Volume III, No. 2 – April 2020

To our Augsburg Music community,

Welcome, once again, to our Occasional Updates for Augsburg University Music! Despite the frequent priority of solo work as a hallmark of musical achievement, most of us experience music-making as a social event. Meaningful music learning and experience derive from the shared act of preparing and executing performances.

Thus, the coronavirus has had an enormous impact on the “normal” work of the Department of Music and required us to think in creative ways about keeping our students engaged in active learning while practicing social distance and isolation. The typical final weeks of the semester, marked with concerts and recitals, preparation for commencement, juries, final exams, grading, and other rituals that mark academic transitions, have given way to exploring how today’s technology can be leveraged to support continuation of student learning. What we have learned, of course, is that technology has two dimensions. On the one hand, it provides avenues of staying in touch from our places of “distance” that can help us feel connected; on the other, it is a weak substitute for the necessity of face to face, real-time, feelingful interaction with others.
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Volume I, Number 3 – May 24, 2018

JOHN N. SCHWARTZ PROFESSORSHIP IN CHORAL LEADERSHIP

Augsburg University and the Department of Music are pleased to announce that Kristina Boerger, DMA, has been appointed the inaugural John N. Schwartz Professor of Choral Leadership and Conducting. The search generated nearly 100 applicants nationally and internationally, and a 10-person committee of music faculty, community members, and university representatives, along with Provost Kaivola and President Pribbenow, made the final selection.

Kristina holds degrees in music education and conducting from the University of Illinois, has worked in public school, collegiate, and professional settings, and spent many years working in New York City, where her work received very favorable reviews in the New York Times. In addition to conducting, she is an excellent singer as well, having performed with numerous outstanding groups as a chorister and soloist. She has founded choirs and is deeply committed to the values of inclusion, access, and equity, music of diverse cultures, and commissioning original works. She has collaborated with leading composers and with artists in other art forms in creatively advancing the field of choral study and performance.

We are grateful to alumni and community members who attended Kristina’s public presentation on campus, to those who offered advice and feedback on the search, and to all those who have invested so generously in this professorship, particularly John N. Schwartz, ’67, whose name it reflects.

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Volume I, Number 2 – March 1, 2018

Dear Music Alumni and Friends,

It is a busy season of recitals, concerts, guest artist and speaker visits, and, of course, ongoing classes in the Music Department. As I write, we are moving toward finalizing our national search for the Schwartz Choral Leadership position and the Music, Media, and Management position. Rafael Rodriguez (orchestra and jazz) has hosted guest artists from Latin America as well as a festival for high school students; Brian Lukasavitz (music business) is bringing Dessa and the New Standards to campus; we experienced our first “jazz brunch” during a chapel in January; we held two Music Exploration days for prospective students. More items of interest are included in this edition of Updates.

We are grateful for your interest, support, and enthusiasm for the work of the Music Department, and hope you can arrange to attend events (see our website calendar). As always, we value your recommendation to prospective students to consider Augsburg for music studies and participation.

With best wishes,
David Myers
Consulting chair for music studies Continue reading “Occasional Updates from the Music Department, March 2018” →