Faculty and Staff News

Faculty and Staff Awardees

Len Kawamoto, Mustang Band assistant director

    CLA Outstanding Career Achievement
    Staff Award

    Kawamoto with the Mustang Band at
    a football game

 

India D’Avignon (retired summer 2022)

    CLA Richard K. Simon Award for Outstanding Career Achievement in Teaching

    D’Avignon receiving her award from
    CLA Dean Philip J. Williams

 

John Astaire, faculty

    Poly Reps Mentorship Award, for having made significant impact on a current Poly Rep

Astaire (right) with Poly Rep Henry Tan

 

2023 Annual Service Awardees

  • Benjamin Reveley: 25 years
  • Katherine Arthur: 20 years
  • James Bachman: 15 years
  • John Astaire: 10 years

Retirements

We are indebted to these extremely talented musician-instructors for their incredible work and the impact they have had on so many students!

  • Katherine Arthur
    • Applied voice and class voice
      20 years
  • Keith Waibel
    • Applied clarinet and Clarinet Ensemble
      16 years

Update

Waldron Joins Tenure-track Team

After a national search, the department is happy to announce our newest tenure-track faculty member, Nicholas P. Waldron. Previously a full-time lecturer, he serves as the associate director of bands and director of athletic bands.

Julie Herndon

Herndon and Berlin-based recorder player Sylvia Hinz collaborated in a virtual music project last fall titled “Corresponding,” with the aim of combining “old school” methods of communication, such as ink on paper, with “new school” approaches of electronic transmission and recording. The project, supported by the Goethe-Institut, consists of a correspondence of photos, videos, handwritten letters, sound recipes and conceptual ideas for sounding.

The Makrokosmos 50 Project, which includes commissions by Herndon and other composers in response to the 50th anniversary of George Crumb’s legendary composition, continues a well-received tour. Following dual performances in Maui and Honolulu, Hawaii, pianist Nic Gerpe brought the program to The Resonance Collective and Monk Space in Los Angeles. The project was released as an album by the same name in March 2023.

Alyson McLamore

McLamore’s textbook, “Musical Theater: An Appreciation,” has had its Chinese debut. The textbook was translated by Tsinghua University Press using simplified Chinese characters and is available in mainland China. Check it out the next time you’re in Shanghai!