The Brandeis Division of the Creative Arts is stepping up and launching a fundraising campaign in an attempt to save the beloved Lydian String Quartet. Founded in 1980, the Lydian has been a staple of the Brandeis arts community for the past 45 years. In addition to performing all over the world, the musicians serve as Brandeis professors, imparting their knowledge onto the next generation of creatives at the University.

Recently, a page appeared on the Department of Music website titled “Help Support the Lydian String Quartet!” The website begins with a quote from an alumnus, “if you think about it, the idea of having a world-class professional string quartet in residence at a small university is radical. But for all of us it was normal. I never stopped to ponder what a luxury it was to have them guiding our education - until today.”

In an Oct. 22, 2024 article, The Justice shared a statement from an interview with Head of the Music Department Prof. Yu-Hui Chang (MUS) after a “quarter” of her faculty was cut for the 2025-2026 academic year. Chang explained, “On [Sep. 30], I was informed that both the Lydian and another member of my department will not have their contracts renewed next year, and that they planned to notify them the next day. I was asked not to discuss the matter with these faculty beforehand.”

The members of the quartet themselves shared a statement with The Justice on Oct. 21, explaining “On September 30 we were given 24 hours’ notice of a zoom meeting with Provost Carol A. Fierke and Senior Assistant Provost Joel Christensen, where we were informed that Brandeis University will not be renewing the contracts for the Lydian String Quartet. We are shocked and saddened by this decision, which will have a devastating impact on the arts culture of Brandeis and the quality of arts education for students.” 

In addition to disappointment from members of the music department, this decision was met with outrage from the wider Brandeis staff. At the Oct. 18 faculty meeting, one of the topics on the agenda was faculty and hiring contracts, presented by Senior Assistant Provost for Faculty Affairs Joel Christensen. Following his brief presentation, a question and answer session began and meeting attendees expressed their dissatisfaction with the elimination of the Lydian. Chang was the first to approach the microphone, stating “I have to publicly question the wisdom of this kind of decision making,” as well as expressing her belief that “this administration has greatly underestimated the value of the music department and what the department has done for Brandeis.” She further explained the negative impact this cut will have on the music department, sharing that, “given the Lydian’s national reputation, we dread the negative impact this will bring to Brandeis’ already tarnished public image.”

The Justice article covering the Oct. 18 faculty meeting became a place of conversation, as readers took to the comments on The Justice website to express dissatisfaction. User “KSC” applied their experience in higher education leadership to the environment at Brandeis, sharing “Wow - there is clearly a leadership vacuum here. The school seems to be run by middle managers who lack visionary thinking and are making decisions that are penny-wise and pound-foolish.” They continued their statement by sharing that Brandeis University administration “are discarding the very aspects of the college experience that are irreplaceable by [Artificial Intelligence], virtual school, etc. I say this as a university admin at another school that is admittedly in a better position, and know that higher ed is at a crossroads in many ways. Still, Brandeis has been taking many misguided steps recently - what a shame.”

This disappointment at Brandeis was shared by University alumni, with user “Caroline Rains” writing “I am a Brandeis ’70 graduate, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. Though not my major, the music department was the most important part of my life at Brandeis, providing a wonderful class by Robert Koff and practice rooms in which I could play the piano. I will not give another dime to Brandeis unless it reinstates the position of the Lydian String Quartet, and I will urge my employers, who have given thousands, to stop giving as well.” 

A commenter with the username “Horrified” shared, “Shame on Brandeis!!! This is inexcusable. Don’t they realize that the Lydian Quartet is one of the university’s most unique assets, and is something that differentiates Brandeis from its competitors? Students want the quartet there. So do faculty. This provost needs to GO.” 

