Artist Sharon Horvath, Purchase College Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing, Receives Fulbright and Will Travel to India

Purchase College professor and artist Sharon Horvath finds the visual power and intimacy of traditional Indian painting inspiring. With a desire to study the technique, she will spend four months of her 2013–14 sabbatical in India as a Fulbright US Scholar.

“I wish to further my work as an artist through a study of Ragamala, a tradition of miniature painting intended as a visual manifestation of music and poetry,” she says.

The word ragamala translates as “garland of melodies” and the genre dates back to the 16th century. The paintings attempt to translate the emotion of a particular raga, or classical Indian melody, into intensely colored pictorial compositions.

“Their erotic subject matter was understood as metaphor for the yearning that characterized the relationship between human and divine in the realm of Hindu spirituality,” she adds.

“I will spend four months studying the use of natural pigments and dyes in the tradition of Ragamala paintings and in the practice of contemporary artists and scholars with similar interests,” says Horvath. She plans to use social media and blogging to create a cross-cultural network of artists.

Furthermore, by participating in a traditional painting school, she hopes to understand a different paradigm of teacher/student relationship. Horvath is an associate professor of painting and drawing who’s taught at Purchase College for seven years and served as the head of the painting and drawing board of study for the last three.

Horvath has a number of professional distinctions including a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship for Painting; the Rome Prize Fellowship in Painting from the American Academy of Rome; the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award from The American Academy of Arts and Letters; and the Hassam, Speicher, Betts and Symons Purchase Award from The American Academy of Arts and Letters.

While in India, she’ll be affiliated with the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in the northwestern state of Gujarat, and the Kriti Gallery Residency in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, a state in the north.

Referring to her Fulbright award, she says, “I’m exhilarated. I know it will change me.” Upon her return, she intends to create and show a new body of work. “My goal is to change, to transform my work in unforeseen ways, to be inspired.”

More here about Purchase College School of Art+Design

Purchase College Professor and Alum David Grill ’86 Earns Two Emmy Nominations

Purchase College professor and alum David Grill ’86, co-coordinator of the theater design/technology program, just reached a new level in his already storied career. On July 18, he received two Emmy nominations in the same category.         Nominated twice in the category Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special for his work as lighting director on the PBS’ Great Performances presentation Andrea Bocelli: Love In Portofino and for the Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show featuring Beyoncé, this is Grill’s first double-award nomination ever. (He was previously nominated in 2008 and 2012, and won an Emmy for Outstanding Lighting Direction in 2002 for his work on the XIX Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.)        Whether lighting the renowned tenor in a town square in the famed Italian fishing village or the pop icon on stage with a combined live and television audience in the millions, Grill brings the same desire for excellence to every project. His goal is always the same: to bring the experience home to the television viewers. “No matter what you do you are constantly asking yourself what can be done better, more interestingly, and all within a finite amount of time,” he says.          “Dave’s continuing accomplishments as a top-flight lighting designer make us all incredibly proud and validates what we already know—that he’s a consummate professional and a leader in his field,” says Greg Taylor, Director of the Conservatory of Theatre Arts. “Purchase College students are so fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from him.”         Grill earned his BFA in theatre design at Purchase College in 1986. He’s taught at Purchase since 1998, and currently also serves as co-coordinator of the design/technology program.         Grill is joined by Purchase College alum Edie Falco ’86, who received a 2013 Emmy nomination in the category Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy, and former student Melissa Leo, nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Photo by Chad Kraus Click here for more information about Purchase College

Prestigious Fiske Guide to Colleges Features Purchase College in 2014 Edition

Purchase College has been selected for inclusion in the 2014 edition of The Fiske Guide to Colleges based on the college’s strength in areas such as academics, arts and culture, social life, financial aid, campus environment, extracurricular activities and more.

The selective guide, compiled by former New York Times education editor Edward B. Fiske, includes just over 300 colleges and universities out of over 7,000 higher education institutions in the U.S.

According to the description in the 2014 guide, Purchase College has an “academic environment that provides a strong sense of community and support, yet celebrates individuals for their unique talents and contributions.”

Quoting a literature major, the guide says:  “There’s a raw energy that exists on campus – in the students and professors – that I don’t think many colleges have.”

Dennis Craig, Purchase College vice president of Enrollment Management and Marketing, noted that inclusion of Purchase College in the prestigious Fiske Guide “validates the fact that we are providing a well-rounded offering for students, one that allows students to ‘Think Wide Open’ and provides an excellent education in an environment that offers a very good quality of life.”

