American Conservatory of Music
Encyclopedia
The American Conservatory of Music (ACM) was a major American
school of music founded in 1886 by John James Hattstaedt
(1851–1931). The conservatory was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. It was located in Chicago until 1991 when its Board of Trustees — chaired by Frederic Wilbur Hickman (b. 1927) — voted to close the institution, file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, liquidate the assets, and dissolve the corporation. An organization in Hammond, Indiana
, currently uses the name "American Conservatory of Music" and identifies itself as the continuation of the Chicago institution.
's colleague Josef Lhévinne
and later his student Adele Marcus
taught master classes in piano and other instruments at the American Conservatory.
From the post-WWII years to the late 1960s, Irwin Fischer, composer, pianist, and conductor, served as Dean of Faculty and conductor of the American Conservatory Orchestra. Violinist Scott Willetts
coached many members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
from 1940 to 1974. Pianist Wilhelmina Pouget, student of Walter Gieseking
, specialized in late Romantic piano technique in the 1970s. Acclaimed pianist William Browning
, heir of the Brahms-Schumann piano dynasty and one of the legendary pianists and teachers of the 20th century, was on faculty from 1957 to 1989.
recipients
Other notable alumni
Recipients of honorary doctorates
) and wife, Theodora Schulze (née Economou; b. Sept 19, 1930).
However, the State of Illinois deemed the new entity — Friends of the Conservatory — a different entity, one that was operating under the assumed name, American Conservatory of Music. The State of Illinois prevailed in court (that the new entity was granting degrees that were unauthorized by the State). The State held that Friends of the Conservatory had no legal connection with the original institution and warned that offering degrees without licensing was a violation State statutes. Ultimately, an Illinois court, in 1997, prohibited individuals involved with Friends (who, in 1997, had also formed an Illinois entity named "Conservatory Partners LLC") from awarding degrees.
In 1998, the Illinois Board of Higher Education reasserted its opinion that "the American Conservatory of Music ceased to exist in 1991 as an entity legally constituted to grant degrees in the state of Illinois."
(NASM) in 1924 and, in 1928, became a charter member when memberships were first bestowed. NASM delisted AMC's membership on May 1, 1998. Subsequent to the ending of its NASM membership, the U.S. Department of Education delisted AMC as an Accredited Post Secondary Institution
. In turn, the Carnegie Foundation
for the Advancement of Teaching delisted ACM from its Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
, and began operating from a new venue: St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Hammond, Indiana
. The new conservatory asserted that it should be exempt from oversight by the State of Indiana as an ecclesiastical entity whose affairs are governed by canon law, doctrines, disciplines, traditions, worship, and unity of the Eastern Orthodox Church
.
In order to meet exemption criteria, the conservatory, in 2007, informed the State of Indiana that it was not, in a legal sense, a postsecondary proprietary educational institution; it reported that all of its students were enrolled for motivational purposes and that none of them were seeking training for gainful employment.
The Indiana entity was created on August 20, 1998, as a non-profit corporation under the name American Conservatory of Music, Inc. (former name was Hattstaedt Foundation of Music Incorporated), located at 4117 Wabash Avenue, Hammond, Indiana. Its Articles of Incorporation declare it to be a "religious corporation which is organized primarily or exclusively for religious purposes." Its Chairman is Otto T. Schulze, son of Theodora and Richard Schulze, its President is Theodora Schulze, and its Corporation Secretary is Martha K. Gingles.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
school of music founded in 1886 by John James Hattstaedt
John James Hattstaedt
John James Hattstaedt founded the American Conservatory of Music in 1886. He served as its president from its founding until six months before his death, when he became ill. At the time of his death, the Conservatory had an enrollment of over 3,000....
(1851–1931). The conservatory was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. It was located in Chicago until 1991 when its Board of Trustees — chaired by Frederic Wilbur Hickman (b. 1927) — voted to close the institution, file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, liquidate the assets, and dissolve the corporation. An organization in Hammond, Indiana
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
, currently uses the name "American Conservatory of Music" and identifies itself as the continuation of the Chicago institution.
