Alumni Gazette

Schneider Shines at Grammys . . .

Jazz composer and bandleader Maria Schneider ’85E (MM) accepted two Grammys at the 58th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in February.

Her 2015 CD The Thompson Fields (Artist Share), an exploration of her roots in rural southwestern Minnesota, took Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. She also won Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals, for her arrangement of the late David Bowie’s “Sue (Or in a Season of Crime),” from his 2014 album Nothing Has Changed (Legacy Recordings). Schneider has won a total of six Grammys.

. . . and Ludwig Captures His 11th Award

Recording engineer Bob Ludwig ’66E, ’01E (MM) picked up the 11th Grammy of his career for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, for Alabama Shakes’s Sound & Color (ATO Records). Ludwig’s Grammys include three consecutive wins, from 2013 to 2015, in the prestigious Album of the Year category. Sound & Color was nominated for that award, but was edged out by Taylor Swift’s 1989.

College Alumnus an Inaugural Schwarzman Scholar

Jintian (Jay) Li ’12 is part of the 3.7 percent. That’s the percentage of more than 3,000 applicants worldwide to win a scholarship for a one-year master’s degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

The scholarship is funded by Stephen Schwarzman, chairman and CEO of the Blackstone Group, to prepare a new generation of global leaders who understand the history, culture, and economy of China. Beginning this summer, Schwarzman Scholars, who come from the United States, China, and 30 other nations, will live and study together at the newly constructed Schwarzman College, set on the Tsinghua campus.

Li, who is from Beijing, lives in New York City and works in international business development for the National Basketball Association. He earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude with a major in film and media studies and dual minors in business and psychology.

Eastman Grad is an MBE— Member of the British Empire

Catherine Jane Arlidge ’88E (MM) has been appointed a Member of the British Empire (MBE), an honor bestowed for distinguished service and contributions to the arts and sciences, public service, and charitable and welfare organizations.

Arlidge was honored for her service to music education. As part of her effort to connect young people with classical music, she works in schools, exploring creative music-making and composition through collaborations with teachers, actors, composers, visual artists, authors, and dancers.

A violinist with the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Arlidge is also a member of the Stringcredibles, a quartet of Birmingham Symphony musicians who work in schools and community settings to support instrumental learning. The group targets schools with high numbers of children who qualify for free meals and have limited access to live music. The Stringcredibles also bring performances to museums in areas of low engagement, drawing audiences across generations. In 2014, the quartet performed for more than 6,000 children and families and worked creating new compositions in projects with 500 children.