KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Music Department is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary April 25 with an all-day music alumni reunion.
Dolly Davis, associate professor and acting head of the department, said the program includes:
— Reunion band and chorus concerts at 10 a.m. in the Music Building band and choral rooms.
— Demonstration of the new Vivace computer practice studio at 11 a.m.
— A Barbecue luncheon at noon in the Art and Architecture Building.
— A Banquet at 7:30 p.m. at the Knoxville Hilton.
— A Jam session at Lucille’s restaurant at 10 p.m.
Davis said all music alumni and ensemble participants are invited to attend.
“In 50 years, our department has grown from only two professors to about 50 faculty members, state of the art computer training equipment, and instruction in all areas of music performance,” Davis said. “With a proud and productive past, we look forward to training future generations of students in all aspects of music.”
Davis said important dates in the history of UT-Knoxville music education include:
— In 1947, Professor David Van Vactor, conductor of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, was named head of what would become the Department of Music Education at UT.
— The bachelor of arts degree with a major in music was offered in 1947; the bachelor of music degree was approved in 1953, and the master of arts and master of music degrees were approved in 1964.
— The Department of Fine Arts and the Department of Art and Music Education were accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music in 1961.
— The Music Building, the first structure to be erected in the University’s Yale Avenue Urban Renewal Project, was built in 1965.
For more information and to register for 50th anniversary activities, contact the Department of Music at 423-974-3241 or visit its web site at http://orpheus. la.utk.edu.
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Contact: Dolly Davis (423-974-3241) or Marcy Snapp (423-974-8935)