In another cut made to the Music Department, Brandeis has declined to renew the Lydian String Quartet’s contract. The Lydian has been described as “one of the country’s superior chamber groups,” their performances described as both “richly satisfying” and “glorious.” After being formed more than 40 years ago, the Lydian String Quartet “has embraced the full range of the string quartet repertory with curiosity, virtuosity and dedication to the highest artistic ideals of music making.” The four members, Mark Berger (viola), Julia Glenn (violin), Joshua Gordon (cello) and Clara Lyon (violin) have a residence at Brandeis University, where they “approac[h] music-making with a sense of exploration and personal expression that is timeless.”
The Hoot reached out to the Lydian after hearing that their contract with the University had not been renewed, and the Quartet shared a statement describing the situation from their perspective. In this statement, they noted that “On Sept. 30 we were given 24 hours’ notice of a [Z]oom meeting with Provost Carol A. Fierke and Senior Assistant Provost Joel Christensen, where we were informed that Brandeis University will not be renewing the contracts for the Lydian String Quartet. We are shocked and saddened by this decision, which will have a devastating impact on the arts culture of Brandeis and the quality of arts education for students.”
The group went on, adding that “In this most recent round of cuts, which we were told are for purely budgetary reasons and had nothing to do with our performance or contributions to the university, the music department is being disproportionately gutted, eliminating 25% of the music faculty with no plans for replacement. This follows one year after the attempt to eliminate our PhD programs in musicology and composition, and continues a trend from a previous administration’s notorious attempt to sell off the Rose Art Museum’s collection.”
They described their work at Brandeis in detail, saying that “The Lydian Quartet is intimately tied up in the storied history of Brandeis, and we have embraced our role as artistic ambassadors with gusto, performing concerts around the globe, publishing over 30 studio albums, performing masterclasses and outreach wherever we travel, and making Brandeis a cultural destination for the Boston area music scene through our concert series on campus. The Lydian Quartet is a cultural jewel for Brandeis, a unique partnership that sets our university apart from other institutions.”
In closing, the Lydian said “This decision to end the legacy of the Lydian Quartet is a huge blow to the culture and history of Brandeis, and will have devastating ramifications for the music department, whose rich history stretches back to the beginning when Leonard Bernstein and Irving Fine were faculty members. We hope the greater Brandeis community of students, faculty, alumni, award recipients, donors, and other friends and supporters will call upon the Brandeis administration to reverse this shortsighted decision.”
The Hoot also spoke with CAST’s (Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation Program) Undergraduate Advising Head and Associate Professor of English Thomas King, who said that “one of the ways that our students learn to develop rigor in their fields is through contact with extremely well-trained practitioners in the arts, that are to [his] mind, on par … with other kinds of research experts in other fields. The direct access that students get to well-established experts in their fields is crucial to the student experience.” He added that the Lydian’s presence on campus builds “a sense of rigor and, and professionalism that students are not going to be getting in their courses. It’s just something extra added on to an experience for all students. We really need to keep this … available to our students.” He, too, added that this administrative choice reminds him of the University’s choice 15 years ago to shutter the Rose Art Museum. “This is a sort of reprise of the fiasco a number of years back with the Rose Art Museum and the attempt to de-access some of our collection for financial reasons. That did such significant harm to the reputation of Brandeis in the arts world.” He fears that Brandeis’ decision to not continue its relationship with the Lydian String Quartet “is going to do the same in the music world.”
The Hoot also contacted Music Department Chair and Victor and Gwendolyn Beinfield Professor of Music Yu-Hui Chang, who wrote that “the decision to remove the Lydian String Quartet is a denial of their contributions to the University for more than four decades and a rejection of the rich legacy that the Department of Music has helped Brandeis build since the university’s early years. This is no doubt detrimental to Brandeis’ public image.”
The Hoot also reached out to Brandeis’ administration for comment on the Lydian String Quartet’s contract, and Assistant Vice President of Communications Julie Jette said that “Brandeis has long supported the arts, and music remains an integral part of our liberal arts curriculum. The University is committed to providing excellent academic and co-curricular experiences for our students, with a strong emphasis on teaching and access to research. To maintain that strategic focus, difficult decisions must be made at times related to other activities at the university. However, we cannot discuss individual personnel decisions.”
