As many of you know, Dr. Margaret (Peggy) Quackenbush is retiring at the end of June after 30 years as President & Executive Director and 43 years at The Hochstein School. Over the years, her roles have also included Registrar, Assistant Director, and clarinet faculty member and chamber coach.
Under Peggy’s leadership during the past 30 years, the school’s programs in music, dance, and expressive arts have grown substantially. Hochstein has had chamber music and ensembles since its first decade in the 1920s, but Peggy is responsible for the modern resurgence and growth of these important programs. Today’s Hochstein includes four orchestras, three choruses, and numerous chamber groups, in addition to rock bands, jazz ensembles, and more.
Expressive Arts – Hochstein’s program of music, dance, and art therapy – has expanded from serving a handful of clients in the 1970s to more than 1,200 clients all over the Rochester community.
In the late 1990s, Peggy oversaw the renovations of Hochstein’s Performance Hall, and the use of that hall has further spearheaded the growth of Hochstein’s programs, as well as enhanced Hochstein’s visibility in the community. As Rochester’s premiere mid-size concert hall, Hochstein Performance Hall has become a sought-after performance venue for multiple community organizations including the RPO, Rochester Oratorio Society, Society for Chamber Music, Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus, and many others.
During Peggy’s tenure, Hochstein’s reach into the community has grown substantially, with creation of partnerships with the Rochester City School District, local YMCA organizations, and many other community entities. One such continuing partnership is her active involvement with the ROCmusic collaborative with Eastman, the City of Rochester, and the RCSD.
An active soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral clarinetist, Peggy is a founding member of Antara Winds, an active woodwind quintet with whom she has given many concerts and premiered new works by Libby Larsen and Verne Reynolds, among others. Dr. Quackenbush has also performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Music Rochester, Rochester Oratorio Society, Rochester Lyric Opera, and Rochester Women’s Philharmonic, among others.
As an educator, Peggy has shepherded many clarinet students and chamber groups, and many students have gone on to attend the country’s preeminent music schools and conservatories. She has a wonderful ability of being not only a consummate administrator but also continuing to maintain her life as a performing musician.
Dr. Quackenbush holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music, along with degrees from the University of Oregon’s School of Music and the University of Minnesota, Morris. She is a leader on the national arts scene, having served as board member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education and the National Association of Schools of Music. She has also been an active site visitor/adjudicator for the Accrediting Commission for Community and Precollegiate Arts Schools, the body that accredits non-degree-granting institutions like Hochstein.
To celebrate Peggy’s long-term contributions to Hochstein, please consider making a gift to Hochstein before our fiscal year ends on June 30:
https://hochstein.org/Support#donate
Your generosity will help Hochstein offer music, dance, and expressive arts programs and continue to have an impact on the Rochester community.
At the Hochstein Gala on April 30, 2022, NY State Senator Jeremy Cooney – himself a former Hochstein student – recognized Peggy Quackenbush with a formal commendation from Albany for all her contributions to the Rochester community. Hear what he had to say in this video:
Special thanks to Dr. Gary Palmer, Hochstein’s Assistant Director & Dean, for providing content for this HochStory.
Photo captions:
1) Hochstein President & Executive Director Margaret (Peggy) Quackenbush, September 2021
2) Peggy Quackenbush at Hochstein, 2008
3) Antara Winds, historic photo
4) Antara Winds, March 2022
5) Antara Winds, March 2022
6) Performance Hall renovations, 1998
7) Performance Hall renovations, 1998
8) Renovated Performance Hall, 1998
9) 2019 Faculty Award with Pia Liptak
10) Peggy with Susann and John Hochstein, members of David Hochstein's family, and student Luke Pisani, HYSO concert, 2018
11) Peggy Quackenbush and former President & Executive Director Carl Atkins, Hochstein Gala, April 2022
12) Peggy Quackenbush celebration with faculty and staff, May 2022
13) Centennial Orchestra concert, February 2020
14) Students in the YMCA Making Music, Making Strides program, 2019
15) ROCmusic students, 2021
16) Expressive Arts showcase, December 2021