Converse Awards Highest Honor and Names Music Series for Carlos Moseley
Converse College celebrated the service of Spartanburg resident Carlos Moseley by presenting him with the Dexter Edgar Converse Award-the college’s highest award-and renaming the Friends of the Petrie School of Music Chamber Music Series in his honor.
The Dexter Edgar Converse Award was presented Thursday evening (April 22nd) during the college’s annual Thousand Thanks Donor Gala, which also served as a capital campaign celebration to recognize donors who contributed to the $82.5 million Campaign for Converse: Building for the Future, which ended June 30, 2003. The Mosley Chamber Music Series will be formally introduced during the final concert of the 2003-04 Friends Series Monday evening.
“We are extremely fortunate to have had Carlos’ support over the years and it is a tremendous pleasure to honor him with the Dexter Edgar Converse Award,” said Nancy O. Gray, president of Converse. “Naming the Friends Series for Carlos is a beautiful way to permanently unite his life’s work and his service to Converse.”
Moseley helped to found the Friends of the School of Music Chamber Music Series in 1983 to provide funding for student performances and tours, student chamber music and music scholarships, while enjoying three black-tie concerts featuring internationally renowned musicians each season. Moseley’s contacts and knowledge of the music business were key resources – especially in the early years – that helped not only attract top performers such as Yo Yo Ma, Charles Wadsworth, and Marilyn Horne to Converse, but also arranged for fees that made such caliber of artists affordable for the college.
“For decades, the name Carlos Moseley has been synonymous with musical excellence,” said Joseph Hopkins, dean of the Petrie School of Music. “Today, this great musician is revered for his contributions to music, not only in his hometown of Spartanburg but around the world. It is his vision in recognizing the value of chamber music and the love that Spartanburg has for great music that initiated the success of the Friends Series. He has been a constant source of inspiration and support for those who sought the best in music at Converse College.”
The first concert of the 2004-05 Moseley Chamber Music Series season will be Sept. 27 in celebration of Moseley’s 90th birthday. It will feature the Beaux Arts Trio, who will open their 50th anniversary tour that night at Converse. As is tradition with the Friends of the Petrie School, the other internationally acclaimed artists for the 2004-05 season will be unveiled during Monday’s concert as well.
Moseley enjoyed a celebrated career as president and chairman of the board of the New York Philharmonic. He initiated New York’s free Concerts in the Park series in 1965, and the Carlos Moseley Music Pavilion is used by the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera today to bring free concerts and operas to the residents of the city. Moseley was named an Honorary Member of The Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc. in 2001. Moseley served on the Converse College Board of Trustees from 1981 – 1995 and is now a Life Trustee. He has helped secure support for Converse from numerous foundations, and his personal gifts to Converse have impacted the Converse Annual Fund, Mickel Library, Friends of the Petrie School of Music, and the Alia Lawson Pre-College Series. In 1970, Converse awarded Moseley an honorary doctorate at the formal dedication ceremony of the Blackman Music Building at which he served as the keynote speaker.