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 The following events occurred in Juilliard's history in May:
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| Anna Sokolow conducts a rehearsal of From the Diaries of Franz Kafka in 1980. (Photo by Alan Fuchs) |
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1941 May 5, members of the Institute of Musical Art's Opera Players, a student club, participated in the premiere of Benjamin Britten's first stage work, the operetta Paul Bunyan, at Columbia University.1959 May 9, Juilliard presented the premiere of Doris Humphrey's last work, Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major, choreographed in collaboration with Ruth Currier to J. S. Bach's score. The event was a memorial to Humphrey, who founded and directed the Juilliard Dance Theater and served as artistic director of the José Limón Company. Cast members were Sallie Bramlette, Deborah Jowitt, James Payton, Florence Peters, Baird Searles, Janet Mansfield Soares, Ann Vachon, John Wilson, Martha Wittman, and David Wynne. Frederik Prausnitz conducted the Juilliard Orchestra with soloists Dorothy Pixley, Marilyn Laughlin, and Joseph Maggio.
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1941 May 16, Robert Russell Bennett's Symphony in D ("For the Dodgers"), dedicated to the composer's favorite baseball team, received its premiere performance broadcast on Bennett's radio program in New York. The four movements are titled "Allegro con brio: Brooklyn Wins," "Andante lamentoso: Brooklyn Loses," "Scherzo: Hunting for a Pitcher," and "Finale: The Giants Come to Town." Bennett conducted the WOR Orchestra, and Red Barber narrated the last movement.1959 May 14, President Dwight D. Eisenhower broke ground for Lincoln Center at the site of Avery Fisher Hall, then named Philharmonic Hall.
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1971 May 4, the dedication of Three x Three Interplay, a transformable sculpture by Israeli artist Yaacov Agam, was held on the lower platform of the Juilliard building at the corner of 65th Street and Broadway, where the sculpture remains today. The 32-foot, 5-ton, stainless-steel sculpture was commissioned by Janet and George Jaffin and presented on behalf of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation in recognition of Israeli scholarship students at Juilliard. Isaac Stern, the foundation's chairman of the board, formally presented the sculpture; Juilliard President Peter Mennin gave an acceptance speech; and Commissioner Bess Myerson and Dr. Avraham Soltes offered remarks. The ceremony concluded with a performance in the Juilliard Theater by violinist Rony Rogoff and pianist Yoheved Kaplinsky, accompanied by Samuel Sanders.1980 May 6, the Juilliard Theater Center (the former name of the Drama Division) opened its spring repertory season with Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Michael Langham. It was the first full drama season since Langham became head of the program in 1979. Arthur Schnitzler's The Green Cockatoo, directed by Liviu Ciulei, and an evening of three theater pieces under the title "Victims" completed the season. "Victims" consisted of From the Diaries of Franz Kafka, conceived, choreographed, and directed by Anna Sokolow with recitations from Kafka's writings; Howard Brenton's The Saliva Milkshake, directed by Richard Hamburger; and Charles Marowitz's Artaud at Rodez, directed by Eve Shapiro. Jeni Dahmus is Juilliard's archivist.
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