Cortland College-Community Orchestra names conductor

08/30/2022 

SUNY Cortland’s Performing Arts Department has named Max Buckholtz as the new conductor for the Cortland College-Community Orchestra, which is now recruiting members for the 2022-23 academic year.

Currently employed in Cornell University’s Performance and Media Arts Department, Buckholtz replaces Ubaldo Valli, who had served in the role since 2009.

“We are thrilled to have Max join as the College-Community Orchestra director,” said Deena Conley, department chair. “We are excited about the new music he’s going to bring to the community.”

Buckholtz, who earned a Master of Music in Violin Performance from Ithaca College, has more than 30 years of teaching experience, from 4-year-old children through the college level.

Since 2011, Buckholtz has directed Journey West residencies, a three-violin ensemble with Arabic, Turkish and Western tuning that offers lectures, performances and workshops tracing music of the Near East to the U.S.

Since 2001, Buckholtz has performed as principal violinist with the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes.

He served Wells College as both orchestra and jazz band director for a year during the regular instructor’s sabbatical.

Through Relief International, in 2018 Buckholtz performed therapeutic music to Syrian refugee children at the Al’Azraq camp in Jordan. He has studied many traditional music styles and his musical outreach has taken him across the U.S. and as far away as Jordan, Belgium, Italy, Holland and Romania.

The Cortland College-Community Orchestra is open to all qualified musicians from at least age 14 who are available to rehearse through the university semester on Monday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. at Rose Hall, 19 Church St. in Cortland. Student transportation will be provided. The ensemble comprises a variety of people and, as student members continually leave after graduation, opportunities exist for new members.

The Cortland College-Community Orchestra’s first concert is set for Tuesday, Nov. 29. An organizational meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 7, in Dowd Fine Arts Center, Room 242.

SUNY Cortland students, faculty members or Cortland area community members who wish to join should contact Buckholtz or the university’s Performing Arts Department.

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