The Crisis of Classical Music in America: Lessons from a Life in the Education of Musicians
Robert Freeman ’53
The Crisis of Classical Music in America discusses solutions for the many American classically trained musicians who face diminishing opportunities for full-time employment. An experienced observer, Robert Freeman asserts that schools training future instrumentalists, composers, conductors, and singers need to equip students with the communication and analytical skills to succeed in the rapidly changing music scene. His book offers a range of reforms for advanced music education.
Robert is a pianist, musicologist, and music educator. Having taught at Princeton and MIT, he served as director of the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester for more than two decades. In 2015, Robert was awarded an honorary degree by the Eastman School of Music, which named the atrium of the school’s new Sibley Music Library in his honor. Robert has served as president of the New England Conservatory, then as dean of the College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin, where he now teaches courses in musicology. A Steinway artist, Robert has performed in concerts and recitals throughout North America and Europe.