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:

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

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