Adam Bodony named 2024 YAMAHA “40 UNDER 40”

From Yamaha’s “40 Under 40” article on Adam Bodony:

Under Adam Bodony’s tenure as Assistant Professor and Director of Orchestras at Purdue University, the orchestra program has experienced remarkable growth. The number of students enrolled in orchestra has grown by more than a whopping 85% — from 150 during the 2015-2016 academic year to 280 in 2023-2024. The number of orchestras went from two when Bodony arrived at Purdue, to four — a first in the department’s 120-year history.

According to Bodony, enrollment grew for several reasons, including:

• Establishing a renewed sense of pride in being an orchestra member at Purdue, having a higher bar of artistic excellence, and creating a culture of support, understanding and kindness.
• Establishing a collaborative and supportive relationship with other areas in the department (such as marching band, concert band, jazz band, etc.) and with other colleges in the university (such as the College of Liberal Arts and its component areas related to music).
• Seeking out regional, national and international performance opportunities and competition participation to raise the awareness of Purdue’s program while simultaneously instilling a sense of pride in students in representing Purdue University outside of its campus borders.
• Reaching out to dozens of professional and collegiate guest artists, guest conductors and guest collaborators. “Our orchestra students have learned from some of the very best talent the United States has to offer,” Bodony says.
• Finally, Bodony believes the most important factor is that students “see in me and sense from me my pure love for music, even at a place like Purdue that is overwhelmingly STEM-centered,” he said.

Read more on Yamaha MusicUSA.