Performances + Events
J. Stanley Ballinger
J. Stanley Ballinger, born in Liberal, Kansas in 1925, began playing violin at the age of nine, inspired by his father, a bluegrass fiddle player. In high school, Ballinger began his formal violin studies with Leoti Newland and went on to study with NBC violinist and conductor David Robertson.
Ballinger received his Bachelor’s degree in violin from the University of Wichita, Kansas in 1950. Before attending college, Ballinger served briefly as a pilot in the U.S. Naval Air Corps. In 1952 Ballinger earned his master’s degree in violin from Oberlin Conservatory. For the next several years Ballinger held the position of Assistant Professor at Fort Hays Kansas State College, where he served as Orchestra Director and taught conducting and string instruments.
J. Stanley Ballinger History
Ballinger returned to Oberlin from 1958-1963, serving as Assistant and Acting Dean of the Conservatory. During this period, he also directed the Oberlin Orchestra and Collegiate Symphony and organized a Stravinsky festival. After leaving Oberlin, Ballinger attended the University of Illinois, where he earned his Ph.D. in viola and conducting.
In 1965, Ballinger assumed the position of Chairman of the Music Department at Northern Illinois University which he retained until coming to New England Conservatory in 1977. While at NIU, Ballinger greatly increased the size of the department while becoming more selective in terms of musical ability. Under Ballinger’s leadership, several faculty ensembles were formed or affiliated with the department including the Vermeer Quartet, the Chicago Brass Quintet, the Electric Stereoptican, the Blackearth Percussion Group, and the Illinois Chamber Orchestra.
Ballinger served as President of NEC from 1977-1982. After that time, Ballinger became an active member of the Meher Spiritual Center near Myrtle Beach, SC. This is a spiritual retreat named for the Indian spiritual leader, Meher Baba. His extensive spiritual research and writings, including travels to India, were the focus of his later years. At the time of his sudden death on November 1, 2007, he was working to complete the foreword for a book he felt was ready for publication.
Archival Collection
The Ballinger Papers contain approximately 1.2 lin. ft. (One record carton and one document case). The contents of this collection are entirely paper files except for two sheets of photographic proofs.
This collection includes the materials created by, and belonging to J. Stanley Ballinger, who served as President of New England Conservatory from 1977-1982. The materials in this collection have been stored at NEC since Ballinger’s tenure.
Access to the Ballinger Papers is granted by the Archivist. Appointments must be scheduled in advance. There are limited restrictions on this collection.
All copyrights to this collection belong to the New England Conservatory. Permission to publish materials from this collection is granted by the Archivist or Director of Library Services. This collection should be cited as NECA 1.9. J. Stanley Ballinger Papers, New England Conservatory Archives, Boston. MA.
The J. Stanley Ballinger Papers are organized into twelve series:
- Correspondence/Memoranda
- Faculty Files
- Academic Department Files
- Administrative Department Files
- Committee Records
- Curriculum Records
- Student Organization Records
- Gifts/Fundraising Records
- Special Event Records
- Subject Files
- External Files
- Photographs
The first series includes general correspondence from the years 1977-1982; correspondence with NEC staff members; correspondence with NEC students/parents; selected correspondence with Gunther Schuller, Chester Williams, and the Alumni Club of Puerto Rico; and memoranda to faculty and the NEC Community.
The Faculty files series contains correspondence between individual faculty members and President Ballinger. Also included in this series is one folder concerning NEC faculty members who were also members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Important materials contained in the Academic Department Files include reviews/proposals/structural changes involving the departments of Afro-American/Jazz Studies, Third Stream, Organ, Opera, Liberal Arts / Humanities, and Theory /Composition.
