Gordon Establishes the Adams School of Music and the Arts
Posted on February 26, 2024 by College Communications in Featured, News.
Today Gordon College announced the establishment of the Adams School of Music and the Arts, bringing together the best of Gordon’s creative and performing arts programs into a distinct, collaborative entity. Acclaimed performer and pedagogue Dr. Sarita Kwok, who has led Gordon’s Department of Music for 10 years, has been named the inaugural dean of the School, which will serve as the home for music, art, theatre arts and communication arts as well as the signature Gordon in Orvieto study abroad program. The School is named for longtime patrons of the arts and faithful Gordon supporters Stephen and Denise Adams.
"We are deeply grateful for the remarkable generosity of Stephen and Denise Adams, whose commitment to music and the arts at Gordon will fuel a new generation of creative contributors to God’s Kingdom,” says President Mike Hammond. “We live in a world searching for meaning, healing and beauty, and the new Adams School of Music and the Arts will equip our students with the highest level of craftmanship and commitment to Christ. Our hope is that new community-focused programs will serve our North Shore neighbors well as our students and faculty share their musical and artistic gifts.”
A Vibrant Arts Venue
The Adams School of Music and the Arts will expand and solidify Gordon’s status as a serious institution for artists, actors, musicians and storytellers to pursue their creative talents and callings. Poised to become a vibrant arts venue on the North Shore of Boston, the Adams School of Music and the Arts will pursue interconnected marketing and programming for all music and performance art events, with the potential to launch season passes that grant community members access to every public-facing performance and exhibit each year. A planned state-of-the-art music building will facilitate interconnected curricular offerings and an expansion of on-campus, community and summer programs.
The Adams School of Music and the Arts is named in honor of Stephen and Denise Adams for their faithful commitment to music and the arts at Gordon College. Humble and generous in spirit, the Adams are faithful Christians with a longtime passion for the arts in higher education. Previous support included establishing the Adams Endowed Chair in Music at Gordon College in 2018, which has since been held by Kwok and is one of two endowed chairs at Gordon in the arts (the Lothlorien Distinguished Chair in Fine Arts position had been held by renowned painter Bruce Herman).
“Like a newborn needs the human touch, the soul needs music and art,” says Denise Adams. “We wanted to do our part to give talented, creative students hope and incentive to follow their calling. Our prayer for Gordon is that it becomes a premier destination for students in higher education seeking excellence in music and the arts. The artistic disciplines of music, theatre, visual arts and communication arts inform one another, becoming stronger together as a School. The outreach the performing arts offers by bringing the local community onto campus—it is such a beacon of light to the North Shore and beyond.”
Serving Students and the Community
The Adams School of Music and the Arts builds on Gordon’s legacy for nationally accredited music education, top-tier performances and community engagement. These departments are actively engaged in international and domestic tours, community-focused workshops, clinics, visits to high-schools, on-campus programming for high school students and more. Close to 30% of Gordon's entire student body is participating in some capacity in music, art, theatre arts and communication arts as a major or minor, or through many co-curricular opportunities including musical ensembles, theatre performances, communication presentations and more that happen every year on campus.
“Gordon College was birthed in an ethos in which the beauty of Christian faith was proclaimed through music, visual arts, drama and storytelling” says Kwok, who previously served on the faculty of Yale School of Music and Yale Department of Music. “Our founder A. J. Gordon, himself a musician, championed community, servant hearts and music for all. Now, 135 years later, music and the arts continue to provide a safe space for dialogue and healing in our increasingly polarized society. At Gordon, we see this as an opportunity to serve not only our students but the wider North Shore community.”
Now in its 34th year, the annual Christmas Gala is consistently the largest Christmas celebration on the North Shore, drawing almost 2,500 people to campus each year. An additional 60+ annual music performances bring a similar volume into the A. J. Gordon Memorial Chapel and stunning, state-of-the-art Phillips Recital Hall designed by the architect behind the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood. Two main theatre performances, plus some smaller productions, draw an additional 2,000 per year, and approximately four art gallery exhibitions bring in another 500 yearly.
Not only are the arts bringing people to Gordon’s campus, but students and graduates are launching into the local community. For 20 years the Department of Music has boasted a 100% job placement rate for all music education graduates, most of whom are spread across New England and within 200 miles of Gordon’s campus. Required internships in communication arts and design send dozens of students each year into local businesses, including design firms, museums, galleries, churches, schools and community theatre programs.
The signature Gordon in Orvieto program will celebrate 25 years this summer of impacting nearly 1,000 students during its tenure.
About The Adams School of Music and the Arts
The Adams School of Music and the Arts prepares creative contributors to bring meaning and beauty into an increasingly complex and divided world. Music and the arts have been a part of Gordon’s DNA since its inception; founder A. J. Gordon was a pastor, composer and man of music in addition to being a faithful and inspiring Christian leader, as well as a passionate advocate for his local community.
Today Gordon offers a Master of Music Education; professional degrees (Bachelor of Music) in music education and music performance; and Bachelor of Art degrees in music, art, theatre arts and communication arts. Minors are also available in these areas as well as in musical theatre (a new collaborative program between theatre and music), fine art, graphic design, 3D design, journalism, sports media, communication and culture, and strategic communication. Additional international seminars and tours, signature concerts, events and productions are available to Gordon students. In 2019, Gordon’s theatre program was ranked by The Princeton Review among “Top 20 Best College Theatres” in America.
Located in the dynamic, artistically robust Cape Ann area, Gordon’s music and arts programs receive top caliber performers as visitors every year thanks to faculty members’ extensive and valuable professional relationships in public school districts, industry, performing arts organizations and more. Just north of Boston’s cultural artistic hub with museums, studios and festivals like the Boston Symphony, Handel and Haydn Society, MFA and more. These connections provide internship, career, graduate school and performance opportunities to students.
Faculty in the Adams School of Music and the Arts are recognized leaders in their fields, having trained at the Rhode Island School of Design, Yale and New England Conservatory; been nominated for GRAMMY Awards; performed internationally and nationally at Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera; released on major record labels and published in major publications. Alumni have successfully launched into careers in the arts, including becoming internationally touring musicians, SAFTA nominees, sitcom writers, visual effects artists, Broadway costume designers and prominent classical conductors.
Upcoming Events in the Adams School of Music and the Arts
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column] [/et_pb_row] [/et_pb_section]Share
- Share on Facebook
- Share on X (Formerly Twitter)
- Share on LinkedIn
- Share on Email
-
Copy Link
-
Share Link
Categories
Archives
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014