The Johns Hopkins University Office of the Vice Provost for Research created the Discovery and Catalyst Awards in 2015 to support the promising research and creative endeavors of early career university faculty (Catalyst) and cross-divisional faculty teams (Discovery), and Peabody has been well represented over the years. Previous Catalyst Awards supported new works by Kevin Puts and Oscar Bettison and research by David Gutkin and Laura Vasilyeva, and more, while previous Discovery Awards have supported Associate Dean for Innovation in the Arts and Health Sarah Hoover collaborating on projects with colleagues in the schools of Medicine and Nursing and Director of Graduate Conducting Marin Alsop teaming up with Krieger School Research Professor and filmmaker Bernadette Wegenstein on the We Conduct documentary. This year, Conducting faculty artist Joseph Young was named among the Catalyst early career winners, and Music for New Media assistant professor Chris Kennedy is part of a team with Krieger School filmmaker Marly Hernandez-Cortes and sociologist Michael Levien who received a Discovery Award for Captured, a documentary film on the consequences of carbon capture for planetary health. Congratulations to all awardees.

As dean, it is always special to have the opportunity to meet and visit with Peabody alumni. Some years ago, our alumni in Korea established a wonderful tradition of organizing an orchestra concert every three years, in Seoul. That these alumni come together of their own accord to celebrate their common bond through Peabody in this way is extraordinary. Just this past week, I had the opportunity to go to Korea and hear this very special concert. Conducted by Peabody alumnus, David Ik-Sung Choo (DMA ’98, Conducting), the concert brought together more than 50 alumni on the stage of the Youngsan Art Hall for a program that featured Mozart’s Overture from The Marriage of Figaro, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 with soloist Jeewon Park (BM ’93; MM ’94; GPD ’96; DMA ’02), and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4. This event took place under the committed and energetic leadership of Eun-Oak Kim (MM ’92, GPD ’94, Piano), who heads up the chapter of Peabody alumni in Korea.

I was so pleased to be able to be there for this special concert, where the spirit and artistry of the Peabody experience was fully on display throughout the evening. Congratulations to our great alumni friends in Korea and many thanks for their proud raising of the Peabody flag!

Sincerely,

Fred Bronstein, Dean

Tuesday, July 14, 7:30 pm EDT

Pianist Sahun Sam Hong (GPD ’15; MM ’17, Piano) and faculty artist Ian Rosenbaum (BM ’08, Percussion) join the roster for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Summer Evenings III concert featuring works by Leonard Bernstein, Johannes Brahms, George Gershwin, Joseph Haydn, and Felix Mendelssohn. The concert takes place at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and tickets are available online.

Friday, July 24, 7:00 pm EDT

Soprano Sophia Sorrentino (MM ’25, Voice) stars as the titular Alice in Aliceheimer’s: A Chamber Opera, the adaptation of Dana Mashoian Walrath’s graphic novel memoir featuring music by composer Erik Nielsen and a libretto by Walrath herself. Featuring pianist/conductor and Peabody Opera coach Gloria Yin, Aliceheimer's charts Alice’s life from arriving in New York as the daughter of the Armenian genocide up through her experiences with dementia. The work is being presented in Hurd Hall on the Johns Hopkins medical campus as part of the Graphic Medicine 2026 Conference; free tickets are available online.

Wednesday, July 29, 6:00 pm MDT

Appointed Principal Cello, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Chair, of the New York Philharmonic in 1996, Carter Brey (BM ’76, Cello) plays his farewell performance with one of the country’s oldest musical institutions during the Bravo! Vail Music Festival. Under the baton of French conductor Stéphane Denève, Brey takes the spotlight for Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 on a program that includes music from Bizet’s L’Arlésienne, Debussy’s La Mer, and Ravel’s Boléro. The concert takes place at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater and tickets are available online.

Thursday, July 30, 7:00 pm EDT

Preparatory student Addison Ellis-Otovo took third place in the American Viola Society Festival’s junior solo competition and was named to NYO2, Carnegie Hall’s summer orchestra program. She appears with NYO2 and conductor Mei-Ann Chen performing works by Gabriela Lena Frank, George Gershwin, Arturo Márquez, Ottorino Respighi, and Michael Torke at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, tickets available online, before they travel to the Dominican Republic for a pair of concerts August 2 and 3.

Saturday, August 1, 3:00 pm EDT

In late July, the Lorelei Ensemble, founded by Director of Choral Studies Beth Willer, collaborates with composers Angélica Negrón, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Tina Tallon, and Pamela Z on the creation of four new works for treble vocal ensemble during the Lorelei’s residency at The Voxel in Baltimore. The residency concludes with a performance August 1, followed by a post-performance conversation/Q&A with Willer led by faculty artist Wendel Patrick. Tickets are available online.

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Peabody Notes highlights select off-campus performances featuring Peabody performers. For other events, please visit our Peabody events page.

European Composers on the American Tour, 1900-1914: Richard Strauss, Saint-Saëns, Scriabin, and Coleridge-Taylor

Musicology faculty Matthew Reese explores fin de siècle Anglo-American music on both sides of the Atlantic, fashioning a poignant study of early 20th-century American concert life and cultural history by following the concert tours of European composers. European Composers on the American Tour, 1900-1914: Richard Strauss, Saint-Saëns, Scriabin, and Coleridge-Taylor (University of Rochester Press) delivers an illuminating history—Reese’s chapter about Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s 1906 tour alone is a thoughtful exploration—and was awarded a publication subvention as part of the American Musicological Society’s 2026 awards cycle. 

Jazz Week and the Healing Power of Music: Brinae Ali

“I need to move sometimes to cleanse the palette in my brain,” says faculty artist Brinae Ali in the Resonate podcast. Hosted by Barry Shingle, Resonate is a conversational exploration of life and wellness by the Rancho La Puerta spa in Baja California. The podcast has explored the intersection of the arts and wellness with Chaz Ebert, folk singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier, and faculty artist Sean Jones, and invited Ali on to discuss her life; career; current projects; and music, performance, and collaboration as a form of care. “A vibration from a note can affect different parts of your body and emotions,” she says. “To me, that is the recipe for a medicinal moment.” The podcast can be found online.