By Eileen Moon
RED BANK – All was in harmony Monday when the Count Basie Center for the Arts welcomed its newest member.
Wielding a pair of giant scissors, Mayor Pasquale Menna and Basie CEO and president Adam Philipson cut the ribbon officially opening the Count Basie Center’s Monmouth Conservatory of Music at 65 Chestnut St.
Calling the arts a “thriving engine” for the economy of the borough, Menna said, “As a music enthusiast and someone who wishes he could play, I can’t wait to watch it grow.”
The Monmouth Conservatory of Music is no newcomer to Red Bank: It was established in 1964 by Felix Molzer, a graduate of the Vienna Music Academy and a former director of the Vienna Boys Choir. Over the next 54 years, the organization educated more than 10,000 music students, many of whom went on to professional careers.
But in 2017, when Vladislav Kovalsky, the conservatory’s then-executive director, sought to retire after 20 years, he and his wife, Irina Kovalsky, associate director, approached the Basie to ask the burgeoning center for the arts to take the conservatory under its artistic wing.
“We graciously and whole-heartedly accepted the gift,” said Philipson. “The first decision we made was to give it its own home.”
The conservatory had been leasing space at a local church, where music education was spread across two floors. Now, the organization has a dedicated space with all of its practice and performance rooms on one level.
“I think it’s so important to actually have a place you can call home,” said Gerd Nowacyzk, head of the piano faculty, who has been a member of the conservatory since 1995.
The conservatory provides education in all aspects of classical music, including vocal performance, voice, piano, violin, viola, cello, string bass, harp, flute, clarinet, oboe, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, organ, harpsichord, recorder, lute and drums. They also offer performance ensembles, recitals, master classes, adult classes and a summer opera camp.
The new facility has a large recital room with a brand new Steinway Model A, a $100,000 instrument on loan to the conservatory from Jacob’s Piano, which is soon to open a new location in Shrewsbury, said local musician Norman Seldin, assistant manager at the company’s Lawrenceville store. Gleaming upright pianos await students in the surrounding practice rooms.
Education in the arts is far from a frivolous pursuit, notes Yvonne Scudiery, vice president of education for the Basie Center for the Arts. An increasing number of studies have shown that music education has powerful psychological, social and emotional benefits.
“When I was 9 years old I took my first ballet lesson,” Scudiery said. She was soon dancing to the accompaniment of a pianist every day. It was her first step on her journey to a career in ballet and the arts. “I can’t explain what it does for me, but it was wonderful and powerful. (Music) is a common language. It brings together and creates community.” Sharing a favorite quote, she said, “Music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind and life to everything.”
Michael Parent, co-chair of the executive committee for the Basie Center, is an alumnus of the conservatory. Parent studied voice, opera and music theory. He sang on the Basie stage in many conservatory performances as a member of the children’s choir. His mother, Grace “Tucky” Parent, was in the women’s choir. His involvement included ushering at theater performances and volunteering on weekends when the then-struggling theater was combating crumbling plaster and peeling paint. “It was a big part of our lives,” Parent said.
“As an alumnus of the conservatory, I know just how much has been given to our community through this organization,” Parent said in his formal remarks. “To whom much is given, much is asked, and we at the Basie commit to honor our charge, to foster young talent, to create joyful communities of young performers and to celebrate with the community at every opportunity possible along the way.”
Music education and outreach is a major part of the conservatory mission. Violin instructor Bettina Forbes is an ambassador for the conservatory, visiting area schools to work with students and teachers on enhancing both musical skills and opportunities. On a visit to Red Bank Middle School, Forbes said she encountered a promising student. “The Basie very graciously gave him a scholarship to study here.”
But music education has benefits for every young student, Forbes stressed, particularly today when children can be easily over whelmed by the challenges of life in the digital era. “It’s a very high stress time,” Forbes said. “Music reduces that stress.”
“We know the difference that the study of music makes,” said Philipson. “It’s not only important, it’s critical. That’s why we’re so passionate about it.”
