by Daniel Hathaway
It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Stephen Rubin on October 13.
Well-known as the successful publisher of a stream of best-selling books, Rubin was also deeply committed to the preservation and advancement of classical music journalism, and ClevelandClassical.com has been a direct recipient of his largesse.
Appalled by the gradual disappearance of critical writing from the pages of mainstream newspapers, he launched the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism at the Oberlin Conservatory in 2011 in cooperation with Dean David Stull.
The first Institute was held at Oberlin in January, 2012, when ten students (pictured below) wrote overnight reviews of Finney Chapel performances to be evaluated by a panel of leading critics.
Third-year Oberlin bassoon major Stephanie Manning is among 18 aspiring music writers to be named Fellows of the Fifth Biennial Stephen and Cynthia Rubin Institute for Music Criticism, which will convene at the San Francisco Conservatory from June 16-20.
On Wednesday, November 5 in San Francisco, four Oberlin students joined colleagues from four other conservatories and universities for the second