“Living the Classical Life,” an online series produced by Jutta Ittner, associate professor of German, was chosen by Classical Post as the 2018 Most Innovative Presenter: Media. The series began with a short documentary project in 2012 to aid the career of Zsolt Bognár, a graduate of the Master of Piano Performance program at the Cleveland Institute of Music whose passion inspired Ittner.
“Growing up in ’50s Munich included the luxury of having three world-class orchestras and two opera houses next door, subscriptions to biweekly ‘youth concerts,’ and a classical music radio station that took its mission—and its audience—very seriously. But not until I started to teach German to CIM students did I begin to understand what it means to ‘live a classical life,’” Ittner said.
The project grew to more than 60 episodes, featuring interviews from classical music icons like Vladimir Ashkenazy, Joyce DiDonato and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and attracting a global audience for its intimacy and candor.
The newest project from “Living the Classical Life” is focused on mental health and wellness in music students. Titled “Students Living the Classical Life,” the project is being filmed at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Baldwin Wallace University and Oberlin College.
For more information, visit the Classical Post website.