CCM's DeLay named
'Educator of the Year'

Dorothy DeLay, the Dorothy Richard Starling Visiting Professor Emeritus of Violin at UC's College-Conservatory of Music, has been honored with Musical America's "Educator of the Year" Award for 2001. DeLay is the first-ever recipient of this prestigious award.

DeLay, 83, has been teaching for more than 50 years. Isaac Stern, renowned violinist and president of Carnegie Hall, has called her "the most effective violin teacher in the world." Students have spent many of their childhood years learning from her, including such notable performers as Sarah Chang, Cho-Liang Lin, Robert McDuffie, Midori, Shlomo Mitz, Itzhak Perlman and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg.

After teaching more than several hundred students, DeLay shows no sign of slowing down. She has trained concertmasters of major orchestras, chamber musicians, orchestra players and prominent performers. In addition to her duties at CCM, where she has been on the faculty since 1974, she continues to teach at The Juilliard School and the Aspen School of Music.

DeLay admits to having no formulaic, prescribed teaching method. According to Barbara Sand of the Musical America Directory, "Watching DeLay teach, as I did for a number of years, was initially mystifying. No instructions were handed down. No direct criticisms were offered. Instead, lessons seemed to consist almost entirely of questions... DeLay was teaching her kids how to think for themselves and to gain confidence from their ability to do so, and she was doing it in a way that avoided any hint of intimidation."

Sarah Chang, DeLay's former student, summarizes: "She has been in many roles in my life, and she has always been great. First and foremost as a teacher, but there is so much more to her, so much more to learn from her, because she has made such a success of her life in every way."

Kurt Sassmannshaus, chair of CCM's string department, expressed his appreciation and respect for DeLay. "The string department at CCM congratulates Dorothy DeLay for this important honor. Her excellent track record of students who have become distinguished soloists, concertmasters, chamber musicians and teachers stands alone in the history of violin teaching. We are proud and grateful to have had Dorothy DeLay on the CCM faculty for the past 30 years. Her presence has had a deciding impact on our school. We look forward to many more great master classes and students."