Senturia Will Join Faculty As Director of Orchestra

The Corporation has approved the appointment of Michael C. Senturia '58 as instructor in music and conductor of the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra, it was learned yesterday.

The dual responsibilities of the new post parallel those of Elliot Forbes, professor of Music and director of the Harvard Glee Club and the Radcliffe Choral Society who was appointed last year. Both Faculty members must divide their time between teaching and conducting under graduate extra-curricular activities.

Senturia, who graduated Summa cum Laude in Music, will instruct Music, 253 a graduate level course in orchestration He will be the only member of the Department without a Masters Degree according to John M. Ward '43, Chairman of the Music Department.

"Last year, when he conducted the Bach Society Orchestra, Senturia did a fine job," commented Ward. "He is a superb musician and he acted in a selfless way, interested in the orchestra rather than in himself as conductor."

According to Harlow Russell '60, president of the HRO, the new relationship will erase the disadvantage of having a conductor from outside the University community, who is unable to become intimately acquainted with the orchestra.

Members of the executive board of the HRO expressed the opinion that the precedent set by music groups may initiate other innovations in Faculty relations with student groups.

The idea of having a Faculty director occurred independently to both the Music Department and the executive board of the orchestra. The first official action was taken by the orchestra in September, when a memorandum pointing out the advantages of a Faculty-affiliated conductor was submitted to the Department.