School Notes: School of Music
January/February 2023

Alumna’s piano concerto receives orchestral premiere

In October, the Yale Philharmonia, led by Principal Conductor Peter Oundjian, gave the world orchestral premiere of Helen Hagan’s Piano Concerto in C minor, using a new orchestration by composer Soomin Kim ’21MusM, ’22MusMA. The soloist for the performance was musicologist and pianist Samantha Ege. Hagan was the first Black woman to graduate from the Yale School of Music, where she composed her concerto. She performed the piece in Woolsey Hall on May 23, 1912, the year she earned her degree.

Alumnus composer joins “For Humanity Illuminated” panel

Composer Marco Beltrami ’91MusM, who’s won a Primetime Emmy Award and received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his television and film scores, served as a panelist for a discussion titled “Storytelling for Impact: Harnessing the Power of Arts, Media, and Culture,” which took place in October at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. The event was part of “For Humanity Illuminated,” a touring campaign through which the work of the Yale community is celebrated. 

Philanthropic leader behind Music in Schools Initiative honored

Donald M. Roberts ’57 received the Yale Medal from the Yale Alumni Association in November. Roberts led the Yale College Class of 1957 in the establishment of an endowment that supports the Yale School of Music’s Music in Schools Initiative, at whose core is a partnership with the New Haven Public Schools. “Microscopically, I think we’ve helped,” Roberts said, explaining that the program today is “a lot bigger than when we started.”