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Recent News
April 8, 2025
by Lauren Kirschman, UW News
Jessica Bissett Perea (Dena’ina) had never heard powwow singing before attending an Indigenous music conference in Toronto in 2008.
She was born north of Anchorage, Alaska, where powwows just started appearing in the last 25 years. At the conference, she was drawn to the singing voice of John-Carlos Perea(Mescalero Apache, Irish, Chicano, German). The... Read more
March 12, 2025
From UW College of Arts and Sciences NewsApril 2025 Perspectives newsletterBy Nancy Joseph
Most people know Mozart and Beethoven, composers of the Classical music era. But what about Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a Black composer living in Europe at the same time? Saint-Georges is one of seven composers (see sidebar) featured in the Black Composers Project, an hour-long video that pairs historical information about Black composers with performances of their works that... Read more
March 11, 2025
A three-day guest artist residency at the School of Music April 15-17 by the renowned Eroica Trio includes two days of master class sessions in addition to the Trio’s April 16 concert at the Gerlich Theater, Meany Hall.
The Trio—Erika Nickrenz, piano; Sara Parkins, violin; and Sara Sant’Ambrogio, cello—performs works by J.S. Bach, Tomaso Albinoni, Fritz Kreisler, George Gershwin, and Johannes Brahms on their April 16 concert. Trio members lead master classes with chamber groups of UW music... Read more
March 10, 2025
Joël-François Durand has accepted a new appointment as director of the School of Music, a three-year term effective on July 1, 2025. He has served as acting director of the School since February 2022.
College of Arts and Sciences Dean Dianne Harris and Divisional Dean for the Arts Gabriel Solis announced the appointment March 7 in a joint letter emailed to School of Music faculty and staff.
“We are confident that Joël will continue to provide excellent leadership and ask that you join us in... Read more
March 6, 2025
School of Music students and alumni report recent recordings, appointments, prestigious engagements, new career directions, and a pageant win.
Emily Acri (’20 DMA, Strings) began a new position in January 2025 as the education and community engagement coordinator at Seattle Chamber Music Society (SCMS). This role helps to facilitate an array of programs that SCMS offers, including the SCMS Youth Academy and the new Adult Academy, the SCMS Lecture Series, Azure Family Concerts... Read more
March 6, 2025
School of Music faculty report recent honors and appointments, publications, world premieres, and other notable achievements.
Robin McCabe, piano
Robin McCabe served as a judge for the Russian Chamber Music Foundation Concerto Competition in November 2024. In February, she led a guest master class at Seattle Pacific University.
David Alexander Rahbee, Orchestral Activities
David A. Rahbee appeared as guest conductor with the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, January 26, in a program... Read more
March 6, 2025
The word “retirement” may conjure images of naps, gardening, reading, travel, and other leisurely pursuits, but the scholarly and artistic work of many retired School of Music faculty continues unabated after their exit from professorial duties at the University of Washington. Below are just a few recent updates from former longtime professors who have retired in recent years. Many thanks to Professor Emerita Patricia Campbell, Music Education, for instigating this report!
George Bozarth,... Read more
March 6, 2025
School of Music students are "popping up" in the community via an ongoing series of performances in community venues that have been received with enthusiasm and appreciation by audiences across the city.
In a pop-up concert on February 28, UW music students provided comfort and enrichment to patients and loved ones at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Students from the saxophone studio of Michael Brockman performed in the hospital cafeteria for patients, families, and staff, and over live Zoom for... Read more
March 5, 2025
Renowned tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain died in December 2024 in San Francisco at age 73. He served two terms as Ethnomusicology Visiting Artist at the University of Washington: as a young man in the 1969-70 academic year; and in Fall 2017, when his residency culminated in a performance with School of Music students and faculty and guest violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan to a full house at the UW's Meany Hall. He was much beloved by the community of musicians and scholars at the UW and... Read more
March 5, 2025
Composer and University of Washington professor emerita Diane Thome died peacefully Sunday, January 12, at home in Seattle, attended by close friends and her sister Mona. Former chair of the composition program at the UW, Thome served on the School of Music faculty from 1977 to 2006.
Born January 25, 1942, Thome declared her intention to become a composer at the age of eight and began her studies in composing at age twelve with teacher Robert Strassburg. She cited his influence, along with... Read more