Linda Dusman's Dream Prayer Lullaby for solo violin was performed on the Festival Mujeres en la Musica Nueva FMMN in Bogota, Colombia in August on a recital by violinist Juan Carlos Higuita. A video of the performance can be found here. Higuita will include this work on his forthcoming album of new works for solo violin. Congratulations to Dr. Dusman!

Fatma Daglar, affiliate artist of oboe, performed Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J.S. Bach and Day by Day by Oscar Ahnfelt with the Cathedral Choir. Baritone Jason Widney, affiliate artist of voice, sang "Lord God of Abraham" from Elijah by Felix Mendelssohn. A full livestream of the service can be viewed here.

Dorsey engages students of varying ages to investigate life-based concepts through a creative process. His impact can be seen throughout the state, having facilitated courses on cultivating creativity with UMBC, Loyola University Maryland, University of Maryland, College Park, and Towson University, as well as leading collaborative curriculum/ project planning with Prince George's, Queen Anne's, and Baltimore City Public Schools.

You can read more about Dorsey's journey in this story in the UMBC Magazine.

The award will be presented at the 2023 Alumni Awards ceremony on Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 6:30pm in the Linehan Concert Hall. More information about the event can be found here and a livestream can be viewed here. 

Join us for UMBC’s 13th annual Livewire new music festival, an exploration of new sounds presented in six concerts over four days, October 18 to 21.

What is the role of music in our society? What are the inherent powers that lie within music to transform our lives? These are the questions that will be pondered in this year’s Livewire 13: Transformation festival through music, featuring ensembles and works that specifically address music’s role in bringing about transformation on a personal and global level. Meaningful participation in music, whether as a listener, creator or performer requires reflection on the intent behind the music and how best to connect with it on a personal level. Each concert is intended to open up the myriad of ways in which we listen and draw inspiration from music.

The festival opens with pianist Idith Meshulam Korman, who has witnessed firsthand how music directly delivers hope and possibilities to residents in a correctional facility. She will be joined by poet-creator Reese Basile on his original composition, and will perform works that were regarded as some of the most impactful.

Decoda Ensemble, a featured ensemble of the festival, has made a lasting impact on many vulnerable communities in the United States. They will present a wide-ranging program with composers from varied backgrounds and works with poignant themes.

This year’s festival will celebrate five world premieres that were all created from composers’ personal experiences and explore critical social issues in our society.

Livewire’s presentation of Decoda is supported in part by the UMBC’s Center for Innovation, Research and Creativity in the Arts.

Additional co-sponsorship for Livewire has been provided by the Linehan Fund for Excellence in the Arts; the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, and the Office of the Provost.

More details can be found on the event page here.

The University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Department of Music invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Choral Conducting and Music Education to begin August 2024. We seek a dynamic artist-educator who will develop a forward-looking, 21st-century vision for UMBC’s Camerata Choir and who will pursue a research agenda in performance and/or music education.

Examples of research may include live performances, recording projects, published scholarship, and community engaged work. Diverse areas of research or creative activity are welcome. In addition to being responsible for the direction of UMBC’s Camerata choir, this individual will coordinate UMBC’s choral music education program, which includes overseeing a music education internship for 1st and 2nd year students. To complete the teaching duties, the individual will teach music education, vocal pedagogy, and/or conducting coursework based on the candidate’s experience, areas of interest, and departmental needs. Recruiting, advising, and service responsibilities will also be assigned based on candidate interests and departmental needs. We welcome applicants with an interest in addressing inequities in and through music education—including through collaboration with historically marginalized communities. The candidate will have the opportunity to build relationships and collaborations through a social justice lens that will meaningfully contribute to UMBC and surrounding communities. Applicants who demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by way of teaching, performing, publishing, or volunteer experiences as well as those with experience employing culturally responsive approaches and/or integrating musical, social-emotional, and social justice learning goals are strongly encouraged to apply. Salary is competitive. Candidates who are members of groups historically underrepresented in the professoriate are especially encouraged to apply.

A master’s degree is required, and the areas of choral conducting or music education is desired. Successful K-12 teaching experience is desired; teaching or mentoring of undergraduate level students and/or professional-level choral conducting experience is also desired. The complete application package must include: a letter of interest that describes the candidate’s qualifications and potential research and/or creative activity agenda in detail, including how their experience has prepared them to teach successfully the university music courses listed above; a current CV; dated links for up to 3 video excerpts totaling no more than 30 minutes of material demonstrating choral conducting skills (if available, we encourage candidates to include video of a rehearsal as one of these videos); a separate statement addressing their capacity to respond in pedagogically productive ways to the learning needs of students from diverse backgrounds and their use of culturally responsive approaches, musical, social-emotional, and/or social justice learning goals with specific examples from their teaching experience; and three reference contacts. Additional materials may be requested later.

Don't meet every single qualification? At UMBC, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. We would also be happy to address any questions you might have about the application process. For questions, please contact Professor Brian Kaufman, Department of Music: brian.kaufman@umbc.edu.

For best consideration, please submit all application materials through Interfolio (http://apply.interfolio.com/131281) by October 30, 2023. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Located in the heart of the culturally rich Baltimore-Washington corridor, the Department of Music is a growing, diverse, and supportive community enrolling 160 undergraduate majors. Housed in the University’s striking new Performing Arts and Humanities Building, the music wing includes a 350-seat performance space with superior acoustics, 9-foot Steinway grand pianos, and fully equipped recording and keyboard labs. All tenure-track faculty maintain robust careers in performance, conducting, or composing on the regional and national level, with many having a research focus in contemporary art-music and some with creative activities that include music as a vehicle for civic engagement and social justice. In addition to its undergraduate degrees, the Department offers a post-baccalaureate Certificate in American Contemporary Music. See https://music.umbc.edu/ for more details.