[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 66 (Thursday, May 10, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S3082]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO PROFESSOR JAMES OLESEN

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I would like to congratulate 
Professor James Olesen from the Department of Music at Brandeis 
University, the winner of the 2012 Festival of the Creative Arts Award 
for Distinguished Contribution to the Arts.
  The Festival, which began in 1952, celebrates the idea that ``art 
activates dreams, revolution, and the future,'' and Professor Olesen's 
career is certainly deserving of this special recognition amid the 
creativity and community of the Festival that blooms on the Brandeis 
campus every spring.
  Professor Olesen has spent his career striving for excellence and 
fostering musical greatness in his students as the Choral Director at 
Brandeis since 1972. He has served as Music Department Chair and 
collaborated with faculty members and other departments on various 
music programs. He was instrumental in the creation of the Office of 
the Arts and School of Creative Arts.
  Throughout his long and illustrious career, Professor Olesen has sung 
as a professional chorister with numerous conductors, including Charles 
Munch, Gustav Meier, Leopold Stowkowski and the founder of the 
Festival, the legendary Leonard Bernstein.
  Professor Olesen also has performed with premier musical 
organizations including the American Symphony Orchestra, the New York 
Philharmonic Orchestra, the Robert Shaw Chorale and the American Ballet 
Theater at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of 
Art and the Metropolitan Opera.
  Professor Olesen has also recorded for Columbia, RCA and Decca 
Records. He is former Director of the Back Bay Chorale and founded and 
directed the Orpheus Singers. In 2008, the University Chorus, under his 
direction, made the first international tour by any Brandeis student 
music ensemble.
  His career reflects Mr. Bernstein's belief that ``the art of an era 
is a reflection of the society in which it is produced, and through 
creative endeavors the thoughts and expression which characterize each 
generation are revealed and transformed.''
  I congratulate Professor Olesen on this wonderful achievement, thank 
him for his service to our young people, and salute all that he's 
accomplished.

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