Center will be a narrated musical/dance performance of Sergei Prokofiev's Peter & The Wolf, on Saturday, February 26 at noon. This will be the Music Center at Strathmore's first collaborative musical event. Levine's faculty members will play the Prokofiev's score as arranged by Levine flutist Aniko Debreceny, with CityDance Ensemble members portraying the characters through the choreography of its Artistic and Executive Director Paul Gordon Emerson.

Other Levine programs scheduled for the Music Center at Strathmore include 'S Wonderful: An American Extravaganza," a concert of Gershwin's much-loved compositions, including songs from "Porgy and Bess," on May 6 at 4 pm. There will also be a Community Sing! led by the charismatic Dr. Ysaye Maria Barnwell on April 14 at 7 PM, a Black Tie Friday Nighter for Levine adult students on April 22 and many student recitals throughout the year.

LEVINE LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAM FOR ADULTS; AWARDED GRANT FOR NEW HORIZONS BAND AT ARLINGTON CAMPUS

This fall, Levine created a new program for adults entitled A Little Day Music^TM. It was created not only to bring new and exciting activities into the lives of adults but also to help them stay in shape both mentally and physically. Recent research conducted by Gene C. Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center on Aging, Health and Humanities at the George Washington University, has shown that participation in professionally led cultural programs, especially music, improves health, well-being and boosts morale. The group music courses at our Northwest, Maryland and Virginia campuses are weekdays from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Music lovers are enjoying participating in large singing ensembles, the New Horizons Band, chamber music, music appreciation courses, as well as a FREE monthly performance given by adult students called MusicaliTEA! None of the ensembles require an audition and are open to beginners! John Harms, a member of the program's Sing, Sing, Swing! Chorale, exclaims, "The two [courses] I have enrolled in have already raised my spirits, as well as my singing voice." For more information on A Little Day Music, contact Lisa Shaw, Director of Adult Programs at (202) 686-8000, ext. 1127 or lshaw@levineschool.org.

The New Horizons Band is an ensemble open to any adult interested in trying a new instrument or who may have played in the past and are returning after several decades. The Levine School of Music was recently awarded a $10,000 grant to support the launch of the band program at its Arlington campus by NAMM, The International Music Products Association. Faculty member Paul Norris will conduct the band.

The New Horizons program was founded in 1992 at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, and the New Horizons concept applies to adults typically over the age of 50 in large band programs as well as smaller ensembles such as stage bands, Dixie bands, orchestras and chamber music groups. The program currently involves more than 75 New Horizons Bands in the United States and Canada.

NEW APPOINTMENTS AT LEVINE

Since September, Levine has welcomed several new members to its staff and faculty. Joining as the new Director of Education/Dean of School is Amy Parks, most recently coordinator of the Peabody Institute's nationally known Elderhostel Program. Amy has had a multifaceted career as a music educator, an arts administrator and professional classical musician. She has a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Delaware and a Master of Music in Horn Performance from the Peabody Conservatory. In addition to managing the Elderhostel Program, she has extensive administrative experience stemming from her twelve years with the Peabody Institute and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO). Amy has also performed extensively at major venues including the Kennedy Center, and has performed with numerous symphony orchestras, including the BSO.
 

"I think Levine is a great place and want to be part of it," said Amy Parks, in an interview with eight-year-old Dorothy Hastings, a Levine flute student of Rebecca Collaros.

Also recently hired is Montrose Cones as the new Director of Levine's soon-to-be new location in Anacostia at THE ARC (Town Hall Education, Arts and Recreation Campus), which opens in the spring of 2005. Montrose has an extensive background in advising, coaching, teaching and performing. Her theatrical experience includes performances on stage, cinema, live theater, storytelling and television. As a consultant, Ms. Cones has served museums, foundations, school systems, non-profits, law firms, legal associations, theaters, university graduate programs, federal agencies and private industry. "We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Cones to this key leadership position. She brings a vast array of experiences that will surely fit in with the various partner organizations that will also be a sharing space in THE ARC," said Peter Jablow, President & CEO of Levine. Montrose earned her undergraduate degree in Theater Arts and Education from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in Museum Education from George Washington University, and a Master of Science degree in Organization Development from American University.

In the music technology department, composer Robert Fair has come on board to teach studio recording and sound editing. Robert has composed music for numerous feature films and television productions and won the best original score for the film "Subatomic Voyage" at the 1982 NYU Film Festival in Manhattan. He composed music for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and in 1988 composed the music for Josef Albers' "The Interaction of Color," at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. In 1995, he was nominated for an Emmy for his sound design work on the National Geographic film, "Siberian Tigers." In 1999, Robert won a Telly Award for his original score for the film, "Escape From A Living Hell", for The History Channel. Robert continues to compose and is expanding into recording and producing other artists.