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Robert Gibson Named New Director
Saturday, July 1, 2006
Following a six-month national search, Dr. Robert Gibson has been named director of the University of Maryland School of Music, a five-year appointment that will begin on July 1, 2006.
Composer, bassist, and professor, Gibson has been a member of the Theory & Composition faculty of the UM School of Music for more than 25 years. An alumnus of the School of Music's doctoral program, he has served as the School's acting director since July 1, 2005, following the departure of his predecessor, Christopher Kendall.
Gibson notes that under Kendall's nine-year directorship the UM School of Music experienced outstanding growth, thanks to key faculty appointments in ensemble leadership, chamber music performance and scholarship. "We've reached a point of maturity," Gibson said, "and are ready to build on Christopher's legacy."
Gibson's goals for the School of Music include fostering "a collaborative environment both within the Clarice Smith Center - where we're uniquely positioned as a community with the Departments of Theatre and Dance and the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library - and within the School itself. In this arts community, the possibilities for connection and interaction with world renowned artists as part of our curriculum are virtually unlimited. We are constantly exploring ways to refine our training of young musicians and scholars so that it is more effective and responsive to changes in the professional world and in our culture. I expect that the UM School of Music will become a model for this kind of training in the years ahead."
James F. Harris, dean of the University of Maryland College of Arts and Humanities, noted that "Bob will bring to his position a unique combination of intelligence, vision, common sense and a commitment to the principles of shared governance."
Robert Gibson's compositions have been performed throughout the United States and in Europe, China and South America. Professor Gibson's music has also been presented on National Public Radio and by noted performers and ensembles, including Bertram Turetzky, Esther Lamneck, the Clarion Wind Quintet, Prism Brass Quintet, the Contemporary Music Forum, the 21st Century Consort, the Meridian String Quartet, The National Symphony Bass Quartet, Moderncelli and the Stern/Andrist Duo. Gibson's Chamber Music, a Capstone CD of selected chamber works, appeared on Fanfare magazine's 1996 "Want List" as one of critic William Zagorski's five notable recordings of the year. A new recording of his Three Etudes for clarinet and piano was released this year by New Dynamic Records, an innovative new recording company at Indiana University Southeast.
Gibson is also a performing bassist with interests in new music, chamber music and jazz. He is the founder and director of the UM School of Music's music technology lab and one of its two computer music studios. His computer music compositions have been performed at national and international conferences and festivals, including the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States as well as the Sonic Circuits Electronic Music Festival.
Gibson holds the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Miami, and a Master's degree from Catholic University, where he studied composition with Steven Strunk. In 1980, Gibson was awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Maryland, where he studied with Lawrence Moss. His extensive service to the UM School of Music and the campus includes an appointment as associate director for administrative affairs in the School from 1993-99.
Contact: Shawn Eigenbrode
Phone: 301.405.7283
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