A Message From the Chair

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Dr. Paul Head

I am delighted to take this opportunity to usher in the 2008-09 season with this edition of DYNAMICS – our semi-annual Department newsletter.  Here, you will find the latest news about what’s happening, and perhaps more importantly, what’s about to happen. 

Congruent with President Harker’s vision of a Pathway to Prominence, we celebrate the accomplishments of our student ensembles: the horn ensemble’s journey to Denver, Colorado to perform at the International Horn Symposium, and Delaware Steel’s participation in three highly-esteemed music festivals as they made their way from Sweden, to Germany, and finally, to Israel   And in the coming year, plans are well under way for a Chorale tour to China and a Marching Band trip to Ireland.  Never before has the Department of Music enjoyed such a multi-faceted, international reputation!

Of course, excellence tends to encourage more of the same, most notably visible in three successful faculty searches in the past year.  As a result, we welcome Dr. Daniel Stevens to the Theory area, Dr. Charles Carson to musicology, and Dr. Holly Roadfeldt-O’Riordan to the piano faculty.  Each of these new faculty members has an established reputation as outstanding scholarship and innovation in their respective professional roles.  We are truly excited about the new horizons each will bring to our students, and thereby, to the University at large!

Looking ahead, we are thrilled to present an ever-expanding season in the Roselle Center for the Arts, including the opera production of The Merry Wives of Windsor in the beautiful Thompson Theater, and an outstanding array of guest artists appearances held in the elegant Gore Recital Hall.  And make sure you mark the dates for the highly regarded Master Players Concert Series, leading off this year with a Gala Concert featuring our own artist faculty in Mitchell Hall on October 3rd.

There has never been more to be proud of in the University of Delaware Department of Music, whether you are an alum, a long-time friend of the Department, or simply a music lover.  We are indebted to our talented students, as well as our dedicated faculty, for their continued and resounding success.  And especially to you… for taking the time to celebrate, appreciate, and support these collective artistic endeavors.