April 13, 2026

George Manahan (BM ‘73, MM ‘76), MSM’s Director of MSM Orchestral Activities and Chair of the Conducting Department, will be conducting his final MSM Symphony Orchestra concert on Wednesday, April 15, after 56 years of extraordinary service, artistry, and devotion to Manhattan School of Music.  Four of his former students share with us their favorite memories of Maestro Manahan.

Saverio Alfieri (MM ’23, MM ’25)

I will always cherish the many lessons I had the privilege of learning from Maestro Manahan, but my fondest memory remains the evening he welcomed us into his home and shared a delicious meal that he and Mary Lou prepared with such care. That moment reflected not only his artistry, but also his generosity and warmth as a person. I thank him for believing in me and giving me confidence in my journey as a young conductor—I will carry that trust with me throughout my career.

Joseph Carlomagno (MM ’19, PS ’20)

Once, I walked into a lesson with Maestro Manahan, holding the score to Webern’s Variations for Orchestra. I put it on the table and told him that I had to conduct it with two days’ notice. I was expecting him to give me some pointers, beat patterns, or maybe just a prayer. Instead, he grabbed the score, brought it over to the piano, and said, “Alright, let’s go through it” – then proceeded to read the score at sight, singing the lines at pitch, while I beat through the piece with no little astonishment.

In lab orchestra, he often gave us subtle signals from the back of the room – wide eyes and a cutoff if we were holding the singer too long, or a miniature beat pattern if we were behind – but he would never interrupt us. He told us he would never cut down a young conductor in front of the orchestra. That meant a lot, coming from the same guy who could read Webern like a walk in the park; with his musical chops, he could have cut any of us down. But he always used his great abilities to help us play better, hear more clearly, feel more secure. For his generosity, with his talent and the example he set, I will always be grateful.

Emily Frederick (BM ’21, PS ’25)

In February of 2020, we performed Scriabin’s Poem of Ecstasy and Schoenberg’s Op. 16 together in one concert with the MSM Symphony. I played principal keyboard for the Schoenberg – and organ for the Scriabin! I remember the concert so vividly: my head was on a swivel at the end of the Scriabin, watching both Maestro Manahan and eyeing the brass for our final entrance. When that moment came, the sound shook Neidorff in a way I had never heard, and yet Maestro Manahan was cool and calm, guiding all 105 of us with an unflinching beat and tending to the final seams of the piece. Most conductors would take the opportunity to lose themselves in the gargantuan-ness of it all, but he stood there with an incorruptible sense of calm and presence. Because of him, we played better and more powerfully than we ever had. I decided that evening exactly the type of conductor I wanted to be.

Ken Yanagisawa (MM ’19, PS ’20)

Studying with Maestro Manahan at MSM was one of the most formative experiences of my development as a conductor. He took a chance on me early in my career, and the musical, professional, and life lessons he shared during our three years together have stayed with me in the years since, shaping my work on the podium as well as in the classroom. He instilled in me a love for opera and contemporary music, along with a mindset grounded in clarity, practicality, and consistency. It means a great deal to me that I can now pass on those same values to my own students, continuing his influence into the next generation of musicians. I’m grateful to pass on those lessons to my own students now, carrying his influence forward to the next generation of musicians.