Monterey Bay: The Magazine of CSU Monterey Bay Vol. 6 no. 2 | Page 16

University News

Inventor , musician Robert Danziger to speak at commencement

A couple of years ago , Robert Danziger decided to focus his wide-ranging imagination on one task .
So , now he is rewriting Bach ’ s Brandenburg Concerto full-time .
If that seems improbable to you , you probably haven ’ t met Danziger , or perused his resumé . He landed a job at the California Institute of Technology ’ s Jet Propulsion Laboratory , despite not having an undergraduate degree . He founded a sustainable energy company while still in his 20s . He has been issued 10 patents , including one for a “ Walking Chair ,” which he uses to help overcome his own mobility issues .
And he played kalimba , an African instrument also known as a thumb piano , on a Supertramp album .
The Carmel resident received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Cal State Monterey Bay in September 2011 , in recognition of his accomplishments as a musician , inventor and sustainable energy pioneer . Danziger will share stories and lessons from his varied career when he serves as the keynote speaker for Cal State Monterey Bay ’ s commencement on May 18 .
“ I ’ m not a classical musician ; I am coming at it basically from a jazz point of view ,” Danziger said of his work on the Bach concerto . “ Who knows if it will ever have an audience ? I am just trying to do the very , very best thing I can with it , and not really trying to define it .”
That philosophy has been apparent throughout Danziger ’ s career as he has faced and surmounted challenges just

Summer Arts returns to campus

because they seemed worth doing .
His work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory gave him a front-row look at one of the space age ’ s most ambitious projects , the Voyager exploration into deep space .
Danziger wrote “ A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Energy Independence ,” which recounts stories from his careers in energy and music . He composed several sound sculptures , which have been part of exhibitions at the Monterey Museum of Art and the National Steinbeck Center .
As for his message to graduates , Danziger said , “ We have students here who are challenged to compete with people from Yale and Harvard and MIT , just as I had to . And if you have the honor , the integrity and the fire in the belly , you can make it . You can be as insightful and successful as anyone from any of those schools .
“ They have earned the opportunity to look inside themselves and be everything they possibly can be and make their mark .”
– James Tinney
Public performances take place nearly every evening during Summer Arts , offering affordable opportunities to see renowned performers .
After an exciting debut in 2012 , CSU Summer Arts returns to campus in July with a lineup of 17 classes and 52 public events .
Students – who come from CSU campuses , other four-year and two-year colleges as well as the local community – are immersed in rigorous training 12
hours a day during the two-week sessions . Classes will be offered in dance , music , theater , creative writing , visual arts , filmmaking and animation .
The guest artists / teachers include actors from the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ; Eliot Fisk , who will be among the classical guitar instructors ; and professionals from DreamWorks , who will lead the animation session .
The public events include lectures , concerts and theatrical productions , all priced to make them accessible to a wide audience . In addition , each course offers a free public performance or “ culmination ” at the end of the session where students showcase their talents .
“ The most exciting part of Summer Arts is that there will be so many exceptional arts events taking place in our own backyard ,” said Rob Klevan , the program ’ s community relations specialist .
“ We are here to ignite artful minds . The community is invited to come and enjoy 28 days of eclectic art-making ,” added Rachel Nardo , director of CSU Summer Arts .
A list of classes is available at csusummerarts . org . The schedule of public performances will be announced in late May .
Provided
16 Spring / Summer 2013 csumb . edu / magazine