In response to user “Horrified,” user “kkg” stated, “Looks like the administration is inept, very inept! Instead of marketing the Quartet better, eliminating it. Instead of building on the fame of Bernstein, eliminating the composition PhD program. I remember listening to the Lydian like in a trance way back in the 1980s. When I took my daughter for the open house for admitted students (an event where you are trying to compete with other schools to attract as many of these kids as possible), there was no mention of Bernstein or the Lydian, no mention of Angela Davis or Marcuse, no mention of the famed scientists like Hendrickson or Grunwald in Chemistry, nothing about what the radical Jewish tradition of knowledge has meant for the school!” Concerns from prospective parents were widely seen, as user “History Buff” shared, “Prospective parent here. Our son was excited to apply to Brandeis this year. But ...yikes.”

User “kkg” continued on, expressing further dissatisfaction with former university president Ron Liebowitz’s administration, describing the 75th Reunion as having “No inspiration, no real plan ... just going through the motions. I am glad the person overseeing all this -- Liebowitz -- is gone. And the pall of gloom and mediocrity will hopefully lift slowly.”

The elimination of the Lydian continued to be a popular topic of conversation among faculty in the months to come, especially following the instatement of Interim President Arthur Levine ’70. Just one week into his term, Levine addressed the faculty and held a question and answer session at the Nov. 8 meeting. Prof. Sabine von Mering (GER/WGS) was the first to take the microphone, explaining that the quartet “is one of the things that makes Brandeis unique.”

Levine addressed this concern by highlighting the fact that the quartet was eliminated prior to him assuming this role, resulting in it not being his fault. Additionally, he claimed that the elimination was not unnecessary as “we have to have priorities.” von Mering had already returned to her seat, but responded to this answer by yelling from the audience, encouraging Levine to take a pay cut. He countered this proposed solution by explaining they have to find the money every year, not just this year.

At this question and answer session, others, including head of Fine Arts, Prof. Aida Yuen Wong (FA) continued to bring up the Lydian. She brought the meeting attendees’ attention to the petition against the elimination that was signed by over 260 faculty members. Wong expressed, “I urge you to reverse this decision — this is something that clearly means a lot to us.” In response, Levine explained that he enjoys music in his free time. However, he stated, “I would be fiscally irresponsible if what I did was respond to a petition without the money to fund it, and I told you the matter of priorities. Don’t send me an invitation, send me a statement of where we get $350,000, not just once but every year.” He expressed that he would like to be able to reinstate the group, stating, “don’t you think I’d like to walk in the door and get a victory?”

The newly created website for the fundraiser explains that while $700,000 needs to be secured before the contract expires on June 30, the department’s “larger goal is to raise $7 million to ensure that the Lydians, which have been a cornerstone of our cultural identity for 45 years, continue to make music on our campus, with our students, and for our community.” 

If users of the website click the “Thank you for your support” hyperlink, they are brought to a donation page on the Brandeis website where The Lydian String Quartet Fund is automatically selected. If users select the “Add Another,” they are met with the options of “General Scholarship” and “Brandeis Fund (Greatest Need).” 

This Brandeis Fund refers to the Capital Campaign, an initiative that was presented to the faculty during a Feb 7. meeting by members of Institutional Advancement. This campaign is aiming to raise one hundred million dollars throughout the 2024-25 academic year, $53.4 million of which had already been raised prior to this meeting. 

When asked how the Lydian fundraiser differs from the capital campaign and if higher administration now supports the quartet, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications Amy Morton shared, “The Lydian String Quartet has been an outstanding performance group that has enjoyed a long-standing residency at Brandeis. The Lydians, the music department, and the university are currently engaged in a fundraising effort to raise resources to support their work. We are hopeful that they are successful in this effort.” The statement to The Justice on March 24 did not address any potential overlap with the University-wide campaign.

In a correspondence with The Justice on March 20, Wong provided an update regarding fundraising progress. She shared, “The campaign has so far raised about 10% of the 700K needed to renew the Lydians’ contract for two years.” Wong elaborated by sharing that Institutional Advancement is involved in the campaign, stating, “If we are successful in reaching the target by the end of June, we will have more time to fundraise for an endowment to preserve the Lydians in the long term.” She shared that she hopes the wider Brandeis community will come together to support these efforts.