Robert Vernon, Principal Violist for The Cleveland Orchestra, appointed to The Juilliard School's Viola Faculty

The Juilliard School has announced the appointment of Robert Vernon, the distinguished principal violist of The Cleveland Orchestra, to its viola faculty beginning in September 2008. Mr. Vernon, who is an alumnus of Juilliard, brings with him a highly regarded orchestral pedagogy on his instrument.

A violist of international reputation, Mr. Vernon is in his thirty-second season as Cleveland’s principal violist. He is an active chamber musician and has performed with artists such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lorin Maazel, Lynn Harrell, Claude Frank, Elmar Oliveira, Robert Levin, and Gregory Pauk. A regular participant in North American music festivals, Mr. Vernon’s appearances as a recitalist and chamber music performer have included the festivals of Marlboro, Aspen, Blossom, La Jolla, Ravinia, Sarasota, Roundtop, Tanglewood, and Yellow Barn, among others.

“The Juilliard is indeed honored to welcome the distinguished violist and pedagogue, Robert Vernon, to our faculty,” remarked Juilliard President Joseph W. Polisi. “His exceptional accomplishments as a performer in solo, chamber, and orchestral settings, as well as his groundbreaking work in viola pedagogy, will provide an extraordinary opportunity for future viola students at our school to benefit from his considerable expertise and vision.”

Mr. Vernon has appeared as soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra in more than 150 concerts, both at home and on tour, throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. These performances have included solo appearances at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Boston’s Symphony Hall, and Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center. He has performed virtually the entire solo concerto repertoire, including commissions for The Cleveland Orchestra and Robert Vernon by Paul Schoenfield, Richard Sortomme, and Paul Chihara.

At Juilliard, Mr. Vernon studied with Ivan Galamian, Sally Thomas, and Walter Trampler.  He commented about continuing in that tradition at his alma mater by saying, “Juilliard gave me the opportunity to fulfill my professional goals and musical dreams. The instruction that I received at Juilliard had a profound impact on my early career, and I hope that in coming home to the School, I will be able to have a similar impact on a younger generation of musicians.”

Mr. Vernon has recorded virtually the entire orchestral repertoire with The Cleveland Orchestra and as a soloist with this ensemble has recorded Berlioz’s Harold in Italy, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, and Strauss’ Don Quixote. He also recently recorded the Paul Schoenfeld Viola Concerto with the Berlin Radio Orchestra. He has made numerous chamber music recordings for Telarc and Decca/London. Mr. Vernon’s book on orchestral excerpts for viola, titled The Essential Orchestral Excerpts for Viola: The Keys to Winning an Audition, has just been completed.

Chair of the viola department at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Mr. Vernon is recognized as one of this country’s foremost teachers of viola. His students hold major positions as chamber musicians and teachers and as players in more than 50 orchestras, including the orchestras of Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Saint Louis, Houston, Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Montreal, and Toronto. Mr. Vernon will continue as head of the Cleveland Institute of Music’s viola department and in the principal’s chair at The Cleveland Orchestra.

Mr. Vernon has presented lectures and given master classes in Europe, Canada, South America, and Asia and has given classes in this country’s leading schools and conservatories, including Juilliard, The Curtis Institute, Manhattan School of Music, Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He serves on the summer faculties of the Encore School for Strings, Kent/Blossom Music, the National Orchestral Institute in Maryland, and serves as a coach for the New World Symphony in Miami.

About The Juilliard School:

The Juilliard School established this country’s standard for education in the performing arts, beginning with music in 1905. More than a century later, the School offers music performance education from undergraduate through doctoral and advanced diploma levels. Among its long list of renowned music pedagogues is a stellar roster of viola faculty – Misha Amory, Toby Appel, Heidi Castleman, Hsin-Yun Huang, Masao Kawasaki, Paul Neubauer, Margaret Pardee, Samuel Rhodes (department chair and member of the Juilliard String Quartet), Steven Tenenbom, and Michael Tree – now joined by Mr. Vernon.

In 1951, Juilliard established a Dance Division, with combined training in contemporary and ballet technique. Juilliard became part of Lincoln Center in 1968, and added a four-year Drama program that same year. In 2001, Juilliard broke new ground with the addition of its first Jazz Program, now including curricula from bachelor through pre-professional levels. Beginning in Fall 2010, Juilliard’s vocal arts department joins forces with the Metropolitan Opera in a new program combining the strengths of Juilliard’s current Opera Center, and the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

More than 800 young artists, from 47 states and 50 foreign countries, attend Juilliard; among its celebrated alumni in all fields are Pina Bausch, Van Cliburn, James Conlon, Miles Davis, Renée Fleming, Philip Glass, Kevin Kline, James Levine, Laura Linney, Patti LuPone, Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis, Itzhak Perlman, Leontyne Price, Sara Ramirez, Steve Reich, Leonard Slatkin, Kevin Spacey, Paul Taylor, Robin Williams, and many others. For more information, visit Juilliard’s Web site at www.juilliard.edu.