Eva Janzer Memorial Cello Center: Letter from our president

A Letter From the President:
Dear cello friends and colleagues,
As many of you know, the Eva Janzer Memorial Cello Center has been in existence since 1979. You may have participated in the Third American Cello Congress, held in Bloomington in 1986, under its aegis. Some of you may wonder about its name, being different from all the other "clubs" and members of the American Cello Council. Some of you may also wonder why this organization, with identical purposes to your own respective clubs, has never sent out periodical newsletters and the like. Well, let me try to shed some light on this mystery.
In 1968, I felt that Gregor Piatigorsky should be honored by his fellow cellists for his immense contributions to the world of the cello here in Bloomington, already then a major cello enclave. Through a quirk of fate, some of our friends in the New York Cello Club had the same idea about Emanuel Feuermann, another of our giants, and on exactly the same day as the Piatigorsky celebration they held a celebration in Feuermann's honor in New York. We, in Bloomington, had a marvelous time, but not until 1979 did the idea crystallize that we should honor our colleagues while they are alive, and not posthumously.
Our beloved friend Eva Janzer's untimely death triggered the thought of the Eva Janzer Memorial Cello Center (EJMCC), which is dedicated to friendship among cellists, promotion of the cello, assistance to the future greats, and honoring those past the magic age of 60. Why 60? Don't ask. It may have been the thought that by 60 one has established a definite profile, a profile that gives a clear picture of an artist-teacher's dedication and contribution to our cause. "Chevalier du violoncello" and "Grand Dame du violoncello" were invented as titles to be given for services rendered, by our institution, IU, as well as by the EJMCC. Establishing the EJMCC has also served to keep the name of a significant artist-teacher alive.
Bloomington, being the college town with the largest cello enrollment in the country, seemed a likely place to host such a cello center. Instead of asking for membership fees, we have relied on a once-a-year concert and presentation to provide the funds for the running of the center, plus various contributions from alumni, concert organizations, and such. Not until 1984 did we have any intention of functioning as a club. That was the year when, at the end of the Second American Cello Congress, I was asked to host the Third American Cello Congress in 1986 in Bloomington.
To our amusement, we discovered that in order to do so, we ought to be a "club" and a member of the Cello Council. The legal steps were taken, and the EJMCC has been a member in good standing ever since (I hope) of the larger community of cellists, sans the name "club". As our organization functions a bit less democratically than would be desirable (due to local conditions), we have never been able to pursue some of the functions associated with other clubs, such as regular meetings, newsletters, etc. Nevertheless, we do function rather well as a school housing the EJMCC, having weekly classes (most often two), an immense number of recitals, friendly gatherings, and the annual EJMCC celebration.
This [page] is being published with the intent of atoning for our past negligence and expressing the hope that our sisters and brothers will continue the fight for our common goal, the greater glory of the cello and its practitioners, a goal to which we have pledged our maximum efforts.
Janos Starker
President, Eva Janzer Memorial Cello Center