Music Academy of the West facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Music Academy of the West
Logo as of June 2022
Address
1070 Fairway Road Montecito , California 93108 United States
Coordinates	34°25′09″N 119°38′56″W / 34.419231°N 119.648933°W / 34.419231; -119.648933
Information
Funding type	Nonprofit
Established	1947; 78 years ago (1947)
President	Shauna Quill
Chairman	Maurice Singer
Dean	Tiffany DeVries
Campus size	10 acres (4.0 ha)

The Music Academy of the West is a special summer program. It teaches young musicians about classical music. It's located in Montecito, California. The academy also holds concerts and shows in the County of Santa Barbara.

What is the Music Academy of the West?

Each year, the academy welcomes 136 talented young musicians. These students are usually in their late teens or early twenties. They get full scholarships to attend workshops. These workshops are led by famous composers, conductors, and artists.

Students can study different areas of music. These include vocal piano, voice, collaborative piano, solo piano, and other instruments. The summer music festival lasts for eight weeks. It features many concerts and operas. There are also public master classes where famous musicians teach.

How the Music Academy Started

The idea for a summer music festival in Santa Barbara County began in 1940. A famous singer named Lotte Lehmann first suggested it. In 1947, the Music Academy of the West was officially founded. Many artists, musicians, and composers from Southern California helped start it.

Some of the founders were Lotte Lehmann, conductor Otto Klemperer, and violinist Roman Totenberg. Other important founders included harpsichordist Rosalyn Tureck and composer Arnold Schoenberg. Schoenberg was the academy's first composer-in-residence. Famous people like singer-actors Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy helped fund the first scholarships.

The academy first held its summer programs at Cate School in Carpinteria. Then, in 1951, it started moving to a 10-acre property in Montecito. This property was once the Montecito Country Club. It was known for its beautiful gardens and called Miraflores, meaning "see flowers" in Spanish. Since 1952, this has been the academy's main campus. For a few years, students stayed in dorms at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Since 2016, they have been housed at Westmont College.

In 1954, the academy had many well-known musicians on its staff. These included pianist György Sándor and soprano Eleanor Steber. About 120 students attended that year.

From 1954 to 1980, Maurice Abravanel was the academy's music director. Martial Singher led the Voice Department for many years. Later, Marilyn Horne, a singer who had attended the academy in 1953, joined the faculty. She became the director of the voice program in 1997.

To save old recordings, the academy moved its audio and video collection to the UC Santa Barbara Library in 2007. These recordings are from 1961 to 2001.

Since 2010, the academy has held the annual Marilyn Horne Song Competition. In the same year, Scott Reed became the president of the academy.

In 2014, the Music Academy of the West started working with the New York Philharmonic. The orchestra's music director, Alan Gilbert, and other orchestra members visited Santa Barbara. Some Music Academy students also got to train with the orchestra in New York City.

The academy's partnership with UC Santa Barbara was renewed in 2017. About 400 early recordings were made digital. These included recordings of Lotte Lehmann and Marilyn Horne.

In 2018, the academy started a four-year partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra. This included their music director, Simon Rattle. The academy also launched a free after-school singing program called Sing! for children aged 7–11. These children performed at the Music Academy and with the London Symphony Orchestra.

In 2022, the academy celebrated its 75th birthday. It also got a new logo. The new logo simply says "Music Academy." The official name, however, is still Music Academy of the West. The new logo was designed to look like sun rays and the circle of fifths. The old logo had floral shapes. In 2022, singer Sasha Cooke and pianist John Churchwell became co-directors of the voice program. In 2023, Shauna Quill was appointed president of the academy.

Famous Former Students

Students who attend the academy's programs are called fellows. Many of them become very successful musicians. They perform in top orchestras and opera houses around the world. Some also teach at music schools. Here are some notable former students:

Voice

String Instruments

Violin

Viola

Cello

Double Bass

Wind Instruments

Horn

Trumpet

Tuba

Clarinet

Bassoon

Piano

Conducting

Other Students Who Used the Academy

Some students used the academy's facilities for training or performed with visiting groups. However, they were not officially enrolled in the main programs. These students are not considered alumni.

• Susan Allen (with the Santa Barbara Youth Theatre, 1963)
• Judith Beckmann (singing lessons with Harold Reed and Lotte Lehmann)
• Katy Perry (singing lessons at facilities)