Chase Named to Music Academy Board of Directors
For Immediate Release December 16, 2008
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA – Howard Chase, a former corporate attorney and currently a lecturer at Santa Barbara City College, has been named to the Board of Directors for the Music Academy of the West.
Born in South Orange, New Jersey, Mr. Chase earned degrees from Harvard University and Harvard Law School before building a thriving New York City practice specializing in corporate and securities law. In 1993 he was named president of De Tomaso Industries, whose properties included Maserati and other Italian automobile and motorcycle manufacturers. Mr. Chase, who was based in Milan, Italy, during his six years with De Tomaso, was subsequently named president of the investment management firm Carret Holdings, a position he held until 2001. He currently serves as a board director for Thoratec Corporation, a Pleasanton, California-based manufacturer of devices to treat heart failure; ThinGap, a Ventura-based motor manufacturer; and Emegear, a firm specializing in cervical immobilization devices based in Carpinteria.
Mr. Chase and his wife, Jo Ann, moved to Carpinteria, in 2007. The just-completed fall semester was his first at SBCC, where he lectured on the legal aspects of international trade.
"I am enormously impressed by the musicians that come to the Music Academy to learn, perform, and teach each summer, as I am by the Academy's full-scholarship program," said Mr. Chase. "I am very pleased to have an opportunity to contribute to such an outstanding organization."
Founded in 1947, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and frequent performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, as well as guest conductors and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and Fellows receive full scholarships (tuition, room, and board). Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many enjoy careers as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 200 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and Fellows; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. The Music Academy began broadcasting live performances by the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera at Hahn Hall in October. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
