Historic gifts, competition winners, new publications and practices, recent recordings, and milestone birthdays are among Winter Quarter 2021 news highlights from the University of Washington School of Music.
Two donor gifts in support of organ performance will honor over a century of organ instruction and performance at the University of Washington School of Music, moving this highly regarded program to a new level of national prominence.
The organ builder and artist Paul B. Fritts has generously endowed the first Faculty Fellowship in the School of Music, with a remarkable $1.5 million gift that will provide support for the organ performance degree programs. The Paul B. Fritts Endowed Faculty... Read more
Renee Zhang was named the winner and Christine Chu the runner-up in the final round of the UW Bach E Major Violin Concerto Competition, presented January 14 by the University of Washington Strings Program.
Zhang, Chu, and fellow finalists Dalma Ashby and Randy Zhang performed from their respective homes in a competition broadcast over Zoom and streamed live to the School of Music YouTube channel. They were competing for an opportunity to play the concerto at a future performance by the UW... Read more
Giselle Wyers, chair of the Voice & Chorale departments explains how the UW Chorale has found an unlikely practice space in the campus parking garage.
Featured on UW News
School of Music students and alumni report recent appointments, performances, career milestones and other notable achievements.
Gabriela Garza (DMA, Orchestral Conducting) has been working this year with the Seattle Youth Symphony as assistant conductor to music director Juan Felipe Molano for both the Advanced and Intermediate Virtual Orchestras. She is also in her first year as Music Director of the Poulsbo Community Orchestra, organizing and leading five virtual community events.
Lorenzo... Read more
Honors, accolades, research highlights and other news from the School of Music faculty.
Patricia Shehan Campbell, Music Education/Ethnomusicology
Music Education Professor Patricia Shehan Campbell has been active (virtually) at recent academic conferences. She delivered a series of four keynote presentations on World Music Pedagogy for the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) in February. Following on her books (Teaching Music Globally, Oxford, 2004) and Music,... Read more
BY JoAnn TaricaniDirector, School of Music
We are delighted to congratulate our colleague Laila Storch on her 100th birthday on February 28. Our faculty and staff sent greetings to her, and her daughter, the noted violinist Aloysia Friedman, told us that Laila enjoyed the day and the greetings at her home in Orcas Island. The most recent issue of the Journal of the International Double Reed Society was dedicated to Laila and her career, with an article by our current faculty... Read more
School of Music alumnus and former longtime faculty member Clyde Jussila died in July 2020 at age 100.
Born in Kent, Washington to Fanny and Matti Jussila, Clyde Jussila lived much of his life in Washington state. As a young man he grew up in Issaquah, where he graduated from Issaquah High School in 1938. Clyde earned his BA from the UW and his MFA Degree in music from Kansas State University. In 1942, Clyde enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving in the Third Infantry during World War II. He... Read more
By Emma SilversteinSchool of Music Constituency Relations Officer
Steve and Sylvia Burges have a lot in common: they both enjoy spending time outdoors, they are passionate about the environment, and they love chamber music.
The couple, who celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary this year, transplanted to Seattle from California just after they married, when Steve became a professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Washington. Shortly thereafter, Sylvia began... Read more
Thank You for Your Support
School of Music friends are creating opportunities for outstanding students to excel, supporting critical upgrades and improvements to School of Music facilities, helping faculty to make important advances in research and performance, and enabling programs to grow and thrive. Thank you for considering a charitable donation to the University of Washington School of Music.