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Victoria Murray Brand
A native of Glen Cove, N.Y., Victoria Brand (Tori to her friends and
colleagues) graduated from Adelphi University as an English major. She got her
start in alumni and development work while still a sophomore in college,
thanks to a campus job.
How long have you worked at Juilliard, and what do you remember about your
first day?
I've worked at Juilliard for about four-and-a-half years. I had been a
homemaker for 17 years (thank you, Lynne Rutkin and Karen Raven, for taking a
chance on me), so, on my first day in the office, I felt like a Martian
visiting Earth. I saw a lot of faxes coming in and going out and I asked what
was the big emergency.
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| Victoria Brand in high school. |
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What job at Juilliard would you like to try out for a day and why?
I would like to be ombudswoman of the practice rooms, a position not currently
available. I would make the rounds of the practice rooms several times a day,
chat with each student, allow each to make one complaint about anything, and
then listen to a snippet of music from each and give them a snippet of life
advice.
What is the strangest job you've ever had and what made it strange?
My strangest job involved an assignment on the first day of my first job after
college, in alumni affairs at a university. The alumni event was held at a
country club-golf course, with a reception on a huge patio. The patio was
covered in goose droppings. My new boss handed me a broom and a shovel and
told me to clean it up. I did.
If out of the blue your boss said to take the day off, what would you do
with your free time?
I would probably go to the Greenmarket and then go home to cook and bake.
Do you have a background in music, dance, or drama? Are you actively
pursuing it?
I have been playing the flute since I was 10 years old, when I heard Julius
Baker play a concert in Morgan Park, in Glen Cove. I studied privately with
Juilliard alumnus Herbert Tichman (B.S. '51, clarinet). And for the past two
years I have been studying shakuhachi, the Japanese bamboo flute, with James
Nyoraku Schlefer.
What kind of performances do you prefer to attend and why?
I love to attend opera—because it includes so many arts (singing, music,
dance, acting, costumes). I cannot sing at all, but I hope to, in my next life.
What other pursuits are you passionate about?
I am passionate about the domestic arts: cooking, baking, sewing, embroidery,
crafts, housework.
What was the best vacation you've had?
I have spent many a summer vacation in Southold, L.I., bordered by Peconic Bay
and the Long Island Sound, where the biggest concern is whether the fresh
farm-stand corn was picked an hour ago or 10 minutes ago.
What is your proudest accomplishment in life?
My children: Clara (21), a University of Chicago class of 2004 classics major,
and Louis (17), a junior at Humanities Prep High School and a great athlete.
What might people be surprised to know about you?
I am shy.
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