When charismatic former New York City Ballet star Damian Woetzel was named president of the prestigious Juilliard School in 2017, the school’s powerful president Bruce Kovner praised his “unusual blend” of intellectual and artistic qualities.
But earlier this year, Kovner told Woetzel that an internal review found a lack of confidence in his leadership and asked him to resign before the end of June, a year before the end of his contract, according to a letter sent to Woetzel. the administrators of the school. that was obtained by The New York Times.
Woetzel fought back and managed to rally support behind him, receiving testimonials from several prominent artists, including trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, who directs Juilliard’s jazz program, and pianist Emanuel Ax, a leading faculty member. And he wrote in his letter to administrators that the performance review was “extraordinary and highly inconsistent with nonprofit governance best practices — it was conceived, initiated and administered by our board chairman.”
Things came to a head at a board meeting last month. The trustees were informed of Kovner’s evaluation and recommendation to leave, but declined to take steps to relieve Woetzel. Kovner, long the school’s biggest benefactor, plans to step down as chairman in June after 22 years, a move long-planned, according to one staff member.
Kovner declined to comment, and Juilliard issued a board statement to The New York Times saying that “the board of directors strongly reaffirmed its support for President Damian Woetzel at its most recent meeting” and the ten-year strategic plan the school founded in 2019.
The statement said the board was “steadfast in its focus on the best interests of the students of the Juilliard School, and remains committed to supporting the school’s exceptional faculty, staff and management.”
Some saw the conflict as a rare power struggle between two prominent figures in the cultural world, a confrontation between old guard and new blood.
Given Kovner’s immense influence as Juilliard’s greatest patron—and as a major figure at Lincoln Center, Juilliard’s home, where he sits on the board and gave large sums—some were surprised to see Woetzel triumph. One administrator likened it to a David and Goliath story.
Woetzel, 54 — who earned a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government while still dancing — earned a national reputation by leading the Aspen Institute Arts Program and the Vail International Dance Festival and was a member of President Barack Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
Kovner, 75, whose fortune Forbes estimates at $6.2 billion, has been something of a permanent government at Juilliard, after serving as chairman for an unusually long time. With his wife, Suzie, Kovner donated $25 million toward a new wing and grants in 2005; a treasure trove of precious music manuscripts in 2006; $20 million for the early music program in 2012; and $60 million for a new scholarship program in 2013.
At Lincoln Center, Kovner was one of the largest donors to the redevelopment of the performing arts complex, serves on the board of the Metropolitan Opera, and was previously a trustee of the New York Philharmonic.
The impasse presented a challenge to the board and the school, as Kovner’s continued support for Juilliard remains crucial.
Woetzel’s evaluation was sent to 49 faculty and staff members — including all department heads and 18 direct reports — of whom 43 responded anonymously. There are approximately 700 full-time and part-time members of Juilliard’s faculty and staff.
The review was designed and conducted by Kovner and J. Christopher Kojima, a vice chairman, according to Woetzel’s letter to the board of directors. His letter said it was “not conducted remotely by an independent party, as is best practice for nonprofit institutions of our scale.”
The responses contained 143 comments, more than three-quarters of which were negative, according to someone familiar with a summary of the report and who was given anonymity to describe this sensitive personnel issue.
The feedback generated a number of significant criticisms, according to the summary described to The Times: that Woetzel focused on performance rather than education; had weak administrative leadership; failed to consult faculty members about important decisions; and created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
A question about confidence in Juilliard’s future was answered negatively by more than half of respondents, according to the person familiar with the summary.
On January 27, Woetzel was asked to leave, according to his letter to the board.
“Bruce Kovner informed — on behalf of the Executive Committee — that my service as president would be terminated before the end of my contract, and that the decision was ‘irrevocable,'” Woetzel wrote in the letter to trustees.
“After communicating to me this intent to terminate,” the letter said, “Bruce then emailed me an offer of severance pay that would include a jointly prepared statement that would create a false narrative that I would resign on June 30.”
The letter gave Woetzel 96 hours to respond. He decided not to resign.
On Feb. 4, Kovner sent the results of the evaluation to the full board, saying the findings were worrying and would be discussed four days later at the regular board meeting.
Woetzel was supported by a number of prominent artists and colleagues, who sent letters to the board prior to the meeting.
“Damian has an outstanding track record in his leadership of the school, especially during two pandemic years and these deeply disturbing social, political and financial times that have changed America’s social landscape,” Marsalis wrote in his letter, obtained by The Times. . “He has been involved with students, faculty and administration in an effort to create a modern institution that is agile and able to address the very real concerns of students and alumni around the world.”
“I feel that how we approach this is questioning our ethics,” Marsalis continued. “This attempt to remove him seems ill-conceived, ill-executed, and it will put a stain on our attitude that even our love of resources and fragile minds won’t easily remove.”
Tromboneist Weston Sprott, dean of Juilliard’s Preparatory Division, warned in an email to Axe, an influential faculty member, that “a decision to terminate Damian will be incredibly damaging to the institution.”
“Amid mastering the bumps and bruises that can be expected in navigating the national reckoning regarding racial injustice,” Sprott continued, “Damian has assembled arguably the most diverse, inclusive, and successful leadership team in our industry — one that is respected by students and teachers and is the envy of its competitors.”
Kovner and the executive committee expect Woetzel to address the issues raised in the review with outside coaches and under the direction of trustee Reginald Van Lee, a former management consultant, said the person familiar with the summary. But a trustee said such a course of action has not been decided by the full board.
Woetzel started out as an unconventional choice for Juilliard, who had never worked in academic administration, let alone one of the world’s leading performing arts schools, which at the time of his appointment had an annual budget of $110 million, an endowment. of $1 billion and had over 800 students.
At Juilliard, Woetzel has made several notable advances, securing a $50 million gift to expand the school’s weekend training program, largely targeting black and Latino schoolchildren; filling various key positions; and guiding the school through the challenging two years of the pandemic.
But he has also had bumps along the way. After a drama workshop at the school re-enacting a slave auction sparked outrage, Woetzel issued a “sincere apology” in a note to the community.
Last June, students protested a planned tuition increase, occupying parts of Juilliard’s Lincoln Center campus and holding street demonstrations. (Several other leading music and drama schools offer free classes.)
Kovner, who made a fortune as a hedge fund manager, has contributed widely to conservative causes and has served on the boards of directors of the American Enterprise Institute and the Manhattan Institute, both right-wing think tanks. Last May, City Journal, published by the Manhattan Institute, criticized what it described as the school’s “growing cadre of diversity bureaucrats” in an article headlined “The Revolution Comes to Juilliard: Racial Hysteria Is Consuming the School; Unchecked, the will consume the arts.”
Kovner has also supported leftist organizations, including the Innocence Project, which aims to release the wrongfully convicted; and Lambda Legal, devoted to civil rights for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders.
Now Juilliard is preparing for the next chapter. This week, the school’s Duke Ellington Ensemble was scheduled to celebrate Juilliard Jazz’s 20th anniversary at the Chelsea Factory, a new art space.
