New York University President L. Jay Oliva and Alberto Vilar, co-chairs of the International Selection Committee of the Alberto Vilar Global Fellows in the Performing Arts program, today announced the names of the other members of the Committee, which will judge the finalists from throughout the U.S. and Europe on March 26th. The committee includes highly regarded professionals in the performing arts.
The Vilar Global Fellows at NYU program was unveiled last spring. Mr. Vilar, a renowned philanthropist of the arts and the chairman of Amerindo Investments, has pledged $23 million to the Vilar Global Fellows program, which is modeled as a Rhodes Scholarship program for the performing arts.
There were 360 applicants from 191 colleges and universities vying for the six fellowships in the inaugural year of the program. The first group of Vilar Fellows will come to NYU in the fall of 2002.
In addition to Mr. Vilar and Dr. Oliva, the participants in the Vilar International Selection committee are:
- James Bartek
- Tara Lonzo
- John Conklin
- Mark Morris
- John Corigliano
- Morton Subotnick
- Derek Gordon
- Petr Zelenka
- Charlie Haden
- Baroness Mariuccia Zerilli-Marimò
Dr. Oliva said, “We are very grateful to those who have agreed to serve as selectors, both on the international committee and on the regional committees. To have such an esteemed and discriminating group of people from the world of the arts act as selectors ensures the quality of the Fellows and reaffirms the importance of the Vilar Program.”
The first step of the application process for the Vilar Fellowships is to submit work to NYU for evaluation by appropriate academic departments. Those with sufficient qualifications are then forwarded to the six regional selection committees, which are located in eastern Europe, western Europe, and the north-eastern, mid-western, south-eastern, and western regions of North American. The regional selection committees are the second step. Top candidates from this step of the process semi-finalists — go to New York City in the spring, where they compete further. The international selection committee chooses the group who will become Vilar Fellows and study at NYU.
The semi-finalists will be announced on March 19; the first set of Vilar Fellows will be chosen following auditions on March 25 and 26.
The Alberto Vilar Global Fellows in the Performing Arts was established by philanthropist Alberto Vilar at New York University to identify and support promising students of exceptional talent in the performing arts from around the world for a special two-year program of graduate education, training, and support. Vilar Fellows will receive tuition, housing, and travel funds.
New York University, which was established in 1831, is one of the largest and most prestigious private research universities in the U.S. It has more international students than any other U.S. college or university. Through its 13 schools and colleges, NYU conducts research and provides education in the arts and sciences, law, medicine, dentistry, education, nursing, business, social work, the cinematic and performing arts, public administration and policy, and continuing studies, among other areas.