The Dushkin Prize in Music

Thanks to the generosity of Mr Peter Dushkin (2002), who read for an MPhil in Computer Science at Queens', the College has established The Dushkin Prize in Music to celebrate and reward academic excellence in the subject at the undergraduate level.

The prize is named for Peter's grandparents, Dorothy and David Dushkin, who were music education pioneers in Illinois and Vermont, USA. Queens' is honoured to remember Dorothy and David through the creation of this endowed subject prize. The below images of Dorothy, David, and their family can be found on The Music Institute of Chicago's website.

Dorothy and David Dushkin and their contribution to musical teaching and learning, as kindly provided by Mr Peter Dushkin (2002):

My grandparents, David Dushkin and Dorothy Smith, met in 1927 in Paris, where they were both studying with the renowned composition teacher Nadia Boulanger. They married in 1930 and settled in Winnetka, IL, where they founded The School of Musical Arts and Crafts, intending to expand on Boulanger’s teaching methods to inspire creativity. The school emphasized a hands-on approach, integrating studies and performance with other arts and crafts to foster a holistic learning experience that inspired a love of music in students. Today, this school is known as the Music Institute of Chicago, a nationally recognized institution serving more than two thousand students across six campuses.

By 1952, my grandparents had moved full-time to Weston, Vermont, where they transformed their summer home into a new school for gifted high-school musicians called Kinhaven. Kinhaven quickly gained a reputation for its supportive, non-competitive environment, allowing students to focus on collaborative music-making. The school continues to thrive today, offering summer programs and workshops that attract talented young musicians nationally and globally.

For my grandparents, music and life were inseparable. They were deeply passionate about music. Gathering their four children together to play a fugue or an aria before bedtime was just part of family life. And, they dedicated themselves to making music an integral part of everyday life for as many of their students as they could reach. My grandfather was a strong advocate for instrument making, believing that crafting instruments stimulated musical education by teaching students about pitch, tone, and fostering a love for the instrument itself. Their devotion was not to the training of professional musicians (though many of their students did go on to professional careers), but rather to nurturing musical ability and appreciation in lifelong amateurs. The ethos that my grandparents lived their lives by, and that can be felt in the schools that are their legacy, can be summarized in my grandfather’s (or, Mr. D, as he was fondly known) words - “music is not a calling to be pursued in solitude by the talented. It is basic to life, like bread and fresh air.”

It is my deep honor to support a music prize at Queens’ in memory of my grandparents' extraordinary life’s work. The Dushkin Prize in Music intends to celebrate a special student annually who embodies the spirit of the award as both a promising young artist and a role model for Queens’. The prize draws a connection to the Dushkin Award, presented annually by the Music Institute of Chicago. While the Dushkin Award has recognized global icons such as Isaac Stern, Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Stephen Sondheim, Joshua Bell, Wynton Marsalis, and Hilary Hahn for their unparalleled contributions to the world of music, the Dushkin Prize at Queens' celebrates the promise and potential of its recipients.