Donald E. Casey, Ed.D.
Dean, School of Music
Donald E. Casey became dean of the School of Music in 1995, assuming the helm of a school that was on a trajectory toward becoming one of the strongest music schools in the nation. Since that time, all five of the school's major ensembles -- wind, jazz, opera, chorus, and orchestra -- have indeed joined the ranks of the best in the country. Recognized for excellence in music teaching and performance, the school enrolls about 400 graduate and undergraduate students and presents over 300 public performances each year.
During his tenure, Casey has recruited faculty members who are extraordinary in both their musical and teaching abilities, including Ilya Kaler, the only violinist ever to win gold medals at the Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, and Paganini competitions; internationally renowned opera star Jane Bunnell; and piano virtuoso Eteri Andjaparidze. Many others play or played key roles in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra or the Lyric Opera orchestra. Altogether, some twenty members of the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera of Chicago orchestras are members of the faculty, which numbers 115. Another dozen come from the ranks of Chicago's most celebrated jazz musicians.
Casey helped elevate the image of the school through an expansion of the already active recording program for faculty and ensembles and through the creation of a noteworthy annual magazine, "Con Brio"--the journal of the School of Music. Under his direction, the number of endowed scholarships has grown from 14 to 31, and all undergraduate and graduate curricula for the school were revised. The school offers undergraduate and master's degrees in performance, music composition, music education and jazz studies; undergraduate degrees in sound recording technology and music/business; and a post-master's certificate in performance.
Although his academic background is in music education, Casey also is an accomplished conductor, arranger and scholar. He is the author of numerous articles in professional journals and several book chapters, and has produced papers, workshops and other presentations. He has made more than 100 appearances as a music festival guest conductor or adjudicator in 20 states and four Canadian provinces. He is a member of several professional associations and has been widely sought as a consultant. He has served upon or led accreditation review teams at 15 other colleges or universities.
He is also a music education design consultant and a member of the board of directors for Harmonic Vision, Inc., a music education software company in Chicago that produces software to foster musical learning for children. The design team that Casey led produced two products that have garnered more than 50 awards and honors and are being used by more than a million children.
Casey is a member of the Board of the Grant Park Orchestra Association and the John P. Paynter Foundation. A native of Illinois, he attended the Eastman School of Music and received his bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from Northwestern University, where he was associate professor of music education, coordinator of music education and director of undergraduate studies in music education before joining DePaul. He earned his doctorate in music education from the University of Illinois School of Music.
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