History

• 1920s and 1930s
• 1940s and 1950s
• 1960s and 1970s
• 1980s and 1990s
• 2000s

1920s and 1930s

The dream of a conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio became a reality in April 1920 when a small group of founders each contributed $1000 to establish a "school of music where every type of student could find opportunity for the best musical education." Temporary studios at the Hotel Statler sufficed until a facility was found.

Willard M. Clapp was President of the Board. Faculty were already in place. Nathan Fryer, a pupil of Leschetizky, taught piano and ensemble. Cleveland Orchestra members, Louis Edlin, concertmaster, and Victor de Gomez, first cello, were hired. For a term of 24 weeks, at a cost ranging from $150 to $500, one could study an instrument, theory and composition, chorus singing or ensemble, and rhythm and eartraining.

By the second calendar year, Beryl Rubinstein (later, a Director) and Ruth Edwards (future chairman of the Preparatory piano department) had joined the piano faculty. The twenty-person faculty included AndrÇ de Ribaupierre, violin, Edwin Arthur Kraft, organ, Jean Binet, Dalcroze Eurhythmics and theory, and Roger Sessions, composer.

Moving to 2827 Euclid Avenue in November 1922, The Cleveland Institute of Music established a preparatory division "to awaken the feeling for rhythm and develop the sense of observation and discrimination." Dalcroze Eurhythmics took a central position at The Institute, having been taught for the past ten years throughout Europe. The two-year course in the "art of expressing musical ideas by means of bodily movements" was a requirement for all students at The Cleveland Institute of Music.

Mrs. Franklyn B. Sanders took over the directorship in 1926. Pianist Arthur Loesser joined the faculty that year. The first preparatory branch opened in 1927 at 2789 Lancashire Road in Cleveland Heights. "Too much importance cannot be placed upon the foundation of musical education. Children's courses, where the child is taught from the first steps through the preparatory and intermediate grades, form an important part of the courses offered at the Institute." Later, the Heights Branch was located at Cedar Road and Fairmount Boulevard, the Lakewood Branch at 15614 Detroit Avenue and the Brooklyn Branch at 3804 West 25th Street.

The School of Opera with Marcel Salzinger as director was instituted in 1927 to "give singers in this country the advantages of operatic training and experience." The Cleveland Plain Dealer said, "The Cleveland Institute of Music had a big surprise for its friends in the geniunely successful operatic performace of Cavalleria Rusticana." The Cleveland Press advised, "The demands of grand opera are numerous and exacting, but no detail had been overlooked...The Institute has reason to be proud of the success of the School of Opera."

The 1930s continued The Institute's success. Beryl Rubinstein took the helm in 1932, and the school moved into its new quarters in June in the Samuel Mather House at 2605 Euclid Avenue. Alice Chalifoux, harp, was now on the faculty and concertizing. The Annual Program of Music by Cleveland Composers featured works by Quincy Porter and Herbert Elwell, both on the CIM faculty. The Cleveland Trio, comprised of Beryl Rubinstein, piano, Josef Fuchs, violin, and Victor de Gomez, cello, performed regularly.

Upon Mr. Rubinstein's leave of absence in 1935, Mr. Elwell was appointed assistant director. The fifteenth season celebrated with 600 students and a faculty of forty. Boris Goldovsky was named head of the opera department in 1936, and the season of lectures, recitals and concerts numbered fifty. Preparatory students composed a 3-act operetta to the story of "Cinderella" and entertained 1400 concertgoers in April 1937.

A Bachelor of Music degree student paid $175 per semester in 1938-39 with lessons ranging from $1.50-$6.00. Percy W. Brown was President of the Board of Trustees of the college which was a charter member of the National Association of the Schools of Music.

1940s and 1950s

Headlines collided throughout the 40s and 50s, blaring news of World War II, while acquisition of new buildings at CIM and performances by distinguished faculty and students continued in Cleveland. This period was one of major growth for The Cleveland Institute of Music, surviving the depletion of its own forces to the war effort but burgeoning beyond its very walls, necessitating the eventual construction of CIM's present site at the end of the 1950s.

