Ithaca College

The Ithaca College School of Music announces the appointment of Christopher Hughes as associate professor and director of bands, effective for the fall of 2016. Hughes is currently the director of instrumental studies and associate professor of music at New Mexico State University. He holds a doctor of musical arts degree in instrumental conducting and literature from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Hughes comes to Ithaca College with a truly global background. He has led instrumental ensembles and graduate conducting programs throughout the United States and Asia. His experience as a guest conductor and clinician has taken him to China, the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, Thailand, Myanmar, and England, and from one side of the U.S. to the other. He has written extensively on the band, and has commissioned, recorded, and premiered numerous new works of music.

The selection of Christopher Hughes resulted from a yearlong, national search in which nearly 100 candidates were reviewed. The search committee included Professors Wendy Mehne, Alex Perialas, Alex Shuhan, and Jeffery Meyer and was chaired by Professor Michael Galvan. 

"The search committee is very excited to have Christopher Hughes joining us on the faculty of the School of Music," said Galvan. "He is clearly a consummate musician, a dedicated and highly effective educator, and someone who will be a valued friend and colleague. I am already looking forward to next year!"

Meyer, director of orchestras, noted, "I knew of his exemplary work in Thailand, where he led the Wind Band program at Mahidol University as it became known as one of the top programs in all of Southeast Asia. Dr. Hughes will bring tremendous musicianship and leadership skills to this position at Ithaca. During his interview, he articulated a clear vision for the program and expressed a real passion and knowledge for continuing Ithaca's wind band legacy. I am certain that Dr. Hughes will take Ithaca's wind band program in a brilliant new direction while both honoring its impressive past and creating a forward-looking 21st century training environment for our students."

Karl Paulnack, dean of the School of Music, remarked, "Our Ithaca bands have been with us through three different centuries now. At our founding in the 19th century, we sometimes rehearsed outside in what is now DeWitt Park, neighboring our first conservatory building. The band has taken many different sizes and shapes through the years, such as the small 28-piece Conway Army Band of the 1920s, the 45-piece wind ensemble of the mid-20th century, and the 72-piece CBDNA concert band. In civilian or military life, in celebration and in mourning, the band is omnipresent in American life; so important that the president of the United States has his own.

"The band is one of the most important public faces of Ithaca College, and we intend to have that face become increasingly visible," Paulnack continued. "The new director of bands will have considerable resources at his disposal in order to increase our national prominence. The newly established Beverly Baker '54 School of Music Ensemble Travel Fund provides annual support for ensembles to perform, compete, and participate in workshops, clinics, and presentations around the country and abroad. The Colonel Arnald Gabriel '50 HDRMU '89 Visiting Wind Conductor Fund enables us to bring to Ithaca, on an annual basis, a guest conductor who rehearses and conducts each band in concert. We also will continue to be a commissioning force for the creation of new works for winds and brass. The biennial Walter Beeler Memorial Composition Prize encourages the composition and performance of the highest quality wind band literature in honor and memory of Ithaca College's renowned director of bands."

"I'm very excited to be joining the incredibly talented and dedicated students, faculty, and administration that comprise the School of Music at Ithaca," said Hughes. "All throughout the interview process, I was struck by how professional everyone was, while never forgetting the personal touches that can make human interaction so special. One of the things I've always loved most about music is its unique ability to unite people, and I look forward to forging strong connections with everyone involved in the Ithaca band program, both past and present. Together, we will combine a deep respect for tradition with a healthy desire for innovation to ensure that the Ithaca bands are at the forefront of wind music in America and beyond."