Craig added that being featured in The Fiske Guide “enhances the reputation of Purchase College and comes at the opportune time when many high school juniors and seniors are making decisions on where to further their education.”

The Fiske Guide to Colleges, published for the past 30 years and cited by USA Today as the “best college guide you can buy,” is designed to give a selective, subjective and systematic look at colleges, seeking to give readers the real personality of the institutions based on a wide range of subjects. Research, accompanied by testimonials from students, provides helpful and honest information about academic climates and courses.

 For more information about Purchase College, visit www.purchase.edu

First National Youth Orchestra Prepares for Global Tour During Rigorous Training Residency at Purchase College

The first National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) is preparing for its upcoming tour by undergoing a rigorous two-week training residency at the Purchase College campus.

The NYO-USA, created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, is a major new, tuition-free initiative that has brought together 120 of the most talented orchestral players ages 16-19 from across the country. Representing 42 states and more than 100 cities and towns, the young musicians have all been recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest nationwide, following a comprehensive audition process.

During their two-week residency, running June 30 through July 11, orchestra members will use the Purchase College Performing Arts Center (PAC) and the Conservatory of Music’s rehearsal studios while undergoing training, rehearsals, and mentoring led by section leaders from top American orchestras.

Purchase College is a key partner in Carnegie’s new initiative and the NYO-USA marks the beginning of an ongoing partnership in which the two organizations will share resources and explore collaborations in support of their missions and advancement of shared educational goals.

“This partnership between Purchase College and Carnegie Hall began about two years ago when we received a call from Carnegie Hall seeing if we had an interest in this project,” said Harry McFadden, director of the PAC. “Our president, Thomas J. Schwarz (a member of the Advisory Council of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute) moved this forward and a great partnership was born.” McFadden said other sites were considered, “but Carnegie Hall really liked our facilities and found the college extremely conducive to this program and its participants.”

Capping the students’ stay at Purchase College, world-renowned conductor Valery Gergiev will lead the NYO-USA in its first public performance at the PAC this Thursday, July 11. The performance will feature acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell and is open to the public. Tickets currently available here.

The orchestra then heads off on tour, starting at Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, July 13, continuing overseas for two concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg; and ending with a concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Sunday, July 21, which WQXR will broadcast on July 27 at 5:00 p.m. at wqxr.org.

PHOTO: Jeffrey Turner, Principal Bass with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, leads a bass sectional. In the background is Purchase College PAC’s famed 30-foot-tall Flentrop tracker organ, one of the largest Flentrop instruments in the eastern US. The NYO-USA bass section (from left to right) Sebastian Zinca, Colton Kelley, Andrew Downs, Santiago Olaguibel, Jacob Warren, William Langlie-Miletich, Ahmer’e Blackman, Andrew Sommer, and Matthew Burg. Photo: Chris Lee

 

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo Appears at Purchase College

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo made an appearance at Purchase College today to laud the success of the just-completed 2013 New York State legislative session and to perform a ceremonial signing of the law that passed last week establishing tax-free zones on and around SUNY campuses to encourage new business in New York State.

In front of approximately 300 guests—including local and state lawmakers and officials—Purchase College President Thomas J. Schwarz welcomed the Governor to campus and thanked him for what he and the state legislature are doing to help SUNY campuses.

During his speech, Governor Cuomo detailed the accomplishments of the 2013 legislative session including the approval of START-UP New York, which the Governor called a “game changer” that will transform SUNY campuses and university communities across the state into tax-free communities.

Stressing his overarching goals of social progress and fiscal responsibility, the Governor noted the session accomplished a third straight balanced, on-time budget; provided tax relief for middle-class families; provided tax cuts for businesses; and passed both the New York Safe Act and the upstate New York Gaming Economic Development Act, the latter to establish four destination gaming resorts in upstate New York to boost tourism.

Click here for more information about Purchase College

Work by Purchase College Rising Senior Lauren Britton Selected for Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition

Lauren Britton, Sinking Ship, 2012, acrylic and oil on canvas, 3×4 ft., courtesy of the artist

The works of art selected for showcase in this year’s Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition were announced last week and a painting by Purchase College rising senior Lauren Britton, a double major in Painting & Drawing and Art History, was among them.

