Richard Ortner papers, 1989-2018
Scope and Contents
This collection contains materials produced by and about Richard Ortner during his twenty-year career as President of the Boston Conservatory (1998-2017), primarily records pertaining to the merger between the Conservatory and Berklee College of Music, formalized in 2016. Merger records include strategic planning records, meeting minutes, correspondence, Ortner’s personal notes and annotations, and official document drafts. A small portion of the collection also comprises inauguration materials, clippings, photographs, and correspondence.
Dates
- Creation: 1989-2016
Creator
- Ortner, Richard (1948-2019) (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research by appointment, with the exception of Series 2 (Berklee/Boston Conservatory merger files), which is restricted until 2046 except to executive officers or by special permission by the Associate Director of the Archives. Advance notice is required for access because materials are stored offsite. Use of audiovisual materials may require production of listening or viewing copies.
Conditions Governing Use and Reproduction
Materials from Berklee Archives are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Permission to examine materials, or to obtain copies, does not imply the right to publish, exhibit, or broadcast them, in whole or in part.
Copyright status varies across the collection. Visitors and researchers are solely responsible for determining the copyright status of any materials they may wish to use, making fair use determinations, investigating the owner(s) of the copyright and, where necessary, obtaining permission for the intended use. For additional information regarding copyright, fair use, and reproduction services, please consult our Access and Use Policies.
Biographical / Historical
Music administrator Richard Ortner (1948-2019) was raised in Great Neck, New York. Trained in classical piano, he studied architecture at Cooper Union before transferring to New York University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Music in 1970. That same year, he began ushering at Carnegie Hall, which led to a job as a guide during the 1973 Tanglewood Music Festival season, after which he was hired as the Assistant to the Administrator, and later Administrator, of the Berkshire Music Center (now Tanglewood Music Center). In 1998, he left Tanglewood to become President of the Boston Conservatory, a position he held until his retirement in 2017. During his tenure as president, Ortner expanded the Conservatory faculty and facilitated the 31 Hemenway renovation and 132 Ipswich purchase. Ortner also co-orchestrated the 2016 merger between the Conservatory and Berklee College of Music.
Extent
1.5 Cubic Feet (1 half-size document box and 1 records storage carton)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Materials produced by and about Richard Ortner, President of the Boston Conservatory (1998-2017), primarily records pertaining to the merger between the Conservatory and Berklee College of Music, formalized in 2016, as well as inauguration materials, clippings, photographs, and correspondence.
Arrangement
Arranged into two series: Series 1: General, 1998-2018, arranged alphabetically by subject. Series 2: Berklee/Boston Conservatory Merger, 1989-2016, arranged chronologically.
Acquisition History
The bulk of this collection was donated by Richard Ortner and the President's office at the time of Ortner’s retirement in 2017, with additional contributions from the Development office. Additional material was donated by Ortner's estate and received from the Executive Director of the Conservatory's office (2021-2022).
Accruals
2021: Documents indentified among materials gifted by the Ortner estate, plus one framed item from the Executive Director's office, transferred to the Archives.
2022: Three (3) photos of Richard Ortner were transferred to the Archives from the Executive Director of the Conservatory's office.
Processing Information
Processed by Brendan Higgins, December 2017; prepared for ArchivesSpace by Ashley Gray and Thomas Wandborg, 2021. This collection was weeded, re-housed, re-arranged (Series 1 only) and re-inventoried by Ashley Gray, Collections Archivist, December 2023.
Source
- Boston Conservatory. President's Office (Organization)
- Boston Conservatory. Office of Development (Organization)
- Title
- Richard Ortner collection, 1988-2018
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Original description by Brendan Higgins (2017-12-12); prepared for ArchivesSpace by Ashley Gray and Thomas Wandborg, 2021; updated description by Ashley Gray, 2023
- Date
- 2017/12/12
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2023/12/04: Collection description revised by Ashley Gray, Collections Archivist, to reflect collection re-processing and conform description to DACS.
Repository Details
Part of the Berklee Archives Repository
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston St
Boston MA 02215 USA
617-747-8001
archives@berklee.edu