2009 NEA Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera

Columbia University and the National Endowment for the Arts are pleased to announce the 6th annual Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera. This 10-day intensive workshop brings writers and editors from across the country to New York City for a total immersion in the world of classical music and opera. The twenty-four fellows will attend nightly performances, participate in writing workshops, take short classes in music history, and meet with leaders in the field, from administrators of New York's primary music institutions, to critics and writers at major U.S. publications. The program also stresses journalistic skills required of music writers in the new interactive digital media environment.

The Institute is designed for American journalists, especially those covering the arts outside of the top media markets. No specialized musical knowledge is required. Staff writers, editors, and freelancers are welcome to apply. The Institute will be held at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City from October 17-27. It encompasses a rigorous schedule of classroom seminars, meetings with arts leaders and writing workshops to help the participants develop their critical skills and report on the world of classical music. The application deadline is July 23, 2009. For inquiries, please email: nea_institute@earthlink.net.

Here's what previous participants have said about the Institute:

"I have attended quite a few professional meetings, conferences and writing workshops. The NEA Institute was the most energizing, inspiring experience of my 15-year career in journalism. I didn't want it to end!"
Elaine Guregian, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH

"We wolfed down more music and more understanding in twelve days than I thought was humanly possible."
Thomas Small, Freelance, Concertonet.com, Laguna Beach, CA

"This program gave me the vocabulary I lacked, an understanding that escaped me and an exposure that instilled in me an appreciation for classical music and opera. In the few years since, I have taken baby steps that became giant leaps. My paper, which shied away from reviewing and reporting on classical music because of its perceived elitism, is once again devoted to its coverage."
Cathalena Burch, Senior writer, Arizona Daily Star, AZ

Some of the performances this year's participants will be attending:

-Mahler’s 4th and 9th symphonies performed by Bernard Haitink and the London Symphony Orchestra in two concerts, Avery Fischer Hall, Lincoln Center

-Rosenkavalier at the Metropolitan Opera, with Renée Fleming

-Wu Man, pipa virtuoso, at Carnegie Hall

-“Songs of Ascension,” by Meredith Monk, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music /ul>

-“Magyar Madness,” with clarinetist David Krakauer, at the newly renovated Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center



Photos/Milton Moore

Read the press release



Institute Leadership

Andras Szanto, Director
Anya Grundmann, Co-Director
Joseph Horowitz, Artistic Director
Jane Folpe, Associate Director, Continuing Education
nea_institute@earthlink.net