Britton received an Honorable Mention award for her painting Sinking Ship from 2012. The boat in the three-by-four foot painting is an allegory for self, an ongoing theme in her work at the time. “Sometimes the boat was floating along, sometimes it was sinking and sometimes it had capsized all together. The struggle in these paintings was often to keep the boat afloat…” she explains via email.

As Sinking Ship progressed, she turned a capsized boat into one merely sinking by making a radical move. “I physically flipped the canvas to reflect that change in thought,” she says. Although the boat is taking on water, she painted a ladder as an escape route for both herself and the viewer. “I trust my hand and my intuition to make decisions while making my work, and I often try to listen to my unconscious mind,” reads her artist statement.

“The Best of SUNY art exhibition showcases works created by our top student artists from colleges and universities across New York over the past year,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “This annual exhibit at the Museum has become a must-see attraction in our state’s capital city. Congratulations to each of this year’s winners and to all of the students with art on display in this exhibit.” The exhibition is on view through September 15 at the New York State Museum in Albany.

Currently studying at the Siena Arts Institute in Siena, Italy, Britton is the using four-week intensive program to build her portfolio and push herself as an artist. “Working in new ways is something I am always being pushed to do while I have been in Siena. The diverse international community that has formed around this program continually offers a new way of looking at work that has been both exciting and refreshing,” she explains.

The Fairport, NY native also thrives in the close-knit community here at Purchase College, which drove not only her prolific year in the studio, but her level of work. “In this super-close community at Purchase College, it becomes all about trying to find the best way to make your work. This kind of community spirit is what makes Purchase amazing to me,” she adds.

Britton is a research assistant at two galleries in Manhattan, and looks forward to taking a year off to do residencies after graduation before heading to graduate school.

Click here  for more information about Purchase College

Neuberger Museum of Art at Purchase College Exhibition “Pre-Columbian Remix” Featured on PBS Channel Thirteen’s NYC-ARTS

The current exhibition at  Neuberger Museum of Art at Purchase College:  Pre-Columbian Remix: The Art of Enrique Chagoya, Demián Flores, Rubén Ortiz-Torres, and Nadín Ospina, on view through July 14, was featured on the Thursday, June 20 episode of NYC-ARTS on PBS.

Visit neuberger.org for more information about the exhibition.

NYC-ARTS is the multi-platform guide to arts and culture in New York and airs Thursday nights at 8 pm on THIRTEEN. The weekly NYC-ARTS program is co-hosted by Philippe de Montebello and Paula Zahn–both 2011 Emmy Award winners –with cultural news reporting by Christina Ha.

Click here to watch the News segment.

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Five Purchase College Community Members Received Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence,

Congratulations to five Purchase College community members who received Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence, announced by SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher.

“SUNY employs an exemplary body of faculty and staff across the state and the annual presentation of these awards underscores our deep appreciation for those who serve SUNY campuses, students, and communities with the highest levels of distinction,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees.”

The list of recipients and their respective categories follows.

Flori Krivit / Classified Service / Grade Specialist, Registrar’s Office

John Mastracchio / Professional Service / 2-D/Print Media Instructional Support Specialist

Michael Lobel / Scholarship and Creative Activities / Professor of Art History

Karen Singer-Freeman / Teaching / Associate Professor of Psychology

Aviva Taubenfeld / Teaching / Associate Professor of Literature and Writing

About the Awards

The Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence are presented annually to faculty and staff in six categories: Faculty Service, Librarianship, Professional Service, Scholarship and Creative Activities, Teaching, and Classified Service.

The honor provides system-wide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and encourages the ongoing pursuit of excellence.

Through these awards, SUNY publicly proclaims its pride in the accomplishment and personal dedication of its instructional faculty, librarians, and staff across its 64 campuses and System Administration.

Individuals selected for this honor are role models within the SUNY community. In 2012–13, 312 faculty and staff members received Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence.

For a complete list, click here.

Click here for more about Purchase College

Purchase College Students Granted Private Audience with His Holiness, The Dalai Lama

A group of 16 students currently in India participating in a Purchase College study-abroad program were honored a few days ago when they were granted a private audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet.

The students—participating in a summer study abroad program led by Purchase College professor Suzanne Ironbiter—had been attending a four-day teaching with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India, and were then granted the private audience where he told them: “Our religion is about love and compassion, and the practice of non-violence.”

“This was a huge honor and something that just doesn’t happen very often,” said Deirdre Sato, director of International Programs and Services at Purchase College. “One of the students even got a press pass and was allowed to take photos of His Holiness, which is quite unusual.”

