Acclaimed music journalist Anne Midgette to speak at CIM Commencement, receive honorary doctorate

CLEVELAND, March 20, 2023 – There’s no telling yet the details of this year’s Commencement address at CIM. One thing, though, is certain: it will be well written.  

That’s because the one delivering the remarks, the recipient of CIM’s 2023 Honorary Doctor of Musical Arts, will be Anne Midgette, one of the nation’s preeminent music journalists.  

“I am at once astonished, deeply flattered and grateful,” Midgette said, reflecting on the annual award given to musical leaders including star performers and conductors.  

“It’s an amazing honor to be recognized in this way, in such company, by a school with such stature and history of excellence.” 

That Midgette merits the award, to be given live during Commencement at 11am Saturday, May 20 in Kulas Hall, is beyond question. 

Classical music critic of The Washington Post from 2008 to 2019 and the first woman to write regularly about classical music for The New York Times, Midgette easily ranks as one of the foremost voices in music journalism.  

She has guided the national conversation on music not only in the Post and Times but also in The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times and Opera News, among other major publications, and lectured or held residencies at several universities and conservatories. Throughout her career, she has advanced social media as a platform for music criticism and sparked frank conversations about inclusivity, accountability and the future of classical music.  

Neither is journalism Midgette’s only sphere of influence. In addition to countless articles, Midgette also has published several books, notably including The King and I, a candid account of Herbert Breslin’s longtime management of tenor Luciano Pavarotti, and My Nine Lives, a memoir about the travails and triumphs of pianist Leon Fleisher. Currently, she is writing a book about the woman who built pianos for Beethoven.  

“Anne Midgette embodies the power of the pen better than almost anyone in music,” said CIM President & CEO Paul Hogle. “She proves that it isn’t only performers who shape the world and the future of classical music but also writers and thought leaders. We look forward to hosting and hearing from such a distinguished figure.”  

Midgette, for her part, said she is eager to speak at CIM. She said she welcomes the chance to address young musicians directly and to remind them of the transformative role she believes they must play in the future of their art.   

“It’s an incredibly challenging and exciting time to be a musician,” Midgette said. “Our field is in a process of transformation as we try to both uphold beloved traditions and continue our creative growth and vitality in the 21st-century landscape. The younger generation is going to help set a new course for all of us.” 

Midgette will be one of three award winners at CIM’s 98th Commencement Ceremony May 20, along with pianist and educator Scott Price (MM ’91, Hecht) and violinist Diana Cohen (BM ’01, MM ’11, Kantor/Smirnoff/Preucil/Weilerstein). To learn more about events taking place during CIM’s 2023 graduation weekend, visit cim.edu/commencement. 

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CIM’S HONORARY DOCTORATE  

CIM has awarded more than 90 honorary doctorates since 1965, when the practice began. Recipients are recommended by the faculty and the honor is granted by CIM’s Board of Trustees. Among the musical luminaries who have received this distinction are conductors Christoph von Dohnányi, Michael Tilson Thomas, Kurt Masur and Franz Welser-Möst; composers Donald Erb, Pierre Boulez, and Malcolm Arnold; violinists Josef Gingold, Itzhak Perlman and Robert Mann; harpist Ann Hobson Pilot; vocalists Frederica von Stade and Tony Bennett; and pianists Van Cliburn and Leon Fleisher.  

Cleveland Institute of Music 

The Cleveland Institute of Music empowers the world’s most talented classical music students to fulfill their dreams and potential. Its graduates command the most celebrated and revered stages in the world as soloists, leading roles, chamber musicians and ensemble members; compose meaningful, award-winning new repertoire; produce Grammy Award-winning recordings; and are highly sought-after teaching artists, administrators and thought leaders. A testament to the excellence of a CIM education, more than half of the members of The Cleveland Orchestra are connected to CIM as members of the faculty, alumni or both, and CIM alumni occupy hundreds of chairs in major orchestras worldwide. The school’s increasingly diverse collegiate and pre-college student bodies benefit from access to world-renowned visiting artists, intensive study with CIM’s stellar faculty and the rich curriculum offered by CIM’s partner, Case Western Reserve University. A leader among its peers, CIM is the largest presenter of free performances, master classes and community concerts in the Midwest, hosting hundreds of events each year on campus and at locations regionwide, including Severance Music Center. Explore cim.edu to learn more.