Former conservatory presidents
- 1886–1931: John James HattstaedtJohn James HattstaedtJohn James Hattstaedt founded the American Conservatory of Music in 1886. He served as its president from its founding until six months before his death, when he became ill. At the time of his death, the Conservatory had an enrollment of over 3,000....
(1851–1931) - 1935–1971: John Robert Hattstaedt (1887–1978), John James Hattstaedt's son, a Princeton graduate, served as president.
- 1971–1980: Leo Edward Heim (1913–1992) was instrumental in the attempt to save the Conservatory after it had filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 in 1991. In 1981, the Conservatory named him President Emeritus.
- 1980-1987: Charles Ethelbert Moore (1930–1995), a classical pianist, was president when the Conservatory filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in January 1987. Moore had joined the faculty in 1961 and became Dean in 1972.
- 1987–1991: Vernon Nelson (born approx. 1946), a graduate of the University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
's Graduate School of Business, temporarily saved the Conservatory, extending its life until 1991.
Former faculty, guest teachers and associates
For over a century, many prominent artists such as Sergei RachmaninoffSergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
's colleague Josef Lhévinne
Josef Lhévinne
Josef Lhévinne was a Russian pianist and piano teacher.Joseph Arkadievich Levin was born into a family of musicians in Oryol and studied at the Imperial Conservatory in Moscow under Vasily Safonov...
and later his student Adele Marcus
Adele Marcus
Adele Marcus was an American pianist, but better known as a teacher of many other famous pianists.She was born in Kansas City, the last of 13 children of a rabbi of Russian descent...
taught master classes in piano and other instruments at the American Conservatory.
From the post-WWII years to the late 1960s, Irwin Fischer, composer, pianist, and conductor, served as Dean of Faculty and conductor of the American Conservatory Orchestra. Violinist Scott Willetts
Scott Willetts
Scott Willetts was a prominent violin teacher with the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, Illinois who coached many members of Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1940 through 1974...
coached many members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
from 1940 to 1974. Pianist Wilhelmina Pouget, student of Walter Gieseking
Walter Gieseking
Walter Wilhelm Gieseking was a French-born German pianist and composer.-Biography:Born in Lyon, France, the son of a German doctor and lepidopterist, Gieseking first started playing the piano at the age of four, but without formal instruction...
, specialized in late Romantic piano technique in the 1970s. Acclaimed pianist William Browning
William Browning
William Browning may refer to:* William J. Browning , politician* William Browning *William Docker Browning , U.S. federal judge...
, heir of the Brahms-Schumann piano dynasty and one of the legendary pianists and teachers of the 20th century, was on faculty from 1957 to 1989.
Alumni
Pulitzer Prize for MusicPulitzer Prize for Music
The Pulitzer Prize for Music was first awarded in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer did not call for such a prize in his will, but had arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year...
recipients
- 1946 — Leo SowerbyLeo SowerbyLeo Sowerby , American composer and church musician, was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1946, and was often called the “Dean of American church music” in the early to mid 20th century.-Biography:...
(1895–1968), pianist & composer, Master of Music 1918 - 1952 — Gail KubikGail KubikGail Thompson Kubik was an American composer, motion picture scorist, violinist, and teacher. He studied at the Eastman School of Music, the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago with Leo Sowerby, and Harvard University with Walter Piston and Nadia Boulanger...
(1914–1984), Master of Music 1936 - 1976 — Ned RoremNed RoremNed Rorem is a Pulitzer prize-winning American composer and diarist. He is best known and most praised for his song settings.-Life:...
(born 1923), studied with Leo SowerbyLeo SowerbyLeo Sowerby , American composer and church musician, was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1946, and was often called the “Dean of American church music” in the early to mid 20th century.-Biography:...
1938–1939 - 1979 — Joseph SchwantnerJoseph SchwantnerJoseph C. Schwantner is a Pulitzer Prize winning American composer and educator and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was awarded the 1970 Charles Ives Prize....