The students—selected via an application process—are studying under the direction of master artisans in wood painting and Thangka painting at the Norbulingka Institute in northern India. The group is also studying Tibetan Buddhist philosophy with Professor Ironbiter.

The study abroad program includes trips to Dharamsala cultural and social service organizations, a Himalayan journey to Ladakh, and a trek on the Tibetan plateau. Purchase students are also paired with Tibetan students studying at the Norbulingka Institute, enriching their understanding of Tibetan culture and the exile community in Northern India. Purchase students had their audience with Tenzin Gyatso, who is the 14th Dalai Lama, on June 4. The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet. Bodhisattvas are believed to be enlightened beings who have postponed their own nirvana and chosen to take rebirth in order to serve humanity.

On June 11, the students are scheduled to have a private audience with the Karmapa— also considered an incarnation of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara—for which they are currently preparing questions.

The Purchase student group left for India on May 29 and will return on July 5.

Picture courtesy of the office of HH the Dalai Lama.

Click here for more about Purchase College study abroad programs.

Purchase College Professor Peter Denenberg is a Living Textbook

Photo: Elliot Denenberg

A self-described “living textbook” on music producing, engineering, and mixing, Purchase College Professor Peter Denenberg has professionally prevailed through the conversion from analog to digital and the industry upheaval that’s ensued. He brings a lifetime of experience and industry connections to his role as chair of both the studio production and studio composition programs in the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College.

Denenberg opened his own recording studio in 1979, well before digital was even a bleep on the music industry’s radar. As the digital revolution arrived, Denenberg’s Studio— ACME Recording Studios in Mamaroneck, NY—fully embraced the new technology, recognizing the imperative to keep up with industry demands.

ACME continues to reign among the region’s hottest studios. Denenberg has worked on Grammy- and Academy-award winning projects, and the list of artists whose music he’s produced, engineered, is vast—Joan Osborne, Martin Sexton, Boz Scaggs, and Sloan Wainwright, to name just a few. He produced the first four Spin Doctors albums, including Pocket Full of Kryptonite, which sold 10 million copies globally.

At ACME, Denenberg also records and mixes “Peak Performances,” a series presented by regional radio station 107.1 The Peak that draws both breakthrough and long-standing artists into the studio for exclusive shows.

Following several years of teaching master classes for Purchase, Denenberg joined the Conservatory of Music faculty full-time in 2011. When he teaches The History of Recorded Music II, which begins in the 50s and 60s, he draws largely on personal experience. “I was born, and then they made Sgt. Pepper, and then the process of recording music changed from a documentary process to all of this stuff [recording equipment] becoming an instrument also,” Denenberg explains. “Of course the Internet is a wonderful resource and there’s a bunch of writing on this, but when you’ve lived through it, a class can go anywhere because you remember all of this.”

He maintains an extensive network of industry professionals who enthusiastically share their wisdom in the classrooms and studios at Purchase. Legendary guitar maker Paul Reed Smith has lectured, as well as Deep Purple’s bassist Roger Glover, who went further beyond by donating equipment to the studios.

“It’s important that me and all of the other people who teach are still practicing professionals and not just old farts who went to teach college,” he remarks. This reflects Denenberg’s plan for the curriculum. “We want exciting people that will inspire these students. We want stars.” One “talented and exciting” person Denenberg has brought to campus has decided to stay. Chris Barron, the lead singer of the Spin Doctors, taught for the first time last semester, and next fall he’ll be teaching master classes, an ensemble class, and in the spring he’ll teach Lyric Writing.

Given the paradigm shift in the music business, teaching students about navigating the music business has changed considerably in recent years. Success may come in any number of ways, including via music licensing for commercials. “Twenty years ago, it was not cool to align yourself with a corporate entity. It’s a different situation now. So rather than trying to get a record deal and sell records, it’s kind of about getting your music out there and doing some clever licensing with it,” he explains.

Click here to read about current student Elijah Wolf-Christensen whose music was used in a Subaru commercial last spring.

Talent and discipline are now more important than ever, because the threshold has just been crossed where limitations no longer exist. “We do not run out of tracks, we do not run out space. We pick up terra byte hard drives along with eggs, milk, and orange juice on the way out of Costco, whereas five years ago that would be unthinkable. If you don’t develop an ability to keep on a path and work your way through to the finish, you’ll never finish.”

Click here for more about Purchase College studio production and studio composition programs.