The Juilliard Journal

7 Honorary Doctorates to Be Awarded at Commencement

Playwright Tony Kushner—whose epic, two-part play Angels in America won a Pulitzer Prize and two Tony Awards—will address the class of 2010 at Juilliard’s 105th commencement on May 21 in Alice Tully Hall. Kushner will receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree, as will actor Patti LuPone, dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, and opera and stage director Frank Corsaro. Singer Tony Bennett and musicologist Henry-Louis de La Grange will receive honorary Doctor of Music degrees, and Glorya Kaufman will earn a Doctor of Humane Letters. More...

Born of a Typo, Quartet Thrives on Commitment

By EVAN FEIN

One might be tempted to say that “Afiara” means “crowned with laurels,” as there is scarcely a prize this young quartet has not earned. The only Canadian ensemble in history to win the Concert Artists Guild International Competition and Munich’s ARD International Music Competition, the Afiara—Valerie Li and Yuri Cho, violins, David Samuel, viola, and Adrian Fung, cello—will be joined by guest artist, violist Michael Tree, for its Tully Hall debut on May 5. More...

Looking Back at 2009-10

From premieres and debuts to festivals and galas, Juilliard played host to a busy season while also taking the spotlight for its own dedications and openings. Notable events included Juilliard Dances Repertory, a Christian McBride premiere, the debut of the Historical Performance program, dedications of new spaces at the School, a production of Conrad Susa's Transformations, 13 concerts by the Juilliard Orchestra, and many others. Relive the season in this special slide show. More...

Shakespeare Under Modern Lights

By AMELIA PEDLOW

The plays of William Shakespeare have been set in just about every time or place, from the circus to Nazi Germany to modern-day California to colonial Japan to the moon. What’s more fascinating is that his works can withstand a wide variety of settings yet still remain compelling. For this year’s Shakespeare Repertory, featuring members of the third-year class in productions of Macbeth and The Merchant of Venice, the directors were led by a variety of factors to set the plays in realms far outside the norm. More...

Petschek Recitalist Enjoys the Ride

By BENJAMIN LAUDE

Some demand video games, others beg for ponies. When Gregory DeTurck, the winner of this year's William Petschek Piano Debut Recital Award, was old enough to form a sentence, he was asking his mom for piano lessons. This voluntary subjection to the humiliating years of early childhood pianism created a rare dynamic between DeTurck and his parents. The 28-year-old pianist makes his recital debut in Tully Hall on May 6. More...