Martin Jean reappointed as Director of ISM
University President Richard Levin announced last month that Professor Martin Jean has been reappointed as the Director of the Institute of Sacred Music for a second five-year term, beginning January 1, 2010.
Levin noted that faculty and staff alike expressed enthusiastic support for Professor Jean’s reappointment. One commentator noted, “His four years show him to have a passion for the work of the Institute, and the ability not only to administer its programs but to lead it toward a fuller realization of its mission.” Another stated, “In the years that Martin has been director, he has helped to shift the Institute’s focus to further enhance the students’ academic and performance lives, and their lives in the greater ISM community.” Many praised his efforts to develop a strategic plan for the Institute’s future. In a letter addressing the ISM community, Prof. Jean said: “I am honored to accept President Levin's offer to serve as Director of the ISM for another five-year term.”
Noting the numerous and strong appointments of new faculty and staff, he further wrote, “I believe we share the vision to make the ISM the leading center for the interdisciplinary study and practice of sacred music, worship and the arts in the world. Our work is at its core collaborative, and engages the deep and ever-evolving traditions of religious cultures of the world. We do this through our many offerings: challenging courses; passionate music-making; exciting study trips; vibrant worship; scintillating lectures, conferences, and exhibits; and a whole host of other events. I am particularly pleased that we are throwing open the doors of the Institute even wider through our new ISM Fellowships, and I look forward to working to shape these projects and other opportunities that present themselves.”
ABOUT MARTIN JEAN
Martin Jean, professor of organ and director of the Institute of Sacred Music, has performed widely throughout the United States and Europe and is known for his wide repertorial interests. He was awarded first place at the international Grand Prix de Chartres in 1986, and in 1992 at the National Young Artists’ Competition in Organ Performance. A student of Robert Glasgow, in the fall of 1999 he spent a sabbatical with Harald Vogel in North Germany. He has performed on four continents and nearly all fifty states. In 2001 he completed a cycle of the complete organ works of Bach at Yale, and his compact discs of The Seven Last Words of Christ by Charles Tournemire and the complete Six Symphonies of Louis Vierne, both recorded in Woolsey Hall, have been released by Loft Recordings. Recordings of the organ symphonies and Stations of the Cross of Marcel Dupré are forthcoming on the Delos label. Martin Jean earned the A.Mus.D. from the University of Michigan.
