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Mordecai Bauman ('34, voice) is a man of many "firsts." At 93, he is not only one of Juilliard's oldest living alumni, but was the first student to attend both Juilliard and Columbia University concurrently, the first to record songs by Charles Ives, and the first to produce a documentary about a composer that was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

With a voice that is said to have rivaled both Enrico Caruso's and Paul Robeson's, Bauman exemplified a dedication to and passion for music that has extended over a long and illustrious career. His European tour in 1935 under the auspices of the Anti-Nazi Federation provided the context for his ardent political beliefs and his dedication to songs with potent political content. In addition to countless premieres and performances throughout the world, Bauman headed the opera department at the Cleveland Institute of Music after World War II, and founded his own school for music, Indian Hill, in Stockbridge, Mass.

Bauman and his wife Irma Commanday are longtime residents of Greenwich Village. They met in 1941 when they appeared together in the Benjamin Britten opera Paul Bunyan. Bauman recently answered these questions about his Juilliard days.

Mordecai Bauman in Franz Joseph Haydn's one-act comic opera, The Apothecary, at the Peninsula Players near Cleveland, c. 1950.

What was behind your choice to attend Juilliard?

I won a fellowship to the Juilliard Graduate School; there was no tuition to pay.

What Juilliard teacher made the largest impact on you and what was that impact?

Francis Rogers. He encouraged me to continue my studies at Columbia College during the same four years I attended Juilliard: 1930-1934. What was most important, I think, was just his encouragement for me to stay at Columbia, which, as you may know, was not allowed by the Juilliard administration at that time. Mr. Rogers was a Harvard graduate and understood the value of an academic education. As my singing teacher, he always insisted that the song was more important than the singer. In my own singing career I emphasized diction in order that the meaning of the song was clear. Only recently, Howard Roberts, who was my student at the Cleveland Institute of Music in the 1950s, commented that this is what he remembered from his four years of his studies with me.

Can you recall a specific moment at Juilliard that resulted in an important artistic or personal insight?

I was in an elevator in the Juilliard building on 52nd Street with my teacher, Mr. Rogers. I asked him, "What kind of a voice do I have?" He answered: "Common garden variety." I was only 19, a freshman at Columbia, and very young to be a student at the Juilliard Graduate School. He said it with a smile, which took the sting away from the "put down." It did spare me from unrealistic expectations about my future as a singer.

When you were at Juilliard, what was your plan for the future? How has that plan turned out?

My plan was to be a concert artist. My experience was that, even with my Juilliard background, counting on music as a way of life was still very difficult. It was a struggle to make a living after I graduated from Juilliard in 1934 and Columbia in 1935. I was active in progressive politics and worked with many other musicians with similar points of view. I sang their songs at many events. I introduced songs of Marc Blitzstein, Goddard Lieberson, Norman Dello Joio, Paul Bowles, and Elie Siegmeister (a fellow student at Juilliard). After I introduced the songs of Charles Ives I was very often asked to sing at festivals of American music. And I had roles in Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. However, my main income from 1935 to 1941 was from summer work as entertainment director at adult camps in the Adirondacks. I couldn't count only on music to support my family. I was the education director at the Y's of Essex County, N.J. for 10 years. In 1952, I started Indian Hill, a summer workshop in the arts for talented teenagers. In 1985, a grant from the N.E.H. supported my production of a film about Bach for PBS, which was shown nationally in May 1990. These various "hats" that I wore were possible because of my education at both Juilliard and Columbia.

How does what you learned at Juilliard shape your daily life?

At 93 years old, the Juilliard experience no longer affects my daily life. However, I still listen to music and occasionally attend Juilliard events.

What's the biggest misconception about Juilliard alums?

That being a Juilliard graduate ensures an artistic career.

What would you say to a prospective Juilliard student who wasn't sure if this was the place for him or her?

Don't go there!

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