Cleveland Institute of Music

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• Recent Award Winners
• CIM Receives 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for Third Consecutive Year
• CIM President David Cerone to Retire
• Annual Economic Impact $90 Million
• Cleveland Institute of Music Offers Free Listening Guide to Help Find Solace in the Power of Music

Two CIM students have recently been awarded top prizes in major international competitions.

Chad Hoopes, violin student of David Cerone and David Russell in the Junior Young Artist Program, won first prize in the junior division of the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists in Cardiff, Wales. First prize in the senior division went to Ray Chen, who has studied with Mr. Cerone at the ENCORE School for Strings.

Ching-Yun Hu, Artist Diploma piano student of Sergei Babayan, tied for second prize at the 12th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv (no first prize was awarded).

CIM has received the highest rating from Charity Navigator, for its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances, for the third consecutive year.

Two factors are considered during the rating process: industry standards and actual performance. Less than a quarter of the charities rated by Charity Navigator have received its highest rating.

CIM's rating can be found at http://www.charitynavigator.org. For more information, please contact CIM Development Director Richard Buffett at 216-795-3196.

David Cerone, President of the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) since 1985, has announced his plans to retire from the school as soon as a suitable successor is in place. Cerone is the longest-tenured president in CIM history and has overseen enormous growth and success at the school, including attainment this fall of The Campaign for CIM's $40 million capital campaign goal. CIM will dedicate the first phase in its campus expansion, the Fred A. Lennon Education Building, on October 13 and 14.

Cerone states "CIM has arrived at an extraordinary juncture in terms of its growth, reputation and vibrancy and that this same juncture is the correct one for it to seek new leadership."

A. Malachi Mixon, III, chairman of CIM's Board of Trustees, will chair a search committee that will be made up of selected members of the Board as well as others intimately involved with CIM. It is his goal to have a new President in place by the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year.

Mixon commented, "David has personified the Cleveland Institute of Music and it is difficult at this moment to see its future without his presence and leadership. Inevitably transitions occur, for CIM as an institution and for David as a superlative educator and conservatory president. The Cerone era at CIM has been a 22+ year progression in the stature and reach of CIM."

Prior to this appointment as president, Cerone served on the faculty of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music for nine years, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and for ten years was Chairman of the CIM String Department. He has had an enormous impact of the school, highlights of which include:

● Placing an emphasis on financial stability; CIM has balanced its budget for 11 years in a row now. CIM's endowment had increased significantly from $10.6 million in 1985 to $33.6 million today.

● Building a strong, high-caliber enrollment. When he arrived as President, enrollment had dipped below 200 conservatory students. Now, CIM has more than 400 students and is at an optimal size for the school's programs.

● Bringing a focus on chamber music to CIM – which has led to CIM's national reputation as a leader in the area. Today CIM hosts an annual Chamber Music Festival in collaboration with the Cleveland Chamber Music Society and has leaders in the field on its faculty, including the Cavani String Quartet and Peter Salaff, a founding member of the Cleveland Quartet.

● Creation of the Young Artist program for gifted high school students.

● Increased collaboration with The Cleveland Orchestra; CIM now has 38 members of the Orchestra on its faculty and a close working relationship with all facets of the Orchestra. The CIM Orchestra now performs regularly at Severance Hall. Thirty-five CIM alumni are members of the Orchestra.

● Establishing the ENCORE School for Strings – a six-week summer program for gifted string students from around the world at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson Ohio.

● His visionary leadership as a champion for the use of superior technology in the arts now allows CIM to spread its expertise to a world audience without leaving Cleveland. Under his direction, CIM began working early on with CASE and its CWRUnet system, established a Distance Learning program that is at the forefront of this technology and offers hundreds of programs across the state of Ohio and around the world.

● Launching a master's degree program in Suzuki Pedagogy and establishing CIM as one of the premier venues for Suzuki instruction.

● Expanded Preparatory and Continuing Education programs – 1700 children and adults currently take lessons at CIM and its four branch locations.

● Development of partnerships with the Cleveland School of the Arts, the Cleveland Chamber Music Society, Ireland Cancer Center at University Hospitals and many other organizations. He has been very active within University Circle, Incorporated.

