LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Michael Barrett upon the occasion of his
retirement as the Chief Executive and General Director of the Caramoor
Center for Music and the Arts after many years of dedicated and distin-
guished service

WHEREAS, Individuals who distinguish themselves in their profession and
in service to their community and the arts merit the recognition and
appreciation of their colleagues, community, and the people of the State
of New York; and
WHEREAS, Michael Barrett was born in Guam and raised in California; he
attended the University of California at Berkeley and earned his Bach-
elor and Master of Music degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of
Music; he did post-graduate work at the Hartt School of Music and
resides in New York City with his wife, violist Leslie Tompkins, and his
daughter, Emma; and
WHEREAS, Michael Barrett, known for his imaginative programming, is
completing his 10th and last season as Chief Executive and General
Director of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, New
York, where he has programmed numerous new works, world premieres, Amer-
ican premieres, and Caramoor commissions and looks forward to returning
to Caramoor in 2013 as a pianist and conductor; and
WHEREAS, Michael Barrett assumed his position at Caramoor in 2003,
building on a reputation established following more than twenty-five
years of programming and performing experience in the arts; and
WHEREAS, As Chief Executive and General Director of Caramoor, he has
been responsible for the administration and year-round programming at
Caramoor, including the world-renowned Caramoor International Music
Festival and acclaimed programs known for breaking down barriers between
musical genres, reflecting today's musical currents, and attracting the
greatest musical talents from the United States and abroad to Caramoor;
and
WHEREAS, Over the past nine seasons, Michael Barrett has reaffirmed
his reputation as an innovator and has enhanced or implemented program-
ming for a wide variety of ambitious music rarely heard in a festival
setting; and
WHEREAS, New programs Michael Barrett has created have included
concerts embracing musical theater and the American songbook; programs
for children and families; a Latin-American music initiative, "Sonidos
Latinos," now in its fifth year; the Schwab Vocal Rising Stars mentoring
program modeled after the existing Evnin Rising Stars program for
instrumentalists; and a new Fall Festival in 2009; and
WHEREAS, In 1988, Michael Barrett co-founded, with Steven Blier, the
New York Festival of Song (NYFOS), which presents thematic song recitals
in New York City and beyond; in 1992 he co-founded, with his wife, the
Moab Music Festival (MMF), a two-week chamber music festival, held at
the beginning of September, which, in addition to the classical reper-
toire, presents works by established and emerging American composers;
and
WHEREAS, Michael Barrett is also an Artistic Advisor for the Estate of
Leonard Bernstein; from 1994 to 1997, he was the Director of the Tisch
Center for the Arts at the 92nd Street Y in New York, where, among other
things, he created the widely-acclaimed "Today's Composers" series; and
WHEREAS, A protege of Leonard Bernstein, Michael Barrett began his
long association with the renowned conductor and composer as a student
in 1982; from 1985 to 1990, he served as an Assistant Conductor to the
Maestro; Michael Barrett has been a guest conductor with the Orchestra

of St. Luke's, New York Philharmonic, London Symphony, Israel Philhar-
monic, and the Orchestre National de France among others; and
WHEREAS, Michael Barrett has also served variously as conductor,
producer, or music director of numerous special projects, including
"Later the Same Evening" by John Musto and Mark Campbell; the world
premiere of "Volpone" by Musto/Campbell; "Hopper's Wife" by Stewart
Wallace and Michael Korie at the Long Beach Opera; and most recently,
"Lucrezia and Bastianello," a double bill of one-act comic operas by
William Bolcom and John Musto; and
WHEREAS, Dedicated to bringing music to children and their families,
Michael Barrett is active in the creation of new educational programs
for symphony orchestras; with Jamie Bernstein, he has created a dozen
narrated young people's programs for orchestra, ranging from American
composers, including Copland, Gershwin, and Bernstein, to Latin music,
and the European classics, programs which have been performed throughout
the United States, Asia, Europe, and Cuba; and
WHEREAS, Michael Barrett's discography includes "Bastianello/Lucrezia"
by John Musto, William Bolcom and Mark Campbell (Bridge, 2008); "Later
the Same Evening" by John Musto and Mark Campbell (Albany, 2008); "Span-
ish Love Songs," recorded live at Caramoor with Lorraine Hunt Lieberson,
Steven Blier, and Joseph Kaiser (Bridge 2007); "Live from the Moab Music
Festival" (2003, 1999); "Evidence of Things Not Seen" (Ned Rorem) which
received a Grammy nomination (New World Records, 1999); "Aaron Kernis:
100 Greatest Dance Hits" (New Albion, 1995); Brooklyn Philharmonic,
Humbert Lucarelli, oboeist (Koch Classics, 1993); "On the Town"
(Deutsche Grammaphon, 1992) associate conductor/pianist; "Casino Para-
dise" by William Bolcom and Arnold Weistein (Koch, 1990); "Kabbalah"
(Koch Classics, 1990) by Stewart Wallace/Michael Korie; "Schumann Lied-
er" with Lorraine Hunt and Kurt Ollmann (Koch, 1990), and "Arias and
Barcarolles" (Koch, 1989) by Leonard Bernstein which earned a Grammy
Award; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
recognize and pay tribute to Michael Barrett upon the occasion of his
retirement as the Chief Executive and General Director of the Caramoor
Center for Music and the Arts after many years of dedicated and distin-
guished service; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Michael Barrett.