To prepare for Maria, a biopic about the legendary soprano Maria Callas, Angelina Jolie studied opera with Michael Stevens, Chair of the Vocal Department for Colburn’s Community School of Performing Arts. He had seven short months to prepare her for filming, instilling a knowledge of opera and Callas’s style and idiosyncrasies that would be reflected on the big screen.  

Can you hear that? It’s the delicate touch of dancers’ feet gliding across the stage or elegantly landing with each leap.

Do you see that? It’s the fantastical movement of a pianist’s fingers on the keys or the deliberate choreography of a bow dancing across a violin’s strings.

When the interplay between music and dance comes alive, it creates a unique sensory experience in which you can see the music and hear the dance.

This season marks the 75th anniversary of the Colburn School. As part of our year-long celebration, we’ll be looking back at Colburn history through the eyes of faculty and alumni. This month, we talk with longtime Community School faculty member Jeff Lavner, who has seen the school grow from a warehouse on the USC campus to the beautiful Grand Avenue facilities it occupies today.

“It is impossible to return to these composers what was taken away from them in their lifetime. The only thing we can do is play their music in the present. The young musicians of today will hopefully ensure that it is played in the future and it will become a part of the canon of what we value in classical music.” – James Conlon, Artistic Director, Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices

As the calendar turns to August, students, faculty, and families prepare to start a new year at Colburn. With the start of the school year, we are happy to announce new roles for two of our esteemed faculty members who are committed to educating the next generation of artists.