"We can keep the fiddles tuned and lick the Axis, too," yelled the Plain Dealer in January 1942. Off to war went Joseph Knitzer, chairman of the violin faculty, and students Seaman First Class Harold Fink, Sergeant Starling Cumberworth, Technical Sergeant Fred Popper, Corporal Reuben Caplin, and Private Fred Koch ("I'm a bugler. Yes, I'm fast becoming the hated man of the battery."). "War breaks up noted two-piano team"--Captain Beryl Rubinstein proceeded to coordinate the musical activities for the U.S. Army's Fifth Service Command, and Captain Arthur Loesser left The Institute soon thereafter.

In 1941, CIM moved from its quarters at 2605 Euclid Avenue to the Jacob D. Cox residence at 3411 Euclid Avenue. Recitals were held in the newly-constructed Willard Clapp Hall (named for the first President of The Institute), and Martha Sanders Hall arose from a converted carriage house in 1950. The house was deeded to the school in 1947 by Mr. Cox, his sister, Mrs. Cox Morrill, and her three children as a memorial to their mother and grandmother, Ellen Prentiss Cox. Mr. and Mrs. E.J. Kulas were major contributors with the Cleveland Foundation, the Louis D. Beaumont Trust and Radio Station WGAR.

Ward Lewis, theory faculty member, became dean in 1942, and upon Rubinstein's departure, became acting director in 1943. Heads of departments during the war years included noted performers, Leonard Rose, cello, and Leonard Shure, piano. The National Association of Schools of Music approved The Institute for graduate work in 1942.

By September 1945, CIM had reached its silver anniversary, which The Press described: "The Cleveland Institute of Music--now celebrating its 25th year--casts its long radiance not just over the city's music, where it has pre-eminent place, but over the whole intellectual life of the community." Ward Lewis, who was on leave of absence, radioed greetings over the BBC at the special concert which featured Beryl Rubinstein performing the Chopin Scherzo in C-sharp Minor, the same work which had been performed at the opening concert of The Institute. "Today the institute has 1000 students. That's quite a jump from the initial seven who made up the enrollment nearly a generation ago."

With the GI Bill in force, registration at CIM swelled the halls with students. Ten were added to the faculty in 1946, including Irvin Bushman, voice; Marcel Dick, theory; George Goslee, bassoon; James Ceasar, violin; and Maurice Sharp, flute. With fifty GIs in 1946, crucial building additions were necessary in 1946: new studios in the basement and on the third floor; a musical reference library, record collection and record-lending service; classrooms and practice studios. By the 1949-50 school year, The Institute had 919 students with 114 pursuing Bachelor and Master of Music degrees; 51 faculty members (14 Cleveland Orchestra personnel); and a music library with 3904 items and 306 albums in the Kulas Record Library.

Beryl Rubinstein died in December 1952, bringing an era to a close. The Press said, "Many people appreciated Beryl Rubenstein's musical gifts and achievements; but his closer associates best understood his acute sense of honor of responsibility, his artistic idealism and perfectionism, and his capacity for friendship." A $100,000 drive in his honor was announced by Frank Taplin, head of the Board of Trustees, for scholarships.

Ward Davenny became the new director in April 1954, with subsequent recitals and duo- piano appearances with Arthur Loesser. Throughout the 1950s, audiences were treated to performances by George Vassos, new voice faculty member, pianists Anton Kuerti, Marianne Matousek Mastics and Elizabeth Pastor, and operas directed by Sam Morgenstern, such as Puccini's La Rondine.

As the decade came to a close, Ernest Bloch died in July 1959, but his vision for a school of excellence was taking form in plans for a new building in University Circle. William C. Treuhaft was President of the Board of Trustees, and Martha Joseph was president of the Women's Committee.

1960s and 1970s

University Circle was still an infant when The Cleveland Institute of Music joined its few neighbors in the 1960s. Construction of the $2,165,000 building rated as one of the first under the University Circle Master Plan.

Schafer, Flynn & Williams, architects, designed the school to include thirty soundproof studios, eleven classrooms and twenty practice rooms. Plans called for a library, lockers, and an administrative area. Performances in the 525-seat concert hall with acoustics by Dr. Heinrich Keilholz would prevail after its opening on September 29, 1961.

