School of Music established at Kennesaw State
Kennesaw State University has established the university's School of Music‚ formerly the…
Georgia (Jul 29, 2008) — School of Music established at Kennesaw State
Cheryl Anderson Brown
Abstract
Director of University Relations
Frances Weyand Harrison
770−423−6203
fharris4@kennesaw.edu
Contact: Cheryl Anderson Brown‚ Assistant Director of Public Relations for the College
of the Arts‚ 770−499−3417 or cbrown@kennesaw.edu
School of Music established at Kennesaw State
KENNESAW‚ Ga. (July 29‚ 2008) — Kennesaw State University has established the university's
School of Music‚ formerly the Department of Music. This change recognizes the growing
excellence of the nationally accredited music program‚ which boasts a performance
faculty composed largely of musicians from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra‚ the Atlanta
Opera Orchestra and the Cobb Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to experiencing 70 percent enrollment growth since 2000‚ the newly renamed
School of Music has added several new facilities‚ including the Dr. Bobbie Bailey
& Family Performance Center that opened in October 2007 and new faculty studios and
student practice rooms that will be completed in late 2008. The Bailey Center houses
the 3‚600 square−foot Eric & Gwendolyn Brooker Rehearsal Hall and a 624−seat acoustically
stellar Performance Hall‚ which Grammy Award−winning soprano Sylvia McNair called
one of her “six favorites in the world” and which Donald Runnicles‚ principal guest
conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra‚ hailed as a “Georgia treasure.” Last
year‚ the music program also received a gift of 27 Steinway & Sons pianos from Dr.
Bobbie Bailey‚ earning the distinction of one of four All−Steinway Schools in Georgia.
Additionally‚ the music program has received more than $2 million in endowments in
the last two years.
Fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music‚ the KSU School of
Music offers a liberal arts degree in music and professional degrees in music performance
and music education. In the last three years‚ it has created new orchestra and opera
programs and has added a jazz studies program. At the same time‚ its graduates have
been accepted into the nation’s top graduate music schools and have won numerous national
and international music competitions. Each year‚ the department presents more than
100 public performances. In the upcoming season‚ it will host performances by three
2008 Grammy Award winners: the chamber ensemble eighth blackbird‚ mezzo−soprano Jennifer
Larmore and violinst James Ehnes. The School of Music also hosts the 300−member Georgia
Youth Symphony Orchestra. The School of Music and GYSO co−present an annual summer
music clinic at KSU. This year‚ 110 high school students participated in the clinic.
Charles Schwartz has been selected as the interim director the KSU School of Music.
He will lead the program this academic year while a national search is conducted for
a permanent director. Schwartz is the former dean of the School of Fine Arts at East
Carolina University in Greenville‚ N.C.‚ and most recently served as the interim dean
of the School of Music at Ball State University in Muncie‚ Ind. Schwartz is succeeding
Peter Witte‚ who had chaired the music department since 1999‚ but who recently accepted
the position of dean of the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri−Kansas
City.
“The distinction of the music program as a School of Music is another significant
milestone in the arts odyssey at Kennesaw State University‚” said Joseph Meeks‚ dean
of the College of the Arts‚ which houses the School of Music as well the Department
of Visual Arts and the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies. “I congratulate
the excellent music faculty for the superior work they have done to merit this achievement.”
For more information about the KSU School of Music at Kennesaw State‚ visit its website
at www.kennesaw.edu/music.
A member of the 35−unit University System of Georgia‚ Kennesaw State University is a comprehensive‚ residential institution with a growing student population of more than 20‚000 from 142 countries. The third−largest university in Georgia‚ Kennesaw State offers more than 65 graduate and undergraduate degrees‚ including doctorates in education and business.
The KSU College of the Arts is one of only four Georgia institutions to have achieved full national accreditation for all of its arts programs.
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its approximately 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the third-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 92 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status, and one of the 50 largest public institutions in the country. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
