Composer and Alumnus David Serkin Ludwig Named Dean and Director of Juilliard’s Music Division

NEW YORK –– Following an extensive search, Juilliard has named composer and alumnus David Serkin Ludwig as dean and director of Juilliard’s Music Division. Ludwig, an alumnus of Juilliard (Graduate Diploma ’02, composition), comes from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he currently serves as the Gie and Lisa Liem Artistic Advisor to the President, chair of composition studies, director of Ensemble 20/21, and the artistic director of Curtis Summerfest. Ludwig will begin his transition to Juilliard on June 1, 2021.

As dean and director, Ludwig will oversee the artistic and educational activities of the Music Division. He will work closely with students, faculty, and administrators to lead the largest department and founding division of the school with a vision reflecting Juilliard’s values of excellence, creativity, and inclusiveness.

“This announcement heralds a new era for Juilliard’s Music Division as we appoint David Ludwig as its dean and director,” said President Damian Woetzel. “We look forward with great anticipation to David's tenure, which promises both the continuation of Juilliard’s traditional distinction and an expansive vision for the future of music and the education of our young artists." 

The Music Division was previously led by Ara Guzelimian, who held the dual role of provost and dean and who remains at Juilliard as special advisor to the president. President Damian Woetzel has recast the leadership model to include Provost Adam Meyer and the new, dedicated role of dean and director for the Music Division.

“We are very excited to welcome David to Juilliard as dean and director of the Music Division. In this capacity, he’ll play a key artistic and educational role,” Meyer said. “David is uniquely skilled as an artist, teacher, composer, and administrator. He brings deep artistic knowledge and a commitment to excellence and education to this important position in the school.”

“Working with students is an incredibly rewarding and vital part of my life,” Ludwig said. “As an artist and educator, I am thrilled to be returning to Juilliard to work with students, faculty, and staff to help build school community and engage audiences in New York and around the world.”

Juilliard’s search consultant was Isaacson, Miller, which led a broad national search over the course of the last eight months. The search process included advisory committees reflecting the breadth of the Juilliard community with representatives from the faculty, staff, student body, administrative leadership, and trustees. During the search process, Guzelimian served as interim dean and director of the Music Division until February, when he returned to his ongoing role as special advisor to the president. From March to June, the role of interim dean and director is being filled by Benjamin Sosland, who is also the administrative director of the Historical Performance department.

Juilliard’s Music Division offers degree programs in all orchestral instruments, piano and organ, guitar, and collaborative piano; Vocal Arts; Jazz; Historical Performance; composition; and orchestral conducting. The division enrolls approximately 700 students from 45 countries and has a distinguished faculty of 360 full and part-time members. 

Students in Juilliard’s Music Division receive individualized instruction from the school’s superb faculty and distinguished visiting artists, and there are numerous and unique performance opportunities at the school and at Lincoln Center as well as around New York City, the country, and the world. Alumni of the division hold positions in nearly every major U.S. orchestra and in notable chamber ensembles; have won countless awards and competitions; are faculty members and administrators throughout the U.S. and the world; and have had their compositions premiered by major performance ensembles worldwide.

About David Serkin Ludwig

David Serkin Ludwig comes to Juilliard from the Curtis Institute, where he has helped to shape the artistic direction of the school as well as its engagement with local and global communities through education, technology, and cultivating a vibrant culture of new music. Ludwig currently serves as the Gie and Lisa Liem Artistic Advisor to the President, chair of composition studies, director of Ensemble 20/21, and artistic director of Curtis Summerfest.

Additionally, while at Curtis, Ludwig served as chair of musical studies (2008-2010), and chair of performance studies (2010-13, Gie and Lisa Liem Endowed Chair). He then served as dean of artistic programs and performance (2013-17) and artistic advisor to the president (2017-present). Ludwig also served as major faculty for composition (2009-21).

Among many other accomplishments at Curtis, Ludwig founded and served as artistic director of Curtis’ Summer Programs/Summerfest (2012-21), was director of Ensemble 20/21 for the past 13 years, and founded the composer-in-residence program. He also played a central role in the school’s commissioning and performing of contemporary music as well as initiating Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and digital media efforts such as the Curtis Mentor Network and “Imagination Pod.” He founded community engagement programs at Curtis and he was a co-founder of the pilot program that launched ArtistYear.

As a committed advocate for diversity and inclusion in new music and programming, Ludwig serves on the national program committee of New Music USA and is a member of the distinguished mentors council of Composers Now. In addition, he has helped create opportunities for access to encourage a more diverse and equitable music community. His board service has included the Women’s Sacred Music Project, dedicated to commissioning new works of faith from female-identifying composers; the Primavera Fund, an organization committed to disrupting inequity in classical music through mentoring and financial support; and the Adolf Busch Award, which recognizes organizations that promote a more just and civil society through music. At Curtis, Ludwig helped initiate the George Walker Fellowship, an annual full-tuition award given to a young composer from an underrepresented community participating in the Young Artist Summer Program. This year, Ludwig has led Curtis’ partnership with the Sphinx Organization for its Summer Performance Academy (SPA) to establish the first SPA composition program.

In addition to receiving a graduate diploma in composition from Juilliard (2002), Ludwig holds degrees and certificates from Oberlin Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, and the Curtis Institute of Music as well as a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. Ludwig also studied at the University of Vienna, and, following his graduation from Juilliard, he taught at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania before joining the Curtis faculty.

David Serkin Ludwig’s first musical memory was singing Beatles songs with his sister. His second was hearing his grandfather perform at Carnegie Hall. These experiences foretold a diverse career that Ludwig has spent collaborating with many of today’s leading soloists, ensembles, filmmakers, choreographers, and writers. His work The New Colossus opened the private prayer service for President Obama’s second inauguration. The same year, NPR named him one of the world’s “Top 100 Composers Under 40.” In 2016, he won the A.I. du Pont Award for his “significant contribution to contemporary classical music” and in 2018 he received the prestigious Pew Fellowship from the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage. 

Ludwig’s works have been commissioned and performed by such prominent ensembles and artists as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall; as well as by Jonathan Biss, alumnus Jeremy Denk, Jaime Laredo, Jennifer Koh, David Shifrin, Eighth Blackbird, the Dover and Borromeo quartets, and the PRISM Saxophone Quartet. His music is currently featured on over a dozen commercial recordings, including a complete album of his choral music recorded by the Choral Arts Society. An accomplished film composer, Ludwig scored Michael Almereyda’s 2014 feature film Cymbeline starring Ethan Hawke and Dakota Johnson.

Born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Ludwig attended high school in New York City. He comes from several generations of eminent musicians including his uncle pianist Peter Serkin (Juilliard faculty 1987–2003), grandfather pianist Rudolf Serkin, and great-grandfather violinist and composer Adolf Busch.

About The Juilliard School

Founded in 1905, The Juilliard School is a world leader in performing arts education. The school’s mission is to provide the highest caliber of artistic education for gifted musicians, dancers, and actors from around the world so that they may achieve their fullest potential as artists, leaders, and global citizens. Located at Lincoln Center in New York City, Juilliard offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, drama (acting and playwriting), and music (classical, jazz, historical performance, and vocal arts). Currently more than 800 artists from 43 states and 44 countries and regions are enrolled at Juilliard, where they appear in over 700 annual performances in the school’s five theaters; at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully and David Geffen halls and at Carnegie Hall; as well as at other venues around New York City, the country, and the world. Beyond its New York campus, Juilliard is defining new directions in global performing arts education for a range of learners and enthusiasts through The Tianjin Juilliard School and K-12 educational curricula.

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