William C. Treuhaft, President of the Board of Trustees, served as master of ceremonies at the ribbon cutting ceremony at 11021 East Boulevard with Victor Babin, new director of The Institute, already in Cleveland with his two-piano partner and wife, Vitya Vronsky. The duo opened the concert series of 1961-62 and enlivened Cleveland's cultural life for the decade to come, with their own performances and the visits of musical dignitaries, such as Gerard Souzay, Nadia Boulanger, Darius Milhaud, and Eleanor Steber.

The Institute was ever growing. By 1965, studio facilities needed to be expanded, and twenty new Steinway grand pianos arrived from New York. "We now have about 120 pianos, mostly Steinways, including two 9-foot concert grands," beamed Dr. Babin.

During the 1960s, Donald Erb was exploring the Moog Synthesizer and gaining national attention. BMI named Erb one of the ten most performed American-born composers. The electronic music studio, financed by Columbia Records, was built downstairs at CIM to train recording engineers. Two synthesizers were installed, attached to two speakers and two keyboards.

Groundbreaking for Le Pavillon, CIM's smaller concert hall, began in 1966 with funds donated through the Austin Memorial Foundation. Designed by the Austin Company, construction was completed by Dunlop & Johnson.

With Martha Joseph leading the school as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, The Institute embarked on a fundraising campaign to compete with the other top music schools, seeking a $3- $4 million endowment, employing principals of The Cleveland Orchestra as faculty members, and inaugurating the University Circle Training Orchestra with James Levine as conductor. (Levine would go on to become the Metropolitan Opera's Artistic Director.)

The Women's Committee joined the excitement and hosted grand parties on ten floors of the downtown Higbee's department store. 2000 people enjoyed these yearly extravaganzas with names such as "Roamin' Carnival" and "Exotica," with all proceeds benefiting The Institute.

The Institute lost its dynamic leaders and mourned their passing before moving toward the future. Pianist Arthur Loesser and violinist, Dr. Jerome Gross, died within months of each other in 1969. The New Cleveland Quartet with violinists Donald Weilerstein and Peter Salaff (both are now on the CIM faculty) was established as a living memorial to Dr. Gross, and the quartet performed the first of a series of yearly concerts in his memory. Pianist Anton Kuerti, already establishing an international career, performed a concert in memory of Mr. Loesser with the quartet.

When Victor Babin died in March 1972 at age 63, he was mourned as a man who "gave the school the fire, imagination and vitality that it badly needed." (Sun Press)

World renowned pianist, Grant Johannesen led The Institute of Music, first as music consultant and advisor in 1973 and then as music director in 1974. Mr. Johannesen's concerts across the country were stylish and well reviewed. The Press said of his September 1976 concert, "Institute pianist brilliant."

The 1970s occasioned many concerts, special events and rising stars. Honorary doctorates were bestowed upon Gregor Piatigorsky and Witold Lutoslawski. Paul Schenly, now head of the CIM piano department, was earning acclaim: "5000 cheer Bowl Orchestra and Pianist Paul Schenly." Mr. Schenly captured the Avery Fischer Prize in 1976 and graced the cover of Clavier in 1979. Anthony Addison, head of the opera department, was described by the Plain Dealer as one who "has done wonders for the lovers of the music-drama art of this city." Mstislav Rostropovich begged for an opportunity to perform with the CIM Orchestra, which he accomplished in an ultimately successful venture on February 2, 1973, raising $13,000 in a scholarship concert.

David Cerone, now President of The Institute, performed his debut recital in 1972, proving to be a "master violinist...with a forthright personality, thorough musicianship and formidable technique." (Plain Dealer) By 1974, the Cleveland Chamber Music Seminar, under his direction, was in full swing, enthralling Clevelanders in a profusion of quartet study and performance with the likes of Mischa Schneider, Josef Gingold, the Guarneri String Quartet, CIM's faculty and 48 gifted students from around the country in attendance.

The first Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition took place in the summer of 1975, captivating audiences with the cosmopolitan excitement of expert pianists in attendance from around the world. George Vassos was named head of the voice department in 1977. Clevelanders still speak of the April 1978 performance of Smetana's The Bartered Bride which involved CIM's opera department and the participation of the Sokol folk dance group.

