Bard College's Longy School of Music Calls for 100-Second Compositions in Honor of Centennial Celebration

On September 25, the Longy School of Music of Bard College will kick off its centennial a full academic year of more than 100 events in honor of 100 years as a bold conservatory with a social imperative of preparing musicians to make a difference in the world.

The year-long celebration will feature world premieres of new works by emerging composers performed by the Longy Conservatory Orchestra and Longy's Sistema Side by Side Orchestra, and the debut of a new Longy in the City concert series that will place students and faculty in popular and non-traditional venues throughout the Greater Boston area. The festivities will be punctuated by dynamic showcases connecting progressive trends in music from the past 100 years to today's ever-evolving fields of music performance and teaching artistry. For regular updates on the full list of centennial activities, visit longy.edu/Longy100.

Longy's centennial will also feature a call for scores and video performances of 100-second pieces of music inspired by Longy's 100 years at the forefront of rigorous musical instruction, and the vision of its founder, Georges Longy. Mssr. Longy, an eminent musician who was principal oboist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for nearly three decades, opened the Longy School of Music in 1915 to provide a new and innovative model for comprehensive training in musicianship and performance in the Boston area. The winning scores and video submissions will be featured and promoted during Longy's centennial festivities throughout 2015-2016. Details on submissions and deadlines will appear on longy.edu/Longy100 when the call officially begins on June 10, 2015.

The Community and Key Partners Embrace Longy During Centennial Season

While Longy's administrators, faculty and students are putting the final touches on the centennial celebrations, the community is also recognizing their neighbor's upcoming milestone and achievements. Longy was recently named Nonprofit of the Year by the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, and the Harvard Square Business Association presented Longy with their Cornerstone Award, "in recognition of [Longy's] commitment to nurturing students, making music, and sharing the power and beauty of that exquisite combination for the world to enjoy for the past hundred years."

In a show of financial support, Longy has been awarded three major grants totaling $185,000 during the 2015 spring semester: a grant of $100,000 by the Cambridge Historical Commission, $70,000 by the Presser Foundation, and $15,000 by the National Endowment for the Arts. Funds will be used for library renovations, to support educational initiatives and for renovations to the Zabriskie House, which has been Longy's main campus building since 1937.

Longy is on the Menu

All around Cambridge, Longy is on the menu -- truly. Mr. Bartley's Gourmet Burgers is now offering a Longy Burger. The new drink menu at Nubar in the Sheraton Commander features the Longy 100, an updated take on the classic French 75 cocktail, and the Longy Special at the Harvard House of Pizza is one of their famous pies covered in eggplant, spinach and mozzarella.

Founded in 1915, Longy School of Music of Bard College is a degree-granting institution that serves approximately 250 graduate and undergraduate students at its conservatory in Cambridge, MA and Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) campus in Los Angeles, CA. Through immersive project-based learning experiences, including its Teaching Artist and Pedagogy programs, and innovative, collaborative performance opportunities, Longy prepares musicians to make a difference in the world.

In 2012, Longy and Bard College, a leader in progressive education that shares Longy's social mission, partnered with the Los Angeles Philharmonic to form Take a Stand, an initiative to support social change through music in the United States. This objective is carried out in Cambridge through Sistema Side by Side, a new kind of orchestra that pairs students from local El Sistema-inspired music programs alongside their mentors from the Longy Conservatory Orchestra. In addition, Longy students spend more than 1,800 hours in public schools, El Sistema-inspired music programs, assisted-living facilities, and other similar community centers throughout the Boston area. In Los Angeles, the mission of social change is embedded in the MAT in Music curriculum, which, established in 2013, is the first accredited degree program based on the principles of El Sistema.

Longy offers an Undergraduate Diploma, a Bachelor of Music degree (with Emerson College), a Master of Music degree, a Master of Music degree with Emphasis on Historical Performance, a Master of Arts in Teaching in Music degree, a Graduate Performance Diploma, an Artist Diploma, and Dalcroze Certificate and License. Areas of study include Chamber Music, Composition, Dalcroze Eurythmics, Early Music, Instrumental Studies, Modern American Music, Opera, and Vocal Performance.

During the 2015-2016 academic year, Longy will be celebrating its centennial with over 100 free performances and events. For more information, go to longy.edu/Longy100.

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