2022 Welcome Back Message

August 29, 2022

As our newest community members join us and get acclimated, I know all of Juilliard shares my excitement in welcoming them as new students, faculty, and staff. It is important as one starts things to have one’s eyes on the horizon. You hit what you aim at, and as we embark on this new academic year together, I ask you to reflect on your aims. What will the story of your year here at Juilliard be? You are the author of that story, and as science can tell us, your expectations will determine your outcomes.

We are fortunate to begin this year with a growing sense of normalcy, and should never take for granted the precious opportunity we have to be together. The Juilliard community coalesces around a shared mission – to nurture artistic excellence and creativity in our students, striving to help them reach their highest potential as artists, leaders, and global citizens. And with that striving we also push the boundaries of what art itself is and can be. This is a powerful set of goals, and our work as students, faculty, or administrators is best exercised with clear purpose and intention. A glorious future must be envisioned to be enacted, and as we begin this year let us take stock of that vision.

Since Juilliard’s arrival at Lincoln Center in 1969, this space and its inhabitants have empowered generations to make their own mark. The legacy of those achievements endures as the platform to help us to evolve further, and so on into the future. In our classrooms and studios this work is done daily, weekly, hourly, and annually, as it is in all areas of our home here at the nation’s premiere arts complex. Over the summer, our ongoing renovations and updates to the Irene Diamond and Rose Buildings signal our continued evolution as a school, as we work to ensure that we are prepared to meet the needs of our students and the Juilliard community.

In your first, returning, or ongoing days here at Juilliard, I urge you to ground yourself in our shared purpose. Remember why you are here, think deeply, explore fearlessly individually and together. Beyond your personal practice, revel in the endless possibilities that open up in ensemble work, and in the building of social intelligence which makes us all better artists and humans. Being stewards of this school means relying on each other to adapt to the changes posed by our unpredictable world—it cannot be done alone. Although we have learned hard lessons on this through the challenges of the global health crisis we are still emerging from, let us note those lessons and their applicability to the many ways we can do more together than apart.

This year’s journey begins here and now. I can confidently say for my esteemed colleagues that make up our faculty and staff, that it brings a great deal of joy and fulfillment to see Juilliard’s classrooms and halls come alive again. While we have a pilot’s first-row seat to the growth and development of our students, the support from our Trustees, alumni, donors, and wider community truly allow them to soar. In this moment I also want to welcome our new board chair Vincent Mai, who brings such strength of experience and vision for the future to our collective mission.

I wish everyone all the best as we embark on a year of education and performance at Juilliard full of creativity, innovation, and excellence, all fueled by shared purpose and intention. Let our aims and expectations be ambitious, clear, and high spirited!

Onward! Damian Woetzel

Office of the President
Monday, August 29, 2022 12:04 PM Office of the President
A Message from President Woetzel
President