KCET Airs Eleonore Schoenfeld Memoirs
The original, hour-long film, which premieres Aug. 24 at 6 p.m., traces the life of the professor who taught at the USC Thornton School of Music for nearly 50 years.
Produced by the USC Thornton School, Born to Teach was written and directed by filmmaker Nathan Cutietta and Mari Edelman PhD ’69, a former student of Schoenfeld, who is executive producer of the documentary.
Featuring KUSC host and producer Alan Chapman as narrator, the documentary also includes music performed by acclaimed cellist and USC Thornton School instructor Marek Szpakiewicz MM ’01, DMA ’08 as well as the Schoenfeld Duo, the violin-cello duo featuring sisters Eleonore and Alice Schoenfeld.
The music conductors are USC Thornton’s Lucinda Carver DMA ’89 and Donald Crockett ’74, MM ’76, chair of the composition department. Larry Livingston, director of the USC Thornton Orchestras, is music director.
Music selections in Born to Teach include recordings of Bach, Haydn and Tchaikovsky self-published by the Schoenfeld Duo as well as performances by Szpakiewicz.
“To follow Eleonore’s career is like a portrait of music making and teaching in the 20th century,” said Robert Cutietta, dean of the USC Thornton School. “Not only was she a legendary figure in the Thornton School and Los Angeles, where she helped the classical music scene mature and prosper in the years following World War II, but her reputation spread throughout the world.”
Through still images, home movies and first-person accounts from former students and colleagues, the documentary offers insight into Schoenfeld’s lifelong commitment to performing and teaching by telling her story, from childhood to her death in 2007 at the age of 81.
The documentary features interviews with former students, many of whom are now accomplished musicians. Included are Fang Fang Xu ’98, MM ’02, DMA ’07, cello soloist; Serge Oskotsky, a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Joon-Sung Jun ’00, MM ’02, professor of cello at Shepherd University; Ruslan Biryukov, winner of the 17th Mu Phi Epsilon International Competition; and Gal Faganel ’02, MM ’05, DMA ’07, associate principal cellist for the Phoenix Symphony.
USC Thornton School faculty member Alice Schoenfeld also recounts her sister’s childhood and their life together.
Others interviewed include violinist Midori Goto, chair of the USC Thornton School’s strings department; Donald McInnes, professor of strings at USC Thornton; and conductors Zubin Mehta and Michael Tilson Thomas.
The airing of Born to Teach inspired a number of events around the life of Schoenfeld, including KUSC’s Aug. 17 Thornton Center Stage program “Remembering Eleonore Schoenfeld – In Her Own Words,” a performance featuring pieces by Schoenfeld and selections from her memorial concert as well as Gail Eichenthal’s interview with Mari Edleman on KUSC’s Arts Alive program on Aug. 23.
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The Wall Street Journal highlighted the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
KPCC-FM reported that this fall USC will offer Persian language courses for the first time. A $250,000 grant from the Farhang Foundation helped to establish the program. Bruce Zuckerman of the USC Dornsife College said he has many students interested in the Persian language, culture and region. “The Iranian region is one that has great impact on our lives today and has had great impact going back into ancient times,” he said. The story noted that USC and the Farhang Foundation hope to raise more money to create an Iranian studies minor. Payvand also featured the new courses.
American Songwriter ran a Q&A with Christopher Sampson of the USC Thornton School about the school’s Popular Music program, which Sampson founded. He noted that the program has been available as a major in Songwriting since 2009, and has incorporated a diverse range of musical genres. “We have now established a consistent track record of students having professional success to know that the program gets results,” Sampson said. He also highlighted the achievements of Songwriting faculty members Lamont Dozier, Andrea Stolpe and David Poe of the Thornton School.
The Economist featured research by Valter Longo of the USC Davis School finding that short periods of fasting could help cancer patients better tolerate chemotherapy, and may even make treatment more effective. The Globe and Mail (Canada) reported that cancerous tumors are essentially energy hogs. “They need to burn lots of energy just to stay alive,” Longo said. The study was also covered by Irish Independent (Ireland), Magyar Tavirati Iroda (Hungary), Anadolu Ajansi (Turkey), Son Haber (Netherlands), Vietnam+ (Vietnam), Turkish Radio and Television (Turkey) and Romania Libera (Romania).
L.A. Weekly featured research by USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies, which has developed video games based around physical movement for people recovering from strokes or other injuries. The games develop strength in specific body parts. Traditional video games weren’t right for these patients, said the institute’s Belinda Lange. “Often, the fun parts of the game would only be unlocked after a series of other levels, which our patients often couldn’t achieve,” she said. The games are now being tested with physical therapists in three major clinics.
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