Continuing its yearlong series of 80th anniversary celebrations, the Music Conservatory of Westchester will hold a Faculty Honors and Tribute Concert on Saturday, December 5, to recognize the illustrious contributions of Lisa Deutsch to the cultural life of Westchester and celebrate the remarkable work of four Conservatory faculty members. The special evening of music and celebration features performances by renowned classical musicians and honors longtime faculty members Juliet Gopoian (of Hartsdale), Dorothy Jonas (of White Plains), Harold Jones (of Manhattan), and David Krieger (of Pleasantville) with the Conservatory’s 2009 Teaching Awards. The evening will also mark the formal dedication of the newly installed Faculty Recognition Wall in honor of Lisa Deutsch (of Armonk), who joined the Music Conservatory in 1998 and became Executive Director in 2001.
A visionary leader for a number of Westchester arts organizations, Deutsch spearheaded the school’s $7.8 million Building Dreams Campaign, a drive to support the construction of the Conservatory’s current home at 216 Central Avenue. The Lisa Deutsch Faculty Recognition Wall features photographs of each of the Conservatory’s 80 faculty members.
“We are so pleased to honor Lisa for her years of outstanding leadership, especially during the completion of the Conservatory’s Building Dreams Campaign,” said Carol Shiffman, Executive Director of the Music Conservatory of Westchester. “Her dedication and drive were instrumental in transforming our school into a vibrant hub of cultural activity, with its doors open to the entire community.”
Deutsch was also founding Executive Director of the New Orchestra of Westchester. She later returned there, again as Executive Director, and renamed the County’s professional symphony orchestra the Westchester Philharmonic. Deutsch was recently honored as the Association of Development Officers’ 2009 Fundraiser of the Year. She is currently Vice President for Marketing & Development at Guiding Eyes for the Blind, an international nonprofit guide dog school headquartered in Yorktown Heights. Last month, Deutsch returned to the Conservatory to serve on its Board of Trustees.
The Conservatory’s Teaching Awards, which will be presented following the Faculty Wall dedication, recognize four longtime faculty members who have consistently demonstrated excellence in teaching and musical artistry.
“The four faculty honorees are the finest examples of great teaching, consummate artistry, and dedication to their students. They epitomize our school’s educational values,” said Jean Newton, Dean of Students and Faculty. This year’s honorees have taught at the Conservatory between ten and thirty-five years.
Pianist Juliet Gopoian was born into a musical family in Teheran, Iran. After completing her musical studies at Julliard, Juliet established a private teaching studio while continuing to perform in solo and chamber concerts. She has been on the faculty of the Music Conservatory of Westchester for sixteen years and formerly served as Assistant Dean and coordinator of the piano department. Gopoian was a founding member of the Hitchcock Trio and an original board member of the Westchester Philharmonic. She has also served as co-chair of the New York State Music Teachers Association’s annual competition.
Native Texan Dorothy Jonas has been on the piano faculty at the Music Conservatory of Westchester for thirty years. A Julliard graduate, she has also taught at Trinity University and was staff pianist for the San Antonio Symphony. As a soloist, Jonas has appeared with major orchestras in the United States, Canada, and Europe. A member of the acclaimed Pierce-Jonas Duo with fellow Conservatory piano faculty member Joshua Pierce, Jonas has performed in Weil Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Cami Hall, and New York University. The Duo has also performed with the Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, London Sinfonetta, among others, as well as in a command performance for England’s Royal Family. They have recorded extensively, perform frequently on radio and television, and have received multiple Grammy nominations.
Chicago native Harold Jones came to New York to audition for the Juilliard School and was awarded a full scholarship. He has served on the flute faculty of the Music Conservatory of Westchester for over thirty-five years. A consummate teacher, Jones is also a faculty member of Manhattanville College, Manhattan School of Music, and the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College. In New York, he has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey Dance Company, American Symphony Orchestra, and many others. Jones has played in numerous Broadway shows, toured nationally and internationally, and has recorded extensively. He is the founder and Artistic Director of The Antara Ensemble.
Born in Israel, cellist David Krieger is one of Westchester’s most sought-after teachers. After moving to the United States, he earned a masters degree from Peabody Conservatory on a full scholarship. Krieger has served on the Conservatory faculty for over ten years. David also teaches at Fordham University, and is affiliated with Columbia University and the Purchase College Conservatory of Music. He was a founding member, along with Conservatory faculty pianist Efrem Briskin, of the Emelin Trio and the SUMMIT Music Festival, an intensive summer program of pre-professional training for high school and college students. Krieger has toured extensively in the United States and Europe and is a former principal cellist of the Westchester Symphony. He began his professional career as first cellist and soloist with the Israel Kibbutz Orchestra.
The Faculty Honors and Tribute Concert begins at 7 p.m. in the Conservatory’s Helen Demetrios & Michael Stadther Recital Hall. A special pre-concert dinner with the honorees is also planned. Concert tickets are $50 ($100 for preferred seating) or $125 with dinner. Journal advertisements and sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Christine Meyer, Director of Development, at chris@musiced.orgThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .
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