Meet Tuesdays at 10 Speaker: The Juilliard School’s Chief China Officer Joseph W. Polisi
Tuesdays at 10 is a new men’s association in Rye, focused on catering to men ages 55+ in Rye who are retired or transitioning to retirement. Each month the group organizes a speaker program. MyRye.com will introduce you to each speaker, preview what attendees might hear and tell you about their connection to Rye and the group.
Today meet Joseph W. Polisi, Rye resident and chief China officer of The Juilliard School.
MyRye: When are you speaking at Tuesdays at 10am?
Polisi: Tuesday, September 10, 2024; Whitby Castle
What’s your day job?
Polisi: Chief China Officer, The Juilliard School; President Emeritus. I help oversee Juilliard’s only branch campus located in Tianjin, China.
Give us the gist of it:
Polisi: Discussion of my most recent book Beacon to the World: A History of Lincoln Center with slide projections. The talk will deal with the political, financial, and artistic challenges that presented John D. Rockefeller 3rd and his colleagues in creating the Center. I will emphasize the influence of such personalities as Leonard Bernstein, Beverly Sills, Robert Moses, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Philip Johnson, and many more in the creation of the Center, and the current change in emphasis at the Center away from classical music and towards hip hop, pop music, and comedy.
Who talked you into this?
Polisi: I was contacted by Tom Murphy and was honored to be invited.
As a speaker, what are a few of your preferences?
Polisi:
| Select from: | Your Pick: |
| Best drink to have at your speaker’s podium? | Water |
| Preferred microphone: lavalier, handheld, or on the podium | Lavalier |
| Rate your gesticulation (1 = stiff as a board, 10 = I’m made of silly putty) | 7 |
| Powerpoint – yes or no? | yes |
| Questions afterwards – yes or no? | yes |
Summarize your career in five sentences or less.
Polisi: I went from hoping to be a lawyer, to being a professional bassoonist, to being an arts education administrator, to writing three books.
What is the best professional advice you dispense?
Polisi: Pick your battles.
Where do you live in Rye and how many years have you lived in the City?
Polisi: Milton Point area. Close to 40 years.
What affiliations do you have with organizations in Rye?
Polisi: Little League manager and softball coach for ten years.
What are three of your favorite food takeout / delivery restaurants in or around Rye?
Polisi:
- China Garden
- Belluscio’s
- Rye Grill and Bar
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Polisi: Working out at the Y; reading; attending classical concerts; following the Yankees and the NY Football Giants.
Thank you Joseph!
Read Polisi’s bio:
President Emeritus Dr. Joseph W. Polisi led The Juilliard School for 34-years (1984–2018), the longest presidential term in the school’s history. Upon stepping down, he became Chief China Officer, supervising the overall development of The Tianjin Juilliard School in Tianjin, China. Opened in fall 2020, Tianjin Juilliard offers audition-based programs on pre-college and graduate levels. The graduate school program is taught in English and offers a USA-accredited master’s degree from The Juilliard School. There are also public programs for adult learning and instrumental training, as well as an innovative learning environment, Juilliard Imagination, featuring interactive exhibitions for adults and children.
Polisi is an accomplished bassoonist who has performed throughout the USA, produced several recordings, and released a solo album of twentieth-century bassoon music for Crystal Records. He has published many scholarly and educational articles and frequently speaks about arts and education. He has authored three books The Artist as Citizen (2005), a collection of articles and speeches concerning the role of performing artists as leaders and communicators of human values; and American Muse: The Life and Times of William Schuman (2008), the first full-length biography of Schuman. Both are published by Amadeus Press. Polisi’s third book, Beacon to the World: A History of Lincoln Center, was published by Yale University Press in June of 2022.
Before Juilliard, Polisi was dean of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, dean of faculty at Manhattan School of Music, and executive officer of Yale University School of Music. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Yale and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Arts degree in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He has been awarded ten honorary doctorates and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
