Bill Text: NY J01368 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Mourning the death of Karl Berger, internationally renowned master musician, composer, and educator

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-06-08 - ADOPTED [J01368 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-J01368-Introduced.html

---

Senate Resolution No. 1368

BY: Senator HINCHEY

        MOURNING the death of Karl Berger, internationally
        renowned master musician, composer, and educator

  WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
citizens  of  the  State  of  New York whose lifework and civic endeavor
served to enhance the quality of life  in  their  communities  and  this
great Empire State; and

  WHEREAS,  Karl  Berger  of  Woodstock,  New  York,  whose pioneering
concepts and ground-breaking orchestral works changed the way music  can
be  taught and learned, died on Sunday, April 9, 2023, at the age of 88;
and

  WHEREAS, Born March 30, 1935, in Heidelberg,  Germany,  Karl  Berger
was a prolific, award-winning musician, composer, and educator, heralded
worldwide as a transformative pioneer in the way music is taught, heard,
and learned, based on the commonality of all music; and

  WHEREAS,  Karl Berger earned a double Ph.D. in Philosophy and Music,
and held high-level University positions, including Head  of  the  Music
Department   and   Dean   of   Jazz   Education  at  the  University  of
Massachusetts/Dartmouth; Professor of Composition and Dean of  the  Jazz
and  Music  Department  at  the  Frankfurt  Conservatory in Germany; and
taught innovative Jazz and contemporary music theory for  several  years
at the New School university in NYC; and

  WHEREAS,  Karl  Berger founded the internationally renowned Creative
Music Foundation and Creative  Music  Studio  (CMS)  in  1971  with  his
musical  partner  Ingrid  Sertso  and Jazz legend Ornette Coleman, which
brought students from all over the world to the CMS campus in Woodstock,
New York; and

  WHEREAS, Karl Berger was a celebrated master musician on  piano  and
vibraphone, a five-time winner of the prestigious DownBeat International
Critics Poll for his innovative work on vibraphone, and recorded no less
than  26  albums  under his own name, with extraordinary musical artists
including some of the most revered  in  Jazz  and  New  Music  including
Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Eric Dolphy, Pharoah Sanders, Dave Holland,
Ed Blackwell, and Jack DeJohnette; and

  WHEREAS,  Karl Berger was equally recognized as a master arranger of
a variety of music including  pop,  rock,  contemporary,  classical  and
world  music,  composing  and  conducting  arrangements for such stellar
artists as Jeff Buckley, Natalie Merchant, Better Than  Ezra,  Angelique
Kidjo, Coheed & Cambria, and The Cardigans, among others; and

  WHEREAS, Karl Berger brought new musical trains of thought developed
at  the  Creative  Music  Studio  in Woodstock, to the worldwide musical
community via tours through North and South America, Europe, Africa, and
myriad  of  other  countries  including  Japan,   India,   and   Turkey,
particularly focused on the art of Improvising Orchestras; and

  WHEREAS, In 2012, Karl Berger reinforced the Creative Music Studio's
significant  position  in the history of modern American music through a
digital archival project with Columbia University to preserve  and  make
available  recordings  of historic performances by prominent artists who
had  taught at and worked with CMS; with this endeavor, supported by the
Grammy  Foundation,  hundreds  of  hours  of  archival  recordings  were
digitized  over  several  years by CMS in the Sertso Recording Studio in
Woodstock; Volume One received rave reviews, including one from  Cadence
Magazine, which called it the best historical jazz record of 2014; and

  WHEREAS,  The  legacy  and teachings of Karl Berger and the Creative
Music Studio were profiled in the 2018 feature documentary  film  "Music
Mind,"  and  three  books charting the pioneering thought and methods of
Karl's teachings have been published:   Music Universe, Music  Mind  and
All  Kinds  of Time: The Enduring Spirit of The Creative Music Studio by
Robert Sweet; and The Music Mind Experience by Rick Maurer; and

  WHEREAS, The musical communities  of  New  York  State  continue  to
benefit  from  the  work  and  teachings of Karl Berger and the Creative
Music Studio through current student orchestra workshops,  concerts  and
events  held in New York City and the Hudson Valley, contributing to the
peace, happiness and innovative musical education of  all  New  Yorkers;
and

  WHEREAS, Karl Berger is survived by his wife and muse, Ingrid Sertso
(vocalist and award-winning poet); and his daughter, Savia; his youngest
daughter Eva Berger predeceased him; and

  WHEREAS,  Karl Berger, imbued with enormous talent, foresight, and a
deep well of compassion, leaves behind a legacy which will  long  endure
the  passage  of time, and will remain as an inspiring spirit to all the
students, musicians, audiences,  families,  and  communities  his  music
continues to serve; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of Karl Berger, and to express its  deepest  condolences
to his family and friends; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of Karl Berger.