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September 02, 2006
Robert Capanna, Executive Director, Settlement Music School, 8-4-06
Robert Capanna came to the Settlement Music School in 1976 as director of the School's Kardon-Northeast Branch; in 1982, he was named Executive Director. Since that time, Settlement has grown from three to six locations serving over 9000 students on-site and 6000 students off-site.
Mr. Capanna is an active and widely respected composer. Originally a trombonist, he received his Bachelor and Masters of Music degrees in composition from the Philadelphia Music Academy. In 1974, he was the Bruno Maderna Fellow in Composition at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood and was awarded the Koussevitsky Prize in composition.
Mr. Capanna's works have been performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Concerto Soloists, Penn Contemporary Players, Orchestra 2001, Orchestra Society of Philadelphia, Mendelssohn Quartet and Colorado Quartet and in numerous chamber music and broadcast series. He has received commissions from the Huntingdon Trio, Philadelphia Trio, the Philadelphia Singers and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, among others.
Mr. Capanna is President of the Presser Foundation, Chair of the Music Panel and Planning Committee of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and past President of the Musical Fund Society and Musical Fund Society Foundation.
Settlement Music School, founded in 1908, is the largest community school of the arts in the United States. It is dedicated to providing people of all ages with the highest quality instruction and activity in music and the related arts. With five branches in the Philadelphia, PA region and one in Camden, NJ, the School now serves about 15,000 students of all abilities, and awards nearly $2 million a year in financial aid. There is at least one Settlement Music School alumnus in every major symphony in the United States and Settlement is the largest employer of musicians in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
Although many people think of music as a specialist activity reserved for those with “talent”, the experience of Settlement Music School and similar community-based programs across the United States is that every student can benefit from music instruction and activity. Music study encourages self-discovery, self-confidence and self-discipline, and supports cognitive as well as emotional development. It makes stronger individuals and, consequently, stronger communities.
In addition to a Core Program of individual and class instruction in music and dance, Settlement provides a full-time, arts-based pre-school for children from at-risk families; music and dance therapy; day-time programs for seniors; programs for independent pre-schools, daycares and charter schools; and an Advanced Study program for pre-professional high school students.
Posted by David Lemberg at September 2, 2006 02:27 PM Return to ARTSCAPE home page