Manhattan School of Music: Leading the Way to a Better Sounding Future
Earlier this summer, the Manhattan School of Music community gathered for their annual Gala at the magnificent Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Plaza, which was music to the ears of their many esteemed and notable guests in attendance. The festivities were in celebration of the success of MSM’s Opera Program this past year and in honor of long-time MSM Board of Trustees members Marcia Clay Hamilton and Edward Lowenthal, who have both made lifelong contributions to the school and its mission.
The Gala which was hosted by Richard Gaddes (HonDMA’17), a former General Director of the Santa Fe Operate, and Melissa Wegner (MM ’05), Executive Director of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and Laffont Competition, included breathtaking performances from current students and MSM alumni. J’Nai Bridges (BM’09), a mezzo-soprano and two-time Grammy Award winner, performed for the warm crowd along with Bernie Williams (BM’16), a former New York Yankee center-fielder and Latin Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist. These riveting sets were followed by performances from recent graduates Le Bu (BM ’22) and Daniel Rich (MM’19). Le Bu, bass-baritone and winner of the 2022 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera this season as a Flemish Deputy in Don Carlo. Daniel Rich, baritone and winner of the inaugural New York City Opera/MSM Duncan WIlliams Voice Competition, will sing in two revival productions this season taking on the roles of Paris in Gounod’s “Romeo & Juliette” and the Grammy award winning “Fire Shut Up In My Bones” by Blanchard as Chester.
The success and talent of these alumni is a testament to their alma mater’s excellence and prestige. Located at 130 Claremont Avenue, MSM has been at the forefront of musical education for decades. Originally founded by Janet Daniels Schenck in 1918, MSM is renowned for its over 1,000 prodigious undergraduate and graduate students who hail from more than 50 countries. These musicians are a product of the school’s innovative curricula, which uses five key undergraduate programs to specialize and teach students. Through the classical, jazz arts, musical theater, contemporary performance, and orchestral performance programs, undergraduate and graduate students are able to excel and develop with the help of their peers and professors who are all highly regarded in the industry. Musicians from the Met Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, as well as the upper echelons of the jazz and Broadway world teach countless students on a yearly basis. This pedagogical approach, however, is nothing without the school’s nearly 600 live, in person performances throughout the academic year. Here, students are able to showcase their
talents to an audience and gain real performative experience. The schools’ curricula and shows are inseparable. This is just one of the many reasons why MSM has been at the helm of music education globally. The curricula, which is centered around performance and musical exploration, works in conjunction with the school’s robust alumni network which features distinguished, award-winning graduates who are easily accessible. At MSM, the possibilities are endless, and students are dared to challenge themselves and test the boundaries of their craft.
The school’s immersive and remarkable curricula is also present in their other programs and offerings. MSM’s pre-college program, which teaches students 5-18 in classical, jazz, and musical theater, helps young and promising musicians expand their horizons and develop technically and personally. Currently, the school has 475 students enrolled in the pre-college program, and this number is only growing. Recently, Judith Insell, a teacher at the pre-college program, won an advocacy award from the Jazz Journalist Association for her work leading the Bronx Arts Ensemble. MSM also has another 2,000 students in its Distance Learning Program, which was launched in 1996 and offers private instruction, seminars, and master classes for students all around the world. This cutting-edge program also encompasses younger students and community audiences through its offshoot, Music Bridges.
With the 2023-2024 academic year schedule release, the MSM community is teeming with excitement at the arrival of the class of 2027 and the upcoming performances this fall and winter.