The Ballinger collection contains a small number of Administrative Department Files including those of Building Operations, Dean’s Office, Development, Libraries, Placement Office, and Residence Life. Of particular interest are the Building Operations records. Some of these document a refurbishment project for the Jordan Hall foyer. Planning/proposal documents for this project from the architectural firm Forbes, Hailey, Jeas, and Erneman are found in this file. Other important Building Operations records include a Facilities Transition Plan to make the campus handicap accessible, information concerning the use of the 295 Huntington Ave. building, and materials concerning the possible acquisition of Fisher Hill property in Brookline for expansion. Other topics covered in the Administrative Department files include the use of the College Center as a mental health facility; considerations in designing an NEC publicity brochure; the future status of the Placement Office; a Residence Hall Judiciary System; and the criteria for selecting a Resident Assistant. Finally, Ballinger’s administrative papers also detail the activities of the Community Services Department under the direction of Webster Lewis. Community Services records focus specifically on the New England Conservatory Magnet 636 Project, Supplementary Music, conducted at the Madison Park Annex during the 1976-1977 academic year.
The fifth series consists of records of the following committees: Board of Trustees, Executive Committee, Composition/Theory Committee, Evaluation Committee, Governing Committee, Long Range Planning Committee, and the Steering Committee. Among the most significant of the committee records is a report submitted by Ballinger to the Long Range Planning Committee of the Board of Trustees in March 1980. This report discusses the present state of affairs at NEC and makes recommendations for NEC’s mission and goals, as well as improvements for students, faculty, programs, and facilities. Two of the primary administrative topics evaluated during Ballinger’s years were the salary structure for faculty and guidelines for faculty promotions. These issues are addressed in the records of the Evaluation Committee, Governing Committee, and the Steering Committee.
Further steps toward the establishment of the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) program, begun during Gunther Schuller’s tenure, are recounted in Ballinger’s Curriculum Records. Also documented in this sixth series are the Conservatory’s affiliations with the Kodaly Center of America, the Kodaly Institute (Hungary), the Kodaly Musical Training Institute, the Orff Institute, and Tufts University. These files also highlight discussions of joint programs between NEC, Harvard University and the Liszt Academy of Music.
Student Organization Records involve Ballinger’s interactions with the Committee for Concerned Students and the Student Council, including a Jazz Department student questionnaire.
Gifts/Fundraising records include general gift acknowledgments, foundation gift records (including the Rockefeller Foundation), correspondence with members of the Friends organization, scholarship donations, Challenge NEH grant matching gift acknowledgments, Warren Benevolent Fund materials, and non-financial gifts to NEC.
Ballinger’s Special event files include records of formal NEC events such as Ballinger’s Inauguration, Convocation (1978), and Commencements (1978-1982). Other special events that took place at NEC during Ballinger’s presidency are a Broadway review, a meeting of the New England-China Consortium, a concert given by the Contemporary Ensemble at Carnegie Hall, a benefit concert for NEC, and the premiere performance of Ray Luke’s opera Medea. This opera was awarded first prize in a 1979 competition jointly sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation and NEC.
Subject files of interest contain materials relating to the Voice of Firestone collection, the Gunther Schuller Center for American Music, and the production of an LP recording of NEC’s Stravinsky Celebration by Crest Records. Another subject file documents discussions regarding an NEC-Boston Conservatory merger. Other subject files consist of correspondence regarding the selection of Ballinger as President of NEC, a music education editorial written by Ballinger for Ovation magazine, and biographical information about Ballinger.
Ballinger’s External files document NEC’s participation in several Boston area arts initiatives and organizations. These include the Massachusetts Council on the Arts, Public Action for the Arts, Neighborhood Music School, Boston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, the Paddock Island Art Park proposal (headed by Massachusetts College of Arts), the Massachusetts Design Council, and the Consortium Task Force. This task force was comprised of representatives from the Boston Architectural Center, Emerson College, Massachusetts College of Art, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and NEC. Also significant is correspondence with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) regarding the Kodaly program at NEC. Photographs consist of two sheets of professional proofs taken of President Ballinger for publicity purposes.
