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.
Ask Jeffrey Lavner, the former chair of the Piano Department at the Community School of Performing Arts, about his earliest memories of the Colburn School, and he colorfully recalls the warehouse facility on the University of Southern California (USC) campus in the early 1980s. He remembers the Knabe pianos and teaching during hot summer days without air conditioning. He also vividly recollects how much the School had accomplished by the time he joined the faculty in 1981 after completing his Master of Music degree from USC.
“I had taught at other neighborhood music schools in other cities, but they were nothing like Colburn. It was already a well-established school with a respected reputation and famous alumni, such as Michael Tilson Thomas,” says Lavner.
Those experiences set the stage for Lavner’s 40-plus-year career at Colburn. He’s had a front-row seat to the many transformations the School has undergone, growing from classrooms in a warehouse to breaking ground on the Colburn Center this year. Although, he sometimes wondered whether the dream of moving off the USC campus would come to fruition.
“Truthfully, I really never thought they would build the new building on Grand at that time. I didn’t believe the parking lot across the street would be built in my lifetime,” admits Lavner.
In 1989, after eight years of teaching, he moved on, but never completely stepped away. Lavner maintained his relationships with colleagues and occasionally was asked to teach Colburn students who were financially disadvantaged, thus carrying on the School’s mission of access to excellence for all.
Then he saw the finished Grand Avenue building.
“I was invited back to see it and I was blown away. I asked, ‘Will you take me back?’” he says. “Here, we have state-of-the-art pianos—it’s amazing to hear a beautifully tuned piano. Also all three performance halls are world-class, which is another feather in the School’s cap. There’s also more communal space like the café and the plaza, which encourages camaraderie.
“I appreciate the vision of those steering these efforts. It’s really amazing what Colburn has built. Plus, I’m looking forward to the new performance halls in the Colburn Center,” Lavner says.
Not only did he rejoin the Community School faculty in 1999, Lavner became Piano Chair in 2005. Under his direction, the department continued to expand its offerings for students, parents, and audience members.
The change that most impresses Lavner, however, is the ever-increasing caliber of talent.
“Everyone who comes to Colburn is motivated, but the level of musicianship has changed. That freaks me out to this day because the jumps are amazing,” he explains. “The students are more committed now and the parents are more committed, too. We still have fun, but the kids are serious, and it’s great. It’s a blessing to have students who are so committed, and as a teacher, you couldn’t ask for anything more. What we have at Colburn cannot be replicated anywhere else.”
Lavner, who also taught in Colburn’s Jazz program, has watched students follow successful career paths. Some of his pupils perform professionally, including jazz pianists Donald Vega, Eric Reed, and Isaac Wilson. Musician and composer Connie Han, Nicholas Méndez Del Valle, and Jonathan Lucas also attended Lavner’s studio.
“What is as exciting for me is seeing all the students who went on to study law, medicine, and other professions. They still really love to play. Actually, they’re maniacs about it. When I see them, they just want to talk about music,” says Lavner.
“I believe every teacher just wants their students to enjoy the music,” he adds. “Really, our job is to get them to love music so the thread keeps going to the next generations.”
A New Era
While Lavner no longer leads the Piano Department, he still teaches at the Community School and remains as excited about Colburn’s impact on young artists as he was back in 1981.
“We have fantastic faculty and I have the greatest respect for all my colleagues. The new chair, Ivana Malo, will do a great job,” he says.