After the successful and COVID-19-free completion of its 25th Anniversary Season, the Heifetz International Music Institute is pleased to announce the election of Bruce Rosenblum as the new Chairman of its Board of Directors (the full board may be seen here). Mr. Rosenblum is a Managing Director and Management Committee member at global investment firm Carlyle, based in Washington DC. He has previously served on other nonprofit boards, including those of Washington Performing Arts and the Baltimore Symphony, and is a “serious amateur” musician, performing on double bass, and making several appearances on the Heifetz stage.

“The Institute deftly navigated a challenging two years and has emerged well positioned for future success and growth,” says the new Heifetz chair. “The level of quality of the student body and world-class faculty was never higher, and I am proud that the 2021 Institute was at the forefront of (safely!) ‘reintroducing’ both audiences and musicians to the thrills of live performance. As we look forward to an even more spectacular set of programs in 2022, the Institute’s Board is fully committed to maintaining the high artistic quality of the Institute, encouraging innovation in and expansion of programs, fostering increased community engagement, supporting the careers of Institute alumni, and ensuring the Institute’s financial security and sustainability.”

Mr. Rosenblum succeeds the Institute’s longtime Chairman Gary Abramson, who served in that role for nearly fifteen years, and joined the Heifetz board shortly after the Institute’s formal incorporation in 1996. Looking back on his tenure, Mr. Abramson, who helped to navigate the institute through three different locations and multiple Executive Directors observes, “The Institute is now in the best place it’s ever been, not only financially, but also with its reputation among musicians, teachers, and the global music community.”

Joining Mr. Rosenblum on the Heifetz Board leadership team is Swoope, Va resident Dr. Joseph Orlick, MD, who has been elected Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors. Dr. Orlick views the role of the board as, “continuing further to innovate and enhance the meaningful and life-changing experiences of our students, solidifying mutually beneficial relationships with institutions and businesses in Staunton and around the region, maintaining and enhancing our financial security, and continuing to engage with the community members of Augusta County and beyond.”

Amid these changes at the Board level, the Institute is also delighted to announce that the contract of Artistic Director Nicholas Kitchen has been renewed through 2024. As a founding member of the Borromeo String Quartet (in residence at New England Conservatory), Kitchen has both perpetuated and expanded the mission and vision of founder Daniel Heifetz following the latter’s retirement in 2018. That vision was fully realized in the digital realm in 2020, as the Institute was the first major summer music program to pivot to an online setting in response to the pandemic, committed to preserving its training and programmatic activities.

“A great performer may dazzle us with their technique, but it is when they open their heart that the stage really comes alive,” says Kitchen. “Daniel Heifetz founded the Heifetz Institute for young artists to learn how to find and tap into their own musical passion, and learn how to bring that passion to the stage. I am excited to add what I can to this marvelous history.”