Brown University sure was lucky to have Arlene Cole on its faculty! She was the most dedicated teacher one could imagine, whether teaching piano, or music theory, or labs, or musicianship, and she deserves this celebration! During the 28 years that I taught at Brown, Arlene was there the entire time – always completely dedicated to her students, deeply caring about how well they learned whatever subject they studied with her. I don’t recall her ever taking time off during all those years. Along with her great musical skill and knowledge, Arlene also had a wonderful sense of humor and a great laugh! During the 15 or so years that I taught MUSIC 55-56, she taught the labs for those courses, so we worked closely together for a long time. Her devotion to her students never faltered and they adored her in return.
Many of Arlene’s piano students were winners of the Concerto Competition and she would always be there for them – attending rehearsals and carefully going over the score with them and me to make sure that each performance was as good as it could possibly be. And no faculty member – except for a wonderful voice teacher named Kathryne – attended more Brown University Orchestra concerts than Arlene, and for that she’ll always have my everlasting gratitude.
But what I remember most about Arlene is her great heart. If a faculty or staff member became ill, Arlene would immediately swing into action – bringing them food or flowers or a gift or whatever would help them most in that moment. She really cared about people and that’s a huge part of what made Arlene so special in the Music Department. When I decided to accept Stanford’s offer of a professorship in 2017, Arlene swung into action once again and dedicated that year’s Jagolinzer Concert to Kathryne and me. That meant a lot to both of us and we were very grateful to Arlene for that very heartfelt gesture.
Three cheers for Arlene Cole! She was the best and I’ll miss her along with the thousands of others who have deeply benefited from her great teaching, knowledge, caring, and heart.
Warmest wishes,
Paul Phillips
Director of Orchestral Studies and Associate Professor of Music
Stanford University
Distinguished Senior Lecturer in Music
Director of Orchestras and Chamber Music
Music Director, Brown University Orchestra
1989-2017