William Christie is chosen Arts First medalist

William Christie ’66, internationally acclaimed harpsichordist, conductor, musicologist, and teacher, will receive the eighth annual Harvard Arts Medal.

The Arts Medal was created to honor a distinguished Harvard or Radcliffe alumnus/a or faculty member who has achieved excellence in the arts and who has made a special contribution through the arts to education or the public good. The award will be presented to Christie on Saturday, May 4, as part of Arts First 2002 (May 2-5).

Christie enjoys international renown for his pioneering work in the field of Baroque music, notably 17th and 18th century French repertoire. His training began with the study of piano and organ while a child in Buffalo, N.Y. During his undergraduate years at Harvard, as a Kirkland House resident, he concentrated in Fine Arts. He continued his studies at the Yale School of Music, receiving his M.F.A.

Previous Harvard Arts Medal recipients have included director Peter Sellars ’80, composer John Harbison ’60, National Theatre of the Deaf founder David Hays ’52, author John Updike ’54, musicians Bonnie Raitt ’72 and Pete Seeger ’40, and the late actor Jack Lemmon ’47.