THE N. C. ESSAY
VOLUME V, NO. X
NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
JANUARY 18, 1971
Harsanyi Appointed to mevutesI Campus Fro blems
Nicholas Harsanyi, Music Director and Conductor of the In-
teriochen, Mich., Arts Academy, has been appointed Dean of the
School of Music according to an announcement made today by Robert
Ward. He will succeed Dr. Louis A. Mennini, who will leave at the end
the present school year.
Harsanyi, who was founder, Music Director and Conductor of the
Princeton, N.J., Chamber Orchestra, will also assume the position of
Music Director and Conductor of both the Piedmont Chamber Or
chestra and the NCSA Orchestra.
In making the announcement of Harsanyi’s triple assignment.
President Ward said that the Hungarian-born conductor will bring to
this multiple role a vast experience directly related to his new duties.
“During his years at the Interlochen Academy,” he said, “he
brought the orchestra to such a high standard that audiences could
scarcely believe that they were listening to an orchestra of high school
students. During his touring with the Princeton Chamber Orchestra,
he encountered and solved the problems he will again face with the
Piedmont Orchestra.”
“In both of these instances and in his early experience with the
Trenton New Jersey Symphony, Princeton University and West
minster Choir College, he dealt with the day-to-day matters of
professional musical training.
“Add to this his vitality and his ebullience and you will know why we
are so happy to be bringing him to the School of the Arts.”
Nicholas Harsanyi • Biography
The son of a publishing company executive, Harsanjd is a graduate
of the Budapest Academy of Music where he studied with Jeno Hubay
and Leo Weiner. At this time, Harsan^ became a member of the
Budapest Symphony Orchestra, the entire first violin section being
comprised of members of the Hubay class. The orchestra’s conductor
was the young Ferenc Fricsay and its guest conductors included
Bruno Walter, Munch, Ormandy and Weingartner, all of whom
exerted considerable influence on Harsanyi.
In 1938, he came to the United States on a teaching fellowship at
Westminster Choir College. The war intervened, and during those
years Harsanyi, a member of the American arm^ forces until 1945,
became conductor of the Second Service Command Symphony.
After the war he joined the Lener Quartet as its violist, and for three
years toured Europe, North Africa, South America and the West In
dies. In 1948, Harsanyi returned to Princeton to continue teaching
instrumental music at the Choir College, and to become a member of
the Roth Quartet, whose o^er members were Feri Roth, Jeno Antal
and Janos Starker.
His ties were further strengthened with Princeton in 1953 when he
was invited to become a lecturer at Princeton University. He was
appointed Music Director of the 1964 New Jersey Tercentenary
Festival of Music held in Princeton during the summer of that year.
It was this festival that the Princeton Chamber Orchestra made its
debut with Harsanyi as its Music Director. The Princeton Chamber
Orchestra has established itself as a permanent chamber orchestra
and has become a major interest in the lively career of its director.
In discussing his new appointment, Harsanyi spoke with enthusiasm
about the concept of a school which (^ers both professional training in
the arts and the academic requirements leading to a high school
diploma or a bachelor of fine arts degree.
“Schools which offer an academic education in addition to music
training will be the place where future musicians will choose to go,” he
said. “Any youngster that has a definite purpose will do everything
much better. So it is a good thing for a child to be in a school that
serves that definite purpose. It is the drifter today that has a
problem.”
Harsanyi, who was the guest conductor with the NCSA orchestra in a
special performance for the North Carolina Conference on In
ternational Relations in Chapel Hill last October, believes that
students do their best work when they are treated as musicians and
not as students.
“When I work with students,” he said, “I think I demand a great
deal and they respond. They try to come up to your expectations.
From the NCSA Orchestra, I got a great response. That was very
much a factor in my decision to come.”
Poor attendance was the
first topic discussed; members
should send alternates if they
can’t attend themselves.
Committee Reports followed:
Ecology - Becky Slifkin said
that Mr. Pollock had contacted
his classes and that they would
help with an ‘ecology day.’
^rvices - Edwin Schloss said
that the committee had to meet
with more regularity, possibly on
a weekly basis. Only four people
are on committee, more are
needed.
Judicial - Joyce Reehling
requested reports from review
boards no later than five days
after each meeting.
A long discussion, initiated by
Harvey Livingston, concerning
conditions in the cafeteria
followed. The areas of trays left
on tables, students wearing bare
feet in cafeteria, and off-campus
students eating in cafeteria were
discussed.
Joyce Reehling then brought up
the matter of salaries for
Executive Committee members
and SCA secretaries. A
reorganization of over-all policies
was suggested.
Tommy Williams suggested
that the SCA should decide
salaries after the SCA has
reorganized. He also said that
staff and faculty members be in
on the reorganization. Three SCA
members, two faculty members,
one staff member and the
president of the faculty council
should make up the committee.
Gene Johnson then moved for the
reorganization of all councils at
the school - possibly in
corporation of the three.
Nominations for planning
committee: Tommy Williams,
Richard Kaplan, Lauren Eager,
and Annette Kaminski.
Next, problems of the school -
primarily of a dormitory nature -
were discussed. Belnap cited
drinking and messy lounges as
central concerns. A long
suggested period followed.
