ONEONTA, N.Y. -- London-based radio documentary producer Jon Tolansky is donating an extensive collection of his works to the SUNY College at Oneonta for use in the College's new Documentary Studies minor in the Department of Communication Arts. The archive includes more than one hundred compact disks featuring profiles and interviews of renowned classical music performers such as Maria Callas, Jose Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti, Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Arturo Toscanini, Renee Fleming, Ida Haendel, and Dmitri Shostakovich.
Assistant Professor of Communication Arts Gayane Torosyan, who once worked as a producer and host on public radio, coordinated the contribution of the collection to the College. Dr. Torosyan learned of Tolansky's work during his taping of an interview with local jazz legend Al Gallodoro. With the support of a Faculty Research Grant from the College, Dr. Torosyan began collaborating with Tolansky on a project exploring and explaining the documentary collection from a media perspective.
Tolansky's collection will be digitized at the College, and with the support of a grant from the SUNY-Oneonta Teaching and Learning Technology Center, Dr. Torosyan will create a web site containing the documentaries as well as a searchable content description and segments of her interviews with the author about the process of their creation. She plans to use the materials in her new Audio Documentary Production class and to make them available for research and teaching.
Tolansky's collection contains some of the world's most outstanding classical musicians speaking in detail about their lives, careers, and repertoires. The conversations have been recorded for documentary profiles and one-to-one interview features that have been produced for major radio stations in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. One of the highlights of the collection is a two-part documentary special on Shostakovich that includes the authentic voice of the composer speaking about some of his works.
Tolansky described the contribution and archiving of his work as an
"enlightened cooperation" between the College and the radio networks. He
added, "These programs and their wealth of insights from renowned performing
artists are now being preserved for proactive study in secure and controlled
conditions on the SUNY-Oneonta campus premises."
#####
For more information about the College, please call the Community Relations Office at (607) 436-2748 or send e-mail to Carol Blazina, Vice President for Community Relations.SUNY College at Oneonta - Ravine Parkway - Oneonta, NY 13820 - 607.436.3500
Email the web coordinator if you have trouble accessing this page.
Open the original version of this page.
Lift Assistive is a UsableNet product. Lift Assistive Main Page.