Tannenbaum, James Memorial Scholarship
The James Tannenbaum Memorial Scholarship is an endowed fund created in 2005 (and subsequently revised in 2010 and 2017) with a generous gift by Dr. Michele Mills, honoring the memory of her late husband and teacher. James Tannenbaum (1944 – 2002), was a member of the distinguished Cleveland Institute of Music conservatory piano faculty for over thirty years. He was a renowned pianist and dedicated teacher whose performances, master classes, and adjudication at competitions contributed to the musical life of universities and communities in northeast Ohio and surrounding states, as well as numerous locations throughout the country. Devoted to high standards of pianism, readings of works faithful to an urtext score, as well as beauty and expression, Mr. Tannenbaum performed imaginative new recital programs annually throughout his life.
He appeared as a soloist in concertos with numerous orchestras throughout the
As a student, he was a soloist with the Michigan State singers and was among the finest young pianists invited to participate in the first two years of the Blossom Chamber Music Festival. Although he studied piano with a number of distinguished teachers, he was quick to credit Victor Babin, himself a student of renowned pedagogue Artur Schnabel, as his primary mentor and influence. Mr. Tannenbaum’s own studies at CIM were strongly supported by honors and awards in the form of scholarships due to high performance in both scholastics as well as
Mr. Tannenbaum considered the music of the composer Mozart to be the most challenging and revealing in both the technical and expressive skills of any performer, thus the music of this composer is especially appropriate in memory of his own devotion to that repertoire both as a performer and teacher.
The James Tannenbaum Memorial Scholarship is designated as a scholarship to an outstanding incoming freshman, sophomore or junior piano student majoring in performance, accompanying or choral education. The student must hold a 3.2 GPA, be active in solo and ensemble performance, and demonstrate qualities of leadership and citizenship either while in high school or at the university. The amount of the scholarship per student is not to exceed $1,000.
The recipient will be selected by the coordinator of piano studies (or similar position) in collaboration with piano faculty. Scholarships will be announced at the spring honors convocation. Scholarships may be used to support tuition and fees, books or on-»Æ¹ÏÊÓƵApp housing. If no candidate is found that meets the requirements noted above, the award funds for that year shall be returned to the principal.
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