As The Cleveland Institute of Music looked to the 1980s, faculty and students were assured of a future of excellence, cemented by a Ford Foundation Grant of $1 million, matched by $2 million raised in a fundraising campaign. CIM was now a top tier conservatory.

1980s and 1990s

A climate of excellence blossomed at The Cleveland Institute of Music upon David Cerone's appointment as director in 1985. Already known to CIM faculty and Clevelanders as a former Kulas Professor and leader of the favorite Cleveland Chamber Music Seminars, Mr. Cerone brought his expertise as a violin pedagogue and performer to The Institute.

Internationally known instrumentalists joined the faculty, and the student body grew to an unprecedented size of 350 by the early 1990s. Kulas Hall's stage saw the likes of Isaac Stern, Yo- Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, and Richard Stoltzman, all performing in free concerts as CIM's on-going gift to the community. Cleveland Orchestra members continued to share their abilities by teaching at The Institute. Distinguished teachers from around the world joined the ranks of CIM's faculty, while others presented master classes on a regular basis.

New programs developed in the excitement of the 1980s. Tom Knab oversaw the creation of a state-of-the-art audio recording program, in conjunction with Grammy award winning Telarc International's Jack Renner. Michele Higa George, a protégé of Shinichi Suzuki, launched a masters degree program in Suzuki pedagogy. Anne Epperson established the collaborative piano masters degree program. The Cavani String Quartet and Hecht & Shapiro came to The Institute as Artists-in-Residence. Donald Weilerstein of the Cleveland Quartet, and pianist Vivian Hornik Weilerstein arrived in 1989.

The Preparatory Division founded the Young Artist Program to meet the needs of talented teens, the future's professional musicians. The Junior Committee attracted the younger set in fun- filled escapes to fund the purchase of a van to transport the Young Artists from their schools to afternoon classes at The Institute. The Women's Committee sponsored dazzling events in support of scholarships, including a glittering performance by Michael Feinstein, just as he was on the brink of stardom. To benefit the CIM Scholarship Fund, André Watts and the CIM Orchestra performed concerti by Mendelssohn and Brahms in 1988; Eunice Podis performed the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with a special appearance by Victor Borge in 1991; and Vladimir Ashkenazy and members of The Cleveland Orchestra delivered an all-Brahms concert at CIM.

David and Linda Cerone developed the six-week ENCORE School for Strings in 1985, an intensive summer program held on the campus of Western Reserve Academy in Hudson which attracts a superb faculty of international renown and a student body of 160 of the most gifted students from around the world. The biennial Art Song Festival began in 1986 with beloved soprano Elly Ameling appearing in recital and coaching master classes with ten singer/pianist teams chosen by audition. Since the mid-1980s, the Contemporary Music Ensemble, under the direction of Donald Erb, has invited noted performers and composers to interact with CIM's students in concerts and master classes, among them, 95-year-old Nicolas Slonimsky, editor of the International Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians, who played and spoke on behalf of the ensemble in 1989. The CIM Chamber Players, directed by Michael Stern, performed at the Kennedy Center in 1990, with David Cerone as a featured performer.

As The Cleveland Institute of Music approached its 75th year, the school entered the computer age by launching the Technology Learning Center with access to the information superhighway. In partnership with Case Western Reserve University, CIM became the first conservatory to offer such a broad level of cutting-edge music technology--via CWRU's powerful fiber-optic computer network.

Celebrating the beginning of the school in 1920 with a Gala Concert on April 19, 1995, The Cleveland Institute of Music saluted its past and looked towards the twenty-first century, always mindful of its mission to provide a professional, world-class education in the art of music.

2000s

The World Stage

CIM students distinguished themselves by winning major competitions as the new millennium approached.

Judith Ingolfsson (M.M., 1994, A.D., 1996, violin) won the Gold Medal in the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, receiving a cash prize of $30,000, a recording contract, a gold medal, recitals and orchestral engagements at more than 30 venues in North America and Europe. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in April 2001, with the resulting CD winning the first Chamber Music America/WQXR Record Award, one of seven recordings honored.

Frank Huang won the 2000 Hannover International Violin Competition, one of the largest competitions of its kind in the world. Mr. Huang received 50,000 Marks, a CD recording on the Naxos label, debut recitals and concerts with orchestras and ensembles of international renown, and management for two years by Cornelia Schmid of the Hans Ulrich Schmid Agency. Mr. Huang also won the Silver Medal in the Premio Paganini Competition.

Ning Kam (M.M., 2000, A.D., 2001, violin) won Second Prize (Belgian Federal Government Prize "Eugène Ysaÿe") in the Grand Prix International Reine Elisabeth (Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium).

A Leader in Distance Learning

CIM's bold initiative in Distance Learning paired innovations in curriculum with technology, extending CIM's educational excellence to students around the county, state and country. The Institute has made great strides in establishing itself as a leader in this exciting cutting edge use of the latest videoconferencing and internet technologies in the service of the highest quality educational and artistic programs for which CIM is renowned. CIM is now partnering with organizations such as University Circle, Inc. and The Cleveland Orchestra to share its expertise.

The Kulas Foundation awarded CIM a three-year $135,000 grant for the development of a distance learning classroom with high speed connections to both the CWRUnet and Ohio SchoolNet fiberoptic networks. This distance learning classroom incorporates videoconferencing, multimedia presentation capabilities and state-of-the-art network connections.

The Ohio SchoolNet Telecommunity Content Grant, amounting to $279,220, funds Music+Academics=Proficiency (M+A+P), a three-year distance learning initiative to co-develop content with classroom teachers to integrate the study of music with the learning objectives of the K-12 academic curriculum.

Alumni Appointed to New Positions

In recent years, graduates of The Cleveland Institute of Music have been appointed to prestigious orchestras and ensembles.

• Alumni are concertmasters of the Florida and Tucson Symphonies.

• Graduates are principals in the Toronto, Rochester, and Utah Symphonies.

• The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Los Angeles rosters include recent appointments from CIM.

• CIM now has 30 alumni in The Cleveland Orchestra.

• The Fry Street, Miró, Petersen, and Cassatt Quartets include CIM alumni.

• The Canadian Brass hired its trumpeter from CIM.

CIM Orchestra Performs at Severance Hall

The CIM Orchestra, led by Carl Topilow, now performs yearly at Severance Hall. In 1999, Sergei Babayan, the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Gilliam Artist-in-Residence, was the soloist, and in 2000 Antonio Pompa-Baldi, winner of the 1999 Cleveland International Piano Competition, was featured. The performances are made possible by the PolyOne Corporation (formerly M.A. Hanna Company), in cooperation with the Musical Arts Association.

This is an invaluable opportunity for CIM students to play in the rich acoustics of Severance Hall, a musical environment that illustrates the abilities of these young people and the high quality education that CIM fosters.

Recent Accomplishments

CIM produced a video, in association with Telos Productions, Inc., on the life of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. It won the Gold WorldMedal and is available through the Suzuki Association of the Americas.

The Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony, which has grown in size to two ensembles, has taken four tours abroad, the last to Australia in the summer of 2000.

Benefits included the Alumni Association's gala with jazz great, Jim Hall; the Women's Committee's S'Wonderful, Bravissimo, Bellissimo, and Fascinating Rhythm, and the Friends of CIM's rocking Battle of the Party Bands. All raised significant funds for CIM's many projects and its Annual Fund.

The Olga Radosavljevich Endowed Scholarship for Preparatory Classical Piano was established in 2000 to provide assistance to young children (ages 6 to 10), just beginning piano lessons at CIM, who show a willingness to learn and have a genuine financial need.

Sixty harpists returned to The Institute to perform in tribute to their teacher, Alice Chalifoux, in 1998. Donald Erb, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Composition, was treated to a concert in his honor in 2000. Scholarships have been established in the teachers' names.

Margaret Brouwer joined The Institute faculty as head of the composition department and launched the yearly New Music Festival. Renowned composers such as John Corigliano and George Crumb are in residence for the festival, interfacing with CIM's students and the community with symposia and concerts. Gary Race, director of opera, delights audiences with his masterful productions of fully-staged operas and scenes performed in the round.

CIM performed live at Tower City Center on three occasions, bringing The Institute's talents to thousands of people in the Greater Cleveland area.

This history was written by Rory Meshenberg Sanders, Director of Publications at The Cleveland Institute of Music. The history appeared in the bi-monthly newsletter, Notes, throughout the 75th Anniversary of The Institute.