Montclair State Establishes New Jersey's First University-Based School of Music
July 20, 2006
Contact: Ann Frechette, 973-655-4333
frechettea@mail.montclair.edu
Montclair, N.J., July 20, 2006 – The Montclair State University (www.montclair.edu) Board of Trustees today approved the establishment of the John J. Cali School of Music, the first School of Music at a New Jersey university. The Board also elevated the former School of the Arts to the College of the Arts in recognition of the significant growth in the reputation, enrollment, faculty, and facilities of the University’s programs in the arts.
The School of Music decision follows the Board’s approval last year of a major renovation and expansion of the University’s historic Chapin Hall to serve as the new home for Montclair State’s Music Program. The 53,000 square foot facility will include state-of-the-art teaching laboratories, rehearsal and practice halls and studios, and a music therapy suite. As a complement to the university’s acoustically superb Alexander Kasser Theater, the expansion project also includes construction of the 250-seat Jed Leshowitz Recital Hall.
"In light of the impressive growth and significance of Montclair State’s Music program, it is time to let our faculty and students take their well-earned place among the nation’s best university-based schools of music," said University President Dr. Susan A. Cole. "Further, in recognition of the generosity and sustained support shown to Montclair State by the John J. Cali family, we are honored to place his name on a School that the Cali family has ensured will open wide the door to a first-rate education for gifted young musicians," Dr. Cole added.
The $5 million gift from the John J. Cali Family and his Foundation will be largely used to provide scholarships to School of Music students with the balance devoted to establishing a full time professorship. Mr. Cali is a longtime resident of Montclair, New Jersey and a talented musician in his own right who earned his way through college by playing the saxophone in swing and jazz bands. He is one of New Jersey’s most prominent real estate industry leaders who co-founded Cali Associates in 1949 with his brother Angelo Cali and childhood friend Edward Leshowitz (both Angelo Cali and Edward Leshowitz are Montclair State graduates). In 1994, Cali Realty Corp became a public company traded on the NYSE with Mr. Cali serving as CEO and Chairman of the Board. In 1997, Cali Realty merged with the Mack Company forming one of the most recognizable and respected real estate development names in the nation --the Mack/Cali Realty Corporation.
"Apart from my business career, music has been a lifelong passion and I am deeply touched that my family chose to associate my name with what I consider to be one of finest university music programs in the country," said Mr. Cali. "My wife Rose and I have watched Montclair State evolve over the years into an excellent liberal arts university with a strong and sustained commitment to the arts in general and music specifically," he added. Mrs. Cali is a graduate of Montclair State and has been a member of the University’s Board of Trustees since 1991.
The newly established College of the Arts is a twice-designated Center of Excellence in the Fine and Performing Arts by the State of New Jersey. "Our students study with outstanding faculty and well-known artists and performers in dance, theater, broadcasting, art and design, communication studies and music," said Dr. Geoffrey Newman, dean of the College of the Arts. "We also offer graduate degree programs in arts and museum management, public relations and production/stage management to prepare students to meet their industry's most pressing needs. Other new offerings include New Jersey's only BFA programs in industrial design, filmmaking, and musical theater," Dr. Newman said.
The John J. Cali School of Music will blend outstanding musical training with a liberal arts education, and be home to programs in performance, music education, music therapy (the only program of its kind in New Jersey), theory/composition as well as a program in microtonal music that is unique in the country, Dr. Newman added.
The University’s Music program offers over 100 performances each year by guest artists, faculty and students and its ensembles include the Montclair State University Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, Wind Symphony, Chorale, University Singers, Chamber Ensembles, and Opera Workshop. Student ensembles also perform regionally, nationally and internationally.
The Shanghai Quartet became the Music program’s artists-in-residence in 2003, and their string teaching, outreach, and chamber music coaching efforts have given Montclair State an international profile. The program is also home to the Harry Partch Instrumentarium, the most extensive collection of original instruments in the world by this pioneering American composer.
Students have the additional opportunity to study at prestigious international institutions such as the Moscow Conservatory, Liszt Academy (Budapest), Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (Slovakia) and University of Graz.
Music program faculty are highly qualified educators as well as recognized performers, recognized as the best in their fields. Faculty have received regional, national and international attention for performing, composing, conducting and research including awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, American Academy of Arts and Letters, National Endowment for the Arts, American Symphony Orchestra League, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts and Meet the Composer.
Montclair State is New Jersey's second largest and fastest growing university. It offers the advantages of a large university--a comprehensive undergraduate curriculum with a global focus, a broad variety of superior graduate programs through the doctoral level, and a diverse faculty and student body--combined with a small college's attention to students. For more information on Montclair State University, go to www.montclair.edu.
