Fall 2005 PDF - Milton Academy

Gratwick Performersdents prior to the concert, andthis year, the Gratwick committeehas agreed to use part of thefund’s annual yield to providetwo Boston Symphony Orchestraseason tickets formerly given bya recently deceased alumnus.The tickets are dispersedthrough a careful system toallow the maximum number ofstudents to attend each year.Sharing musical enrichmenteven further is characteristic ofthe Gratwick family.Catherine L. Farrington,Director of Stewardship1930–31 Felix Salmond1931–32 Myra Hess1932–33 Albert Spalding1933–34 The New EnglishSingers1934–35 Edward Johnson1935–36 Gregor Piatigorsky1936–37 Richard Crooks1937–38 Joseph Szigeti1938–39 Bidu Sayao1939–40 Jan Smeterlin1940–41 Trapp Family Singers1941–42 Rudolf Serkin1942–43 Gregor Piatigorsky1943–44 Yehudi Menuhin1944–45 Roland Hayes1945–46 William Primrose1946–47 Witold Malcuzynski1947–48 Dame Myra Hess1948–49 Maggie Teyte1949–50 Pierre Fourier1950–51 Dorothy Maynor1951–52 Claudio Arrau1952–53 Michael Rabin1953–54 Nicole Henriot1954–55 Richard Dyer-Bennett1955–56 Leonard Rose1956–57 Adele Addison1957–58 Rudolf Firkusny1958–59 Andrés Segovia1959–60 The Festival Quartet1960–61 Isaac Stern1961–62 Cesare Valletti1962–63 Guiomar Novaes1963–64 Leslie Parnas1964–65 Marian Anderson1965–66 Benny Goodman1966–67 The Deller Consort1967–68 Claude Frank1968–69 Roman Totenberg1969–70 Beverly Sills1970–71 Christopher Parkening1971–72 Eugene Istomin1972–73 The Beaux Arts Trioof New York1973–74 Zara Nelsova – GrantJohannesen1974–75 Waverly Consort1975–76 Alfred Brendel1976–77 Czech Chamber Soloists1977–78 Barry Tuckwell1978–79 Tashi1979–80 Lynn Harrell1980–81 Benita Valente1981–82 Russell Sherman1982–83 Juilliard String Quartet1983–84 Heinz Holliger1984–85 Jaap Schroeder1985–86 Jane Gratwick Bryden andSt. Luke’s ChamberEnsemble1986–87 The Muir String Quartetand David Deveau, Pianist1987–88 John Miller1988–89 Benjamin Luxon1989–90 Annie Fischer1990–91 Joshua Bell1991–92 Mitsuko Shirai –Hartmut Holl1992–93 Rudolf Firkusny1993–94 The Amadeus Winds –Jane Gratwick Bryden,Robert Levin1994–95 Pamela Frank –Claude Frank1995–96 Beaux Arts Trio1996–97 Eduardo Fernandez1997–98 Richard Goode1998–99 Lorraine Hunt1999–00 Christopher Krueger2000–01 Garrick Ohlsson2001–02 Emerson String Quartet2002–03 David Shifrin2003–04 The Tallis Scholars2004–05 Steven Isserlis andStephen HoughDr. Katharine (Tinka) Gratwick Baker ’55 grew up understanding the special nature of her father’s gift toMilton and continues to shepherd the Gratwick fund in its 75th year.The Gratwick Concertsby Katharine Gratwick Baker ’55During my early childhood all Iknew about the Concerts (witha capital C) was that Mum andDad disappeared once a yearfor a weekend, took a long trainride to Boston, visited thePerkins family, and apparentlyattended a wonderful, mysteriousevent at Milton Academy inmemory of Dad’s first wife,Katharine Perkins (Class of1924), after whom I had beennamed. I knew that one Concerthad taken place on thenight my little sister, Jane, wasborn (William Primrose,November 9, 1945), but mybrothers and I were never invitedto go with our parents untilthey were sure we could becounted on not to wigglethrough a two-hour program.The first Concert we wereallowed to attend was DorothyMaynor’s recital in 1950, whenI was 12 years old. I dressed upin my best dark-red velvetdress, and my brother Harrywore an elegant suit and tie (atage 14). We got to sit in a big,deep, comfortable leather sofain the very front row withMompy (Katharine Perkins’smother and our “adopted”grandmother). Dorothy Maynorstood high above us in a brilliantgreen silk dress, pouringout songs in her warm intensesoprano. The dark paneledLibrary (now Straus Hall) wasfilled with old family friends,teachers, and many older highschool students all quietly andintently listening to her.Mompy had arranged a tall vaseof flowers that stood on thepiano. She sat back in the sofa,half asleep, occasionally hummingalong or loudly whisperingto me about how much sheloved the music. In the programI read the words of MissGoodwin, who had introducedthe first Concert back in 1930:“Great music rendered in surroundingsso beautiful isexpressive of Katharine. Sheloved beautiful things andbrought beauty into all that shetouched.” I felt that beauty allaround me as a 12-year-old inthe Library with the music andthe flowers and Mompy’s smilingface.After that first moving experience,I went to all the Concertswith my family. And later, as astudent at Milton (1952 to 1955)and a music major at Radcliffe(1955 to 1959), I came to realizewhat an extraordinary opportunitymy father had given all ofus, as we have been inspired byworld-class musicians close upin a warm, musically vibrantsetting and have had a chanceto talk personally with thesemusicians after their performancesabout the meaning ofmusic in their lives.I have felt special family pridethat my sister, Jane GratwickBryden, soprano, has been oneof the performing artists threetimes (1974, 1985, and 1993)and that her husband,Christopher Krueger, flutist,was the artist in 2000. Janeand I, as well as members ofthe Perkins family, continue tobe involved with the Concertsthrough helping the schoolchoose future artists at a meetingin Milton each spring.As an adult I lived for manyyears in Washington, D.C., andalso overseas for periods oftime, but whenever possibleI’ve done everything I could toattend the Concert each year,bringing my own now grownsons when they have lived nearby,and thinking ahead to thetime when my grandchildrenwill be old enough not to wiggle,but can sit with me in oneof the big, deep, comfortableleather sofas and breathe in thebeauty.57 Milton Magazine