It's always good to have a little bassoon music at ceremonies.
[laughter]
And thank you, Wynton, for those fantastic words and you do forget when we
played baroque trumpet and bassoon together a long, long time ago, but [laughter] ... right?
As I take part in my last Juilliard commencement as president of this extraordinary institution,
you will understand if my mind is awash in a flood of memories composed of people, events,
and past graduation ceremonies.
But the one realization I've continued to return to as I speak to you today is that
the Juilliard experience is truly a noble one,
reflecting the very best of the human values that we all aspire to,
and that you, our exceptional graduates, represent the future of dance, drama, and music around
the globe.
This reflection comes into focus for me due to the current status of our national discourse.
I have often spoken in the recent past of how the arts embody values that are currently
lacking in our national environment.
These values include civility—the ability to listen and to interact respectfully with
our fellow human beings.
In the arts, that translates into the mutual respect that working artists have for each
other, combined with a generosity of spirit that has to exist in developing new work.
Finally, one needs an open-mindedness in approaching creative innovations that allow unfamiliar
concepts to be realized.
Nuance—the ability to discern and appreciate subtlety.
Today, how often does our political discourse seem coarse and blunt?
An appreciation of nuance in all endeavors from the tempo of a string quartet movement
to a debate about a political issue makes us more sensitive and caring individuals.
Without nuance our world is a brutal and insensitive place.
Dignity—respect for one another, for oneself, and respect for the topic to be discussed or approached.
It does matter how you approach a work of art, how you address its contours, how you
show respect for its creator.
With dignity, you treat works of art or people with respect and with humility, and that approach
is often rewarded with respect in return-- as I think Wynton said as well in his talk.
Finally, Discipline—the art of preparing oneself for what lies ahead, with intellectual, physical,
and psychological rigor.
Talk may be cheap, as the saying goes, but disciplined, rational action is quite powerful.
All these values are exactly what we expect you to embody as you leave this place.
I am reminded of a phrase which summarizes this concept that comes from our distinguished
alumnus Stephen McKinley Henderson who recently said to our drama students, “Don’t get
it right, get it true.”
As an artist, you are a principal communicator of human values and this responsibility comes
with both joys and with challenges.
Often the world will dwell on those challenges more than on the personal satisfaction that comes
from being an artist, but at those challenging times, remember the famous
words of Mark Twain, who when speaking
of the music of Wagner said, “It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
[laughter and applause]
And in speaking of your role as communicators, let's celebrate the extraordinary group of
faculty teaching at Juilliard, who each day represent the best in intellectual rigor,
and creativity and empathy.
Your teachers are in fact our collective conscience.
Ladies and gentlemen, let us take a moment to acknowledge and applaud Juilliard’s extraordinary
teachers and staff.
[applause and cheers]
More and more, we have diminishing space in our daily routine to allow the provocative
and stimulating elements of the artistic experience to take root in our day-to-day schedule, a
schedule dominated by tweets, text messages, emails, and other digital distractions.
Yes, I know these conveyances are now baked into our DNA as a global people, but I can’t
help but feel that they are a distraction that acts as a physical drain on our intellect,
taking time away from how we experience our world with all its beauties and its substance.
Can we imagine a world without the arts and the artists who perpetually make our lives
fuller and textured?
I think not, and certainly I hope not.
Rather than being a subject of pious platitudes, the arts must be viewed as an essential part
of our existence which can be easily neutralized by an uncaring populace or an insensitive
political leadership.
That is why you, our graduates, must be effective advocates for the arts in the time ahead.
The distinguished historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. once wrote: “If history tells us anything,
it tells us that the United States, like all other nations, will be measured in the eyes
of posterity; less by the size of its gross domestic product and the measure of its
military arsenal than by its character and achievement as a civilization.”
This achievement as a civilization is in your hands and the hands of others beyond the arts
who send a message through the creative process that human progress can only be achieved through
mutual respect and understanding; that there is more to our world than material goods and
superficial communication.
In this time of vocational focus where college degrees are evaluated more on future compensation
than on intellectual content and curiosity, I wish to emphasize that the arts profession
is one of the few human endeavors where we can almost always guarantee that your work
as artists—as performers, teachers, creators, administrators—will have a beneficial impact
on our world.
As you approach your future, I urge you to dream and aspire to create a life for yourself
that is fulfilled.....fulfilling and filled with happiness.
As my wife Elizabeth has reminded me frequently, happiness is a direction, not a place.
Enjoy the journey each day and try not to be discouraged by the challenges that life
will invariably put before you.
When I was your age I could have never imagined that I would have had the privilege of helping
to lead this august institution, but I did aspire to try to make a difference through
my life’s work, whatever that would turn out to be.
It is that aspiration, that striving, that will direct your life’s path.
And let me add at this moment as well how fortunate we are
to have Damian Woetzel as our new President.
[applause and cheers]
I know he will lead this institution into the future with energy and creativity, and great, great
human sensitivity.
Well, in closing, I can finally say after 34 years that I will be graduating from The Juilliard
School with you today.
[loud applause and cheers]
On behalf of our trustees, our faculty, and our administrative staff, I express to you our pride in what
you have accomplished at this institution, and our clear expectation that you will become
future leaders who change the world for the better through your art and who bring to others
a sense of gratitude and wonder as you make the arts come alive every day.
Bravi to all.
[cheers and applause]