(born 1943), Bachelor of Music 1964 - 1986 — George PerleGeorge PerleGeorge Perle was a composer and music theorist. He was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. Perle was an alumnus of DePaul University...
(1915–2009), Master of Music 1942
Other notable alumni
Recipients of honorary doctorates
Former locations
- ????–1975: 410 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Fine Arts Building
- 1975–1987: 116 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
- 1987–1991: 17 N. State Street, Chicago, Stevens Building
Efforts to revive the Conservatory
In 1991, a group of alumni, friends, students, and former faculty waged an effort to resume operations under the same name. The effort was headed by Richard Allen Schulze (b. Oct 20, 1928; d. Aug 7, 2001, Hammond, IndianaHammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
) and wife, Theodora Schulze (née Economou; b. Sept 19, 1930).
1992 successor entity in Chicago
The group formed an entity named "Friends of the Conservatory, Inc.," in Illinois and began to operate a school in the Chicago building that the American Conservatory had vacated. The new entity had some of the same faculty and continuing students. They represented the new entity as an uninterrupted continuation of the American Conservatory of Music.However, the State of Illinois deemed the new entity — Friends of the Conservatory — a different entity, one that was operating under the assumed name, American Conservatory of Music. The State of Illinois prevailed in court (that the new entity was granting degrees that were unauthorized by the State). The State held that Friends of the Conservatory had no legal connection with the original institution and warned that offering degrees without licensing was a violation State statutes. Ultimately, an Illinois court, in 1997, prohibited individuals involved with Friends (who, in 1997, had also formed an Illinois entity named "Conservatory Partners LLC") from awarding degrees.
In 1998, the Illinois Board of Higher Education reasserted its opinion that "the American Conservatory of Music ceased to exist in 1991 as an entity legally constituted to grant degrees in the state of Illinois."
Loss of accreditation
ACM had been one of six institutions that founded the National Association of Schools of MusicNational Association of Schools of Music
The National Association of Schools of Music is an association of post-secondary music schools in the United States and the principal U.S. accreditor for higher education in music...
(NASM) in 1924 and, in 1928, became a charter member when memberships were first bestowed. NASM delisted AMC's membership on May 1, 1998. Subsequent to the ending of its NASM membership, the U.S. Department of Education delisted AMC as an Accredited Post Secondary Institution
Higher education accreditation
Higher education accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of post-secondary educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
. In turn, the Carnegie Foundation
Carnegie Foundation
The Carnegie Foundation is an organization based in The Hague, Netherlands. It was founded in 1903 by Andrew Carnegie in order to manage his donation of US$1.5 million, which was used for the construction, management and maintenance of the Peace Palace...
for the Advancement of Teaching delisted ACM from its Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
Illinois bans use of the name, American Conservatory of Music
In 1999, the State of Illinois further prohibited the individuals associated with Friends from offering classes for credit or using the name "American Conservatory of Music."1998 entity in Hammond, Indiana
In 1998, the new entity found a sponsor, the Orthodox Monastery of St. Michael the Archangel in BelizeBelize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, and began operating from a new venue: St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Hammond, Indiana
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
. The new conservatory asserted that it should be exempt from oversight by the State of Indiana as an ecclesiastical entity whose affairs are governed by canon law, doctrines, disciplines, traditions, worship, and unity of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
.
In order to meet exemption criteria, the conservatory, in 2007, informed the State of Indiana that it was not, in a legal sense, a postsecondary proprietary educational institution; it reported that all of its students were enrolled for motivational purposes and that none of them were seeking training for gainful employment.
The Indiana entity was created on August 20, 1998, as a non-profit corporation under the name American Conservatory of Music, Inc. (former name was Hattstaedt Foundation of Music Incorporated), located at 4117 Wabash Avenue, Hammond, Indiana. Its Articles of Incorporation declare it to be a "religious corporation which is organized primarily or exclusively for religious purposes." Its Chairman is Otto T. Schulze, son of Theodora and Richard Schulze, its President is Theodora Schulze, and its Corporation Secretary is Martha K. Gingles.