At the December 7 Levanta concert featuring the music of former performing arts faculty member John Truitt, Head of School Julianne Puente welcomed guests with the exciting news of a new fund honoring him.
Diane Sansonetti and John Batty, parents of Academy alumni Clare ’10 and Luke ’12, have created the John Truitt Classical Guitar Faculty Support Fund, recognizing John’s profound influence on his students and ensuring ongoing support for the Academy’s classical guitar program.
The John Truitt Classical Guitar Faculty Support Fund will provide sustained support for guitar faculty, fostering excellence in music education and preserving John’s legacy of mentorship and musical inspiration. Through this gift, Albuquerque Academy’s music department can continue to offer students transformative learning experiences, cultivating confidence and artistry both on and off the stage.
“This gift, along with the gifts received last month, shows how the connections our faculty foster with students have a lasting impact,” says Julianne. “John Truitt’s impact continues to resonate through those he taught. His dedication lives on through this fund, and we are excited to build upon his remarkable legacy. Our music program is one of the best in the nation, and the work John did to enhance our guitar program will resonate for generations. We are incredibly grateful to the Sansonetti and Batty family for this thoughtful gift as we continue to enhance the school’s performing arts programming.”
Under the visionary leadership of John Truitt, the Albuquerque Academy guitar program achieved international renown over the course of his 20-year teaching career at Albuquerque Academy. He has been a music educator in New Mexico for more than 50 years at all levels, from preschool to graduate students at the University of New Mexico. With John’s mentorship, Albuquerque Academy today has two full-time guitar faculty and serves more than 100 students annually. In 2023, John earned the esteemed Robb Award given by the University of New Mexico to New Mexicans who have made outstanding contributions to music culture.
“Through his direction, arrangements, and compositions, John Truitt fosters a collaborative spirit,” says Luke Batty. “As students, we felt invested in the performances and wanted to experience them together with an audience. Nothing shaped my personality and professional development like the Academy’s guitar program. The ensembles fostered by Truitt, Genevieve Leitner, Jeremy Mayne, Mickey Jones, and the entirety of the performing arts department provide unrivaled opportunities to share ideas with an entire world of artists, and especially other Academy students.”
Diane Sansonetti and John Batty are retired cardiac physicians in New Mexico whose two children graduated from Albuquerque Academy. Their children Clare and Luke were active in the school’s music program, where Luke spent countless hours refining his guitar skills. Today, Clare is a neonatal-perinatal physician fellow at the University of Louisville after earning her medical degree from the University of New Mexico. Luke is a senior associate attorney at Albuquerque’s Blackgarden Law PC living in Maryland after earning his law degree from Santa Clara University in California.
As Albuquerque Academy approaches its 70th school year, it is eager to build on this momentum. It invites others who share this deep connection to honor a cherished faculty member with a gift that ensures their legacy and shapes the Academy’s future. With the $4.53 million raised in the 2024 Fiscal Year, the success of Giving TuesdAAy, and the gifts announced last month, the Academy is well on its way to exceeding its $7 million fundraising goal by June 2025, opening the door to even greater possibilities.
