| 1947 |
NYSMC
is founded in Otter Lake by Dr. F.F. Swift. Dr. Bob begins his
incredible run of 59 years at NYSMC as a wee bairn. |
| 1956 |
Camp
moved to Hartwick College after massive sewer problems at the
old Otter Lake Hotel. |
| 1970s |
NYSMC
Alum Tom Brown establishes spinoff camp, Eastern US Music Camp,
at Colgate University. Students are required to brush their teeth
after every rehearsal, but flossing remains optional. |
| 1982 |
A
frightened, timid, meek 14-year-old trumpter from Queens, NY
attends NYSMC for the first time. Me. |
| 1984 |
Hartwick
College purchases NYSMC. The now-bold, confident trumpet player
enjoys the finest musical year of his life - and says farewell
to NYSMC. Growing up can really suck. |
| 1985 |
Deb
Swift, daughter of Dr. F.F. Swift, establishes spinoff camp,
Encore Music Camp of Pennsylvania, at Wilkes College, PA. |
| 1987 |
"& Institute" added
to NYSMC name. Acronym expands and wreaks havoc with tee shirt
designs. |
| 1989 |
Dr.
Frederick Fay Swift passes away. Farewell to a great, great man. |
| 1994 |
Camp
name officially changed to Hartwick College Summer Music Festival & Institute.
Makers of Alpha-bit cereal and Campbell's Alphabet Soup rejoice. |
| 2003 |
I
purchase domain name NYSMC.com - and my life begins an utterly
unpredicted, intricate intertwining back into the world of music
camp. |
| 2005 |
- July
2005: I join the faculty of the renamed NYSMC and
immediately feel like I've never left.
- August
2005: The final concert marks the final year of
Dr. Bob's incredible unbroken 59-year run at NYSMC. Baseball's
Cal Ripkin Jr. and the ghost of Lou Gehrig, both of whom
played in over 2,000 consecutive games as baseball players,
salute Dr. Bob as a worthy peer, saying "If we're
Iron Men for our longevity, Bob Swift is Mithril Man for
making us look like sissies. We salute you!"
-
September 2005: College legally fires entire
camp faculty and replaces them with Hartwick college faculty.
|
| 2006 |
Most recent Former
camp director establishes spinoff camp NYSMF (New
York Summer Music Festival) up the street at SUNY Oneonta.
I officially declare NYSMF to be the successor to the NYSMC
name. Along with the almost 100% of the old faculty following our lead, over 300 students enroll, more than a third coming up from the old camp. NYSMF will continue growing each year.
Hartwick reduces camp to 4 weeks. |
| 2010 |
NYSMF enrollment shoots above 400 students.
Hartwick camp shuts down completely for the year to "reorganize." |
| 2011 |
NYSMF participant total approaches 600 people: students, faculty, staff, visiting artists, squirrels.
Hartwick camp reopens but shrinks to two weeks. |
| 2012 |
NYSMF concert total for six weeks numbers about 60 or 70, including original arrangements of the National Anthem for the Oneonta Outlaws. Our Facebook group explodes and number more than 1,000 members.
Keisuke finally updates the NYSMC shrine after dozens of wonderful alums contact him! The NYSMC Facebook Page has hundreds of alums already connected and chatting daily! Butterflies and rainbows and gumdrop waterfalls abound!
Hartwick camp returns with two or three dozen students, a dozen counselors, and appx 20 faculty. |
| 2013 |
Hartwick College, after years of struggling to keep their new and shrunken version of NYSMC alive, finally pulls the plug in March.
NYSMF hits its highest early enrollment numbers ever.
I leave NYSMF. |
| 2014 |
With the encouragement of all the great NYSMCers on Facebook, I organize the first official NYSMC reunion of the millenium! Anderson Theatre August 2014 welcomes decades of NYSMC memories, including the long lost "Camp Quiz," music for "Old Irish Blessing," and the very important support of the two most important NYSMC people in the world: Bob Swift and Deb Swift. |
| 2015 |
The 2nd NYSMC Reunion of the New Millenium will happen July 11, 2015!!! Click over here for complete details AND GET YOURSELF TO ONEONTA TO JOIN IN!!!! https://nysmc.wordpress.com/about/nysmc-reunion-saturday-july-11-2015/ |
