Avery Fisher Artist Program Oral History Project

Joseph W. Polisi

President Emeritus of the Juilliard School; Current Member of the Program’s Recommendation Board; Member of the Executive Committee (1984-2014); Program’s Chairman (2014-2018); Chairman Emeritus, Avery Fisher Artist Program

An interview with Joseph W. Polisi conducted December 5, 2019 by Gerry Albarelli for the Columbia Center for Oral History, Avery Fisher Artist Program Oral History Project. 

Joseph W. Polisi was the president of The Juilliard School from 1984 to 2018. Previously, he held leadership positions at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music; the Manhattan School of Music; and the Yale University School of Music.  He is also an accomplished bassoonist and the author of two books, The Artist as Citizen (2005) and American Muse: The Life and Times of William Schuman (2008). He is currently writing a book about the history of Lincoln Center.