Early Music at Case Western Reserve University
Through classes and historically informed performance, our goal is to train students to be leaders in the field of early music. A list of former participants in our program now working professionally in the field can be found here. A list of our current early music students can be found here.
The 2006-07 school year saw the first full year of activity for the Early Music Committee, consisting of Profs. Duffin, Bennett, and Rothenberg. Chaired by Prof. Duffin, the committee undertook a systematic review of requirements for each of the three early music degrees to make them congruent with other graduate degrees in the department, as well as responsive to the needs of the students, and to the demands of the field. Those revisions received final administrative approval in April, and may be accessed through the links below. The committee's next task was a proposal to create a new early music opportunity at Case for students at the Cleveland Institute of Music. More details below.
Degree Programs
The Case Department of Music offers BA, MA, DMA, and PhD degrees in early music. The program is small but focussed and concentrates on honing research skills as well as developing outstanding performers of early music. The performance instruction faculty are brought in as Kulas Visiting Artists for lessons, coachings, and masterclasses. Specific information on each of the three early music graduate degrees can be found at the followings links: MA, DMA, and PhD. For general information on music history faculty, see the faculty directory on the Music Department website; for information on undergraduate programs and Music Department courses, please consult the Case General Bulletin.
If you have questions on any of the Case early music degree programs, please contact Prof. Ross W. Duffin at rwd@case.edu.
Early Music Certificate (for CIM students)
Final approval is pending for a program that will allow BM, MM, DMA, and Professional Studies students at the Cleveland Institute of Music to pursue a selection of early music courses and ensembles at Case Western Reserve, leading to a Certificate in Early Music. The certificate has received approval from the Committee on Education Programs and must be approved by further administrative bodies before it can be announced as fully implemented. That is expected around the end of 2007. In the meantime, students already enrolled at CIM may wish to follow the curriculum in hopes of receiving the certificate upon graduation in 2008 or beyond. The draft guidelines can be read here.
Ensembles
Ensembles sometimes vary by semester but normally the major standing ensembles are the Early Music Singers, the Case/CIM Baroque Orchestra, and the Collegium Musicum. Since the Spring of 2004, the Baroque Orchestra has been coached by principal players from Apollo's Fire, Cleveland's professional baroque orchestra, directed by Jeannette Sorrell. The Case faculty advisor to the group is Prof. Bennett. The Early Music Singers is directed by Prof. Duffin and the Collegium musicum is currently directed by Debra Nagy, one of our distinguished DMA graduates, singer, professional baroque oboist, and member of the shawm band, Ciaramella. Other ensembles are constituted for specific projects. Students in the ensembles use instruments from the Kulas Instrument Collection: replicas of historical string, wind, and keyboard instruments.
Concert Series
The Case Department of Music's concert series, Chapel, Court & Countryside: Early Music at Harkness is in its twenty-second season of presenting outstanding touring early musicians in concert at our own beautiful neo-Gothic recital hall, Harkness Chapel. Information on this year's season may be found here. All concerts have associated masterclasses and educational events involving students in the Case/CIM Joint Music Program.
Videos
The Case Department of Music offers videos of selected past performances, including a fully staged production of Ben Jonson's masque of Oberon, now available on DVD. For information on this and on our other video offerings, follow this link.