Alumni | Department of Music | University of Pittsburgh

Our graduates follow a variety of paths after leaving the University of Pittsburgh. Below is a sampling of career outcomes from those who have graduated since 1983.

Alumni Careers

Geri Allen, MA 1983, Ethnomusicology and Jazz (Deceased)
Director of Jazz Studies, University of Pittsburgh

Kwasi Ampene, PhD 1999, Ethnomusicology
University of Michigan, Department of Afro-American and African Studies
Associate Professor DAAS, Professor of Music, School of Music, Theatre and Dance

Pedro Aponte, PhD 2008, Musicology
Assistant Professor of Music, James Madison University School of Music

Nimrod Baranovitch, PhD 1997, Ethnomusicology
Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Asian Studies,
University of Haifa

Cosmo Barbaro, PhD 1993, Ethnomusicology 
Associate Professor of Music, Edinboro State University

Eric Beeko, PhD 2005, Ethnomusicology
Occasional teaching for Music Dept. at University of Pittsburgh as a part-time instructor

Steven Block, PhD 1981, Composition/ Theory
Chairperson, Department of Music
Professor, The University of New Mexico

Lei Ouyang Bryant, PhD 2004, Ethnomusicology
Associate Professor of Music
Swarthmore College

Loyda Camacho, PhD 1998, Composition/Theory
Adjunct Professor, Montgomery County Community College of Pennsylvania

Sara Casey, PhD 2003, Hist. Musicology (Deceased)
Occasional teaching for Music Dept. at University of Pittsburgh as a part-time instructor

Sau-yan Chan, PhD 1986, Ethnomusicology
Professor of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Mingdao Chen, MA 1992, Ethnomusicology
Professor, China Conservatory of Music, Beijing

Charles Corey, PhD 2011, Composition/Theory
Director of the Harry Partch Institute at the University of Washington

Carolina Delgado-Santamaria, PhD 2006, Ethnomusicology
Professor, Departamento de Musica, Facultad de Artes,
Ponitifica Universidad Javeriana, Bogata, Colombia

George Dor, PhD 2001, Ethnomusicology
McDonnell-Barksdale Chair of Ethnomusicology and Professor of Music
University of Mississippi

Oyebade Dosunmu, PhD 2010, Ethnomusicology (Deceased)
Visiting Assistant Professor of Music, Department of Music
Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts

Tatiana Dutoit, PhD 2001, Composition/Theory
Assistant Professor in Music Theory, New Mexico Highlands University

Kent Engelhardt, PhD 2001, Ethnomusicology/Jazz
Associate Professor and Coordinator of Jazz Studies, Youngstown State University

Ying Fen Wang, PhD 1992, Ethnomusicology
Associate Professor, Graduate Institute of Musicology, National Taiwan University

Gary Fineberg, PhD 2004, Ethnomusicology/Jazz
Assistant Professor of Music, Music Department Co-chair, Director of Jazz Studies, and Director of Brass Studies,
The College of New Jersey

Mark Fromm, PhD 2012, Composition/Theory
Adjunct Teacher (Instrumental Music/Vocal - Music Composition and Music Technology)
Pittsburgh Public Schools Creative and Performing Arts 6-12

Federico Garcia, PhD