Cerone states, "Throughout my years here, I have relished being amidst the energetic and stimulating teaching atmosphere which has been unique to CIM since its earliest days, as well as the forthrightness, energy and talent level of its students." CIM students are finding great success with appointments to the world's major professional orchestras, opera companies and chamber music ensembles. Students also are taking top honors at competitions around the world.

For additional information, contact: Susan M. Schwartz, Director of Marketing and Communications at 216-795-3122 or sxs129@cwru.edu.

A recent study by Impact Economics found CIM to have a total economic impact in Ohio of $90 million per year. In attracting gifted students, master educators and audiences from around the world, CIM was found to have a remarkable impact in the music world and an ongoing sustainable economic impact in the State of Ohio.

CIM contributes to the economic output of the State of Ohio in several ways. CIMs operating revenues are derived from sources throughout the world, and CIM operating spending is conducted in Ohio. Many CIM Alumni begin their careers or spend their entire career in Ohio, adding to the economic output of the state. CIM Conservatory students rent apartments, purchase household goods and services, socialize in restaurants, and work in local orchestras. Preparatory and Continuing Education students, primarily from Ohio, purchase instruments and visit museums and restaurants during and after their lessons each week. CIM attracts over 47,000 visitors to University Circle each year to attend concerts, take special education classes, attend graduation ceremonies, and audition for employment opportunities. These visitors have an economic impact as they travel, stay in hotels, rent cars, visit restaurants, go shopping, and attend other concerts in the region.

The study found that CIM attracts highly talented individuals from all over the world, and many stay in the area after graduation. Only 4% of the incoming Conservatory students are from Cuyahoga County. Among all students graduating from CIM over the last three years, 26% of these students chose to remain in the State of Ohio, and 22% of the total graduates were living and working in Cuyahoga County.

Based on surveys conducted with the alumni of CIM, over 94% of the alumni based in Ohio are working in the music field. (For example, one-third of the members of The Cleveland Orchestra are CIM alumni.) Other alumni work primarily as educators university professors, school-based music teachers, and private lesson instructors. On average, the alumni living in Ohio are earning salaries of $41,250, representing a high quality Ohio job.

The Plain Dealer featured an article on the Economic Impact Study in the May 15th edition. To view the report, click here.

If music can provide a healing path amidst the chaos of recent months, now more than ever, it may be time to seek out its restorative power.

That's why Cleveland's leading international conservatory has compiled a free listening guide of music that the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) faculty, many of whom are members of the Cleveland Orchestra, turn to for comfort and inspiration.

The guide is available for download from CIM's website (Listening Guide), or by calling (216)791-5000 for a free copy.

The Cleveland Institute of Music is a leading international conservatory that is distinguished by an exceptional degree of collaboration between students and teachers. This same stimulating environment extends to the Institute's community education programs, which help people of all ages realize their musical potential.

This brochure, featuring some 120 recommended selections, ranges from orchestral/concertos to piano, vocal, solo and chamber music selected by CIM faculty and students. Some of the suggestions were frequently recommended, such as the Beethoven Ninth Symphony, the Mozart Requiem, Bach's Goldberg Variations and the Cello Quintet, D. 956 by Schubert. The Guide provides a boost to gift giving for all those musically-minded individuals on your list.

"At CIM, we are hugging our music more closely these days," says David Cerone, President. "Because we believe that music can help us cope in these troubled times and in the future, we wanted to share our selections with people around the country and around the world."

The mission of The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), since its founding in 1920, has been to provide its students with a professional, world-class education in the art of music. As a top tier conservatory, CIM's student body is international in its composition: 25% from other countries, 50% from other U.S. states, and 25% from Ohio.

More than 3000 talented students have graduated in the Bachelors, Masters, Artist Diploma, Artist Certificate, Professional Studies and Doctoral programs. 80% of The Institute's alumni perform in major national and international orchestras and opera companies and hold prominent teaching positions around the world.

The Institute participates in a Joint Music Program with Case Western Reserve University which allows college students to take advantage of an outstanding liberal arts education. A close relationship with The Cleveland Orchestra is maintained with thirty-four members of The Orchestra serving on the CIM faculty. Thirty-three CIM alumni currently hold positions with The Orchestra.

"Perhaps it is music that will save the world." - Pablo Casals

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