Series 1: Correspondence/Memoranda
- Box 1 – Folder 1
- Correspondence, General, 1977
- Box 1 – Folder 2
- Correspondence, General, 1978
- Box 1 – Folder 3
- Correspondence, General, 1979
- Box 1 – Folder 4
- Correspondence, General, 1980
- Box 1 – Folder 5
- Correspondence, General, 1981
- Box 1 – Folder 6
- Correspondence, General, 1982
- Box 1 – Folder 7
- Correspondence, Staff
- Box 1 – Folder 8
- Correspondence, Students
- Box 1 – Folder 9
- Memoranda to NEC Community
- Box 1 – Folder 10
- Memoranda to Faculty
- Box 1 – Folder 11
- Correspondence, Gunther Schuller
- Box 1 – Folder 12
- Correspondence, Chester Williams
- Box 1 – Folder 13
- Correspondence, Alumni Club of Puerto Rico
Series 2: Faculty Files
- Box 1 – Folder 14
- Faculty, General
- Box 1 – Folder 15
- Faculty, BSO members
- Box 1 – Folder 16
- Faculty – Battisti, Frank
- Box 1 – Folder 17
- Faculty – Blake, Ran
- Box 1 – Folder 18
- Faculty – Brink, Robert
- Box 1 – Folder 19
- Faculty – Ceely, Robert
- Box 1 – Folder 20
- Faculty – Cogan, Robert
- Box 1 – Folder 21
- Faculty – DeLay, Dorothy
- Box 1 – Folder 21b
- Faculty – DeVaron, Lorna Cooke
- Box 1 – Folder 22
- Faculty – Epstein, Frank
- Box 1 – Folder 23
- Faculty – Felice, John
- Box 1 – Folder 24
- Faculty – Genovese, Alfred
- Box 1 – Folder 25
- Faculty – Halprin, Lee
- Box 1 – Folder 26
- Faculty – Hayashi, Yuko
- Box 1 – Folder 27
- Faculty – Heiss, John
- Box 1 – Folder 28
- Faculty – Hodam, Helen
- Box 1 – Folder 29
- Faculty – Hoffmann, James
- Box 1 – Folder 30
- Faculty – Hollenbeck, Patrick
- Box 1 – Folder 31
- Faculty – Jochum, Veronica
- Box 1 – Folder 32
- Faculty – Krasner, Louis
- Box 1 – Folder 33
- Faculty – Moore, Richard
- Box 1 – Folder 34
- Faculty – Nagel, Robert
- Box 1 – Folder 35
- Faculty – Pearson, Mark
- Box 1 – Folder 36
- Faculty – Pinkham, Daniel
- Box 1 – Folder 37
- Faculty – Pittman, Richard
- Box 1 – Folder 38
- Faculty – Radnofsky, Kenneth
- Box 1 – Folder 39
- Faculty – Rapier, Wayne
- Box 1 – Folder 40
- Faculty – Rosenbaum, Victor
- Box 1 – Folder 41
- Faculty – Row, Peter
- Box 1 – Folder 42
- Faculty – Russell, George
- Box 1 – Folder 43
- Faculty – Stumpf, Thomas
- Box 1 – Folder 44
- Faculty – Sullivan, Robert
- Box 1 – Folder 45
- Faculty – Sutton, Julia
- Box 1 – Folder 46
- Faculty – Zander, Benjamin
- Box 1 – Folder 47
- Faculty – Zaritzky, Gerald
Series 3: Academic Department Records
- Box 1 – Folder 48
- Afro-American Studies/Jazz Studies
- Box 1 – Folder 49
- Brass and Percussion
- Box 1 – Folder 50
- Chamber Music
- Box 1 – Folder 51
- Chorus
- Box 1 – Folder 52
- Conducting
- Box 1 – Folder 53
- Liberal Arts
- Box 1 – Folder 54
- Music History/Musicology
- Box 1 – Folder 55
- Opera
- Box 1 – Folder 56
- Orchestra
- Box 1 – Folder 57
- Organ
- Box 1 – Folder 58
- Piano
- Box 1 – Folder 59
- Strings
- Box 1 – Folder 60
- Theory/Composition
- Box 1 – Folder 61
- Third Stream
- Box 1 – Folder 62
- Voice
- Box 1 – Folder 63
- Woodwinds
Series 4: Administrative Department Records
- Box 1 – Folder 64
- Building Operations
- Box 1 – Folder 65
- Community Services Dept, 1977-1978
- Box 1 – Folder 66
- Community Services Dept, 1979-1981
- Box 1 – Folder 67
- Dean’s Office
- Box 1 – Folder 68
- Development
- Box 1 – Folder 68b
- Libraries
- Box 1 – Folder 69
- Placement Office
- Box 1 – Folder 70
- Public Relations
- Box 1 – Folder 71
- Residence Life
Series 5: Committee Records
- Box 1 – Folder 72
- Board of Trustees
- Box 1 – Folder 73
- Composition/Theory Committee
- Box 1 – Folder 74
- Executive Committee
- Box 1 – Folder 75
- Evaluation Committee
- Box 1 – Folder 76
- Governing Committee
- Box 1 – Folder 77
- Governing Committee
- Box 1 – Folder 78
- Governing Committee
- Box 1 – Folder 79
- Long Range Planning Committee
- Box 1 – Folder 80
- Steering Committee
Series 6: Curriculum Records
- Box 1 – Folder 81
- DMA records
- Box 1 – Folder 82
- Kodaly Center
- Box 1 – Folder 83
- Kodaly Institute (Hungary)
- Box 1 – Folder 84
- Kodaly Musical Training Institute
- Box 1 – Folder 85
- Orff Institute
- Box 1 – Folder 86
- Tufts University
- Box 1 – Folder 87
- Other NEC Affiliations
Series 7: Student Organization Records
- Box 1 – Folder 88
- Committee of Concerned Students
- Box 1 – Folder 89
- Student Council
- Box 1 – Folder 90
- Student Council, Jazz Dept. Questionnaire
Series 8: Gifts/Fundraising records
- Box 1 – Folder 91
- Gifts, General
- Box 1 – Folder 92
- Gifts, Foundations/Trusts
- Box 1 – Folder 93
- Gifts, Scholarship
- Box 1 – Folder 94
- Fundraising, Friends Organization
- Box 1 – Folder 95
- Fundraising, NEH Grant
- Box 1 – Folder 96
- Warren Benevolent Fund
- Box 1 – Folder 97
- Gifts, Other
Series 9: Special Event Records
- Box 1 – Folder 98
- Broadway Review
- Box 1 – Folder 99
- Carnegie Hall – Contemporary Ensemble
- Box 1 – Folder 100
- Cogan Concert
- Box 1 – Folder 101
- Commencement, 1978
- Box 1 – Folder 102
- Commencement, 1979
- Box 1 – Folder 103
- Commencement, 1980
- Box 1 – Folder 104
- Commencement, 1981
- Box 1 – Folder 105
- Commencement, 1982
- Box 1 – Folder 106
- Convocation, 1978
- Box 1 – Folder 107
- Inauguration, Ballinger
- Box 1 – Folder 108
- Medea (Ray Luke’s Opera)
- Box 1 – Folder 109
- New England – China Consortium Meeting
- Box 1 – Folder 110
- NEC Benefit Concert
- Box 1 – Folder 111
- World Music for Peace
Series 10: Subject Files
- Box 2 – Folder 1
- Biographical Information (Ballinger)
- Box 2 – Folder 2
- Firestone Collection
- Box 2 – Folder 3
- Gunther Schuller Center for American Music
- Box 2 – Folder 4
- Halls at NEC
- Box 2 – Folder 5
- Boston Conservatory/NEC Merger
- Box 2 – Folder 6
- Ovation Magazine Article
- Box 2 – Folder 7
- Presidential Search
- Box 2 – Folder 8
- Recordings
Series 11: External Files
- Box 2 – Folder 9
- Boston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
- Box 2 – Folder 10
- Boston Consortium for Professional Arts
- Box 2 – Folder 11
- Center for US-China Arts Exchange
- Box 2 – Folder 11b
- Eleanor Steber Music Foundation
- Box 2 – Folder 12
- Massachusetts Board of Education
- Box 2 – Folder 13
- Massachusetts College of Art – Massachusetts Design Council
- Box 2 – Folder 14
- Massachusetts College of Art- Paddock Island Art Park
- Box 2 – Folder 15
- Massachusetts College of Art – Consortium
- Box 2 – Folder 16
- Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities
- Box 2 – Folder 17
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- Box 2 – Folder 18
- Neighborhood Music School
- Box 2 – Folder 19
- Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
- Box 2 – Folder 20
- Public Action for the Arts
- Box 2 – Folder 21
- Seven Springs
- Box 2 – Folder 22
- WGBH
Series 12: Photographs
- Box 2 – Folder 23
- Photograph proofs