Drug abuse was also discussed.
Counseling should be offered to
students who are having
problems. A committee was
selected to study the issue.
(Cont. On Page 4)
Martin Sokoloff is the newly
appointed Administrative
Director at NCSA. His job
essentially entails “making sure
that systems that are supposed to
be working are, in fact, working.
On Monday, January 11, Sokoloff
got down to the task at hand.
Along with Phil Hart, head of
the Maintenance crew, Sokoloff
toured the school and its grounds
in an effort to establish those
areas of danger on campus and
find those eyesores which are
unattractive and ecologically
unsafe. (This last area of em
phasis grew out of President
Ward’s original statement on the
subject - weeks ago in a con
vocation - and also the SCA’s
recent re-discussion of this topic
and a possible “Ecology Day”).
Tour
The Camerata Chamber
Singers has just returned from a
week’s tour of Israel which in
cluded participation in the
Jerusalem Festival of American
College Choirs.
The twelve singers, under the
director of Phillipe Buhler,
presented concerts in a Kibbutz
in Galilee, in colleges and,
together with other participating
choirs, at the Israeli In
ternational Youth Center in
Jerusalem.
Participating choirs were
rehearsed by Israeli conductor
Yoav Talmi in two Israeli songs
which were sung by the massed
choirs at the Festival. In addition
to the performances, the choirs
toured Israel and the Holy Lands
and met with Israeli students on a
person to person basis.
The Camerata’s participation
in the festival was arranged by
Roger Hall as a project of the
NCSA foundation and was made
possible by the generosity of a
group of Winston-Salem citizens
and institutions.
The singers who participated
are Martha Chapman, John
Coffey, Donald Cranfill, Charles
Eanes, Marise Ettesin, Elizabeth
Herrick, James Hoback, Vincent
Lonergan, Kay Lowe, Karen
Wilson, John Wilson and Cynthia
Winkler.
After a thorough tour of the
ground and buUdings, Sokoloff
determined that fire hazards
were of the greatest concern. A
particular area mentioned was
the Design and Production shops
and parking facilities (where law
requires certain open footage
from door to drive-way). More
distressing, however, was the
fact that some dormitory floors
were without fire extinguishers.
The official requirement is that
two extinguishers be on each
floor. Sokoloff found three floors
where there were no ex
tinguishers.
Dorm hallways were another
area of concern. They are, again
by law, supposed to be kept free
of obstacles. But Sokoloff and
Hart discovered such apparatus
as suitcases, baby carriages (!),
etc. in the halls.
In relation to the dorms and the
growing vandalism problem at
NCSA, Sokoloff said that “the
best security, at the moment, is
to keep doors locked.” While it
may seem foolish to some to lock
doors for only a matter of
minutes, he said that it may deter
future vandalism. He added that
a ‘change in attitude’ was needed
as to how to protect valuables.
(As a sidelight, while Sokoloff
and Hart were touring the dorms,
they discovered two men (non
students) who were apparently
preparing to do some ripping-off -
- with plastic gloves on no less!
Sokoloff and Hart accosted the
men, questioned their obviously
suspicious motives and perhaps
prevented another theft. While
there was no actual evidence,
Sokoloff said that the men were
warned not to be seen on campus
again).
On the grounds, Sokoloff and
Hart found the waste disposal
problems not as drastic as they
might have expected. While
detois was strewn over some
areas, they were mostly in
isolated places. The greatest
eyesore was found in the back of
the new student parking area (in
back of the new dorms, off the
Dickon St. entrance), where a
large and varied collection of
waste material had been
deposited. The area, the worst on
campus, was nearly a con
temporary college - broken
televisions, sinks, toys, garbage,
etc. - all piled together; it looked
like a still from the last scene of
“Zabriskie Point.” Otherwise
(and except for the seemingly
normal amount of debris in the
buildings), the school was fairly
clean.
Sokoloff said that the main
tenance crew was in the process
of clearing the worst areas.
While he mentioned the fire
hazards as the greatest single
concern, he cited dogs living in
dorm rooms as anoUier danger.
“Most of them are not licens^,”
he said, “So, we can’t tell if they
have had rabies shots or not. It’s
a very unsanitary - and unsafe -
situation.”
In reference to the school’s
basic ecology (and the topic of an
ecology day), Sokoloff said, “I
am convinced that, while the idea
of a special day is good, in no way
should it be thought of - or used -
as a remedy for the day-to-day
situation. That won’t work, it
really won’t. As far as I am
concerned, the school should do
its share of keeping the grounds
safe, clean and attractive, and I
am going to try and make sure
that they do.”
Sokoloff also showed The Essay
blueprints plans for beautifying
the grounds. Dr. John Easley and
Mrs. Bianca Artum submitted
the outline, which includes
flowers planted along the walk
ways of the dorms (the flowers
are being planted and should
bloom this spring) and the
eventual building of a fountain
like fixture in the middle of the
walk from the main building to
the Commons. Planned also are
Mr. Costelloe’s sculpture
(location undetermined as of yet)
and a high fence to cover the air-
conditioner - heater complex
behind the Commons.