About the Series

HISTORY
A COMMITMENT TO LIVE MUSIC
WHAT IS A CONCERT SERIES?
FACULTY COMMITTEE ON MUSIC
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

HISTORY

The Cornell Concert Series has been hosting musicians and ensembles of international stature since 1903. Originally featuring Western classical artists, the series presented Ravi Shankar in 1987 and has since grown to encompass a broader spectrum of the world's great art musics.

A COMMITMENT to LIVE MUSIC

As Mark Morris observes, "It's a lot of work to put on a show... and it's a lot of work to go to a show; plans, babysitters, driving, parking... it's easier and easier to stay at home. Why see a performer?

BECAUSE WE NEED TO.

Because we are human animals who need that specific danger inherent in the fact and the mystery of live performance."

The Cornell Concert Series has been bringing great performances to Ithaca for over a century. Fritz Kreisler and Sergei Rachmaninov once braved getting here (in 1919 and 1921) and more recently, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Alfred Brendel, Zakir Hussain, and the Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg have made the trek. The roads may be smoother today, but the challenge and thrill of live art continue.

WHAT IS A CONCERT SERIES?

How do you choose concerts? As a concert-goer or a presenter, every season we ask, “What’s good? What’s interesting? Will I like it?” No matter how we answer these questions, we would all agree on one thing: there is much to navigate through in the 21st century.

What is a concert series? The extraordinary possibilities of today’s world are thrilling, but can be overwhelming, and the challenge a performance series faces is much like that of a museum curator’s mission. Striking a balance of old and new, familiar and unfamiliar, and creating opportunities for cross-pollination thereof, serve as a constant directive for the Cornell Concert Series.

What is classic? What is new? Traverse historical and cultural boundaries,and be surprised by the answers -- the shock of the old, the remembrance of things to come. Explore and experience our concert collections -- inspiration, joy, verve, adventure, discovery, and all the wonderment of music awaits!

FACULTY COMMITTEE ON MUSIC

While the Concert Series office is housed in the Department of Music, it is governed by the Faculty Committee on Music representing the University at large. The Concert Series manager serves ex officio.

Todd Ansty

Rachael Comunale

Peter Diamessis

Jorge Escobar Vargas

Travis Gosa

Martin Hatch

Mary Beth Norton

Steven Pond

Tokiko Nobusawa

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Tokiko Nobusawa
Concert Manager
A graduate of Oberlin College and the University of Chicago, Kiko first ventured into backstage work with Ralph Shapey's Contemporary Chamber Players, moved up to a summer office over the stage of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, then managed a church-to-church movable stage for Music of the Baroque. Her favorite live concert performance memories include: a Mozart concerto with Isaac Stern, Jessye Norman in recital with James Levine on piano, Pierre Boulez and IRCAM, Claudio Abbado leading Mahler's 7th, Buddy Guy at the Checkerboard, Mark Morris Dance Group with The Bad Plus, Jason Moran's "In My Mind", and Maurizio Pollini in Chicago, Boston, and New York.

Yvette Lucente Burggren
Audience & Public Relations Coordinator
Yvette has been with the Cornell Concert Series since August 2005. A native of Ithaca, NY, she was born in Lima, Peru. A graduate of the New School in New York City, Yvette has worked in a variety of non-profit and academic organizations, including the Society for Organizational Learning, Parsons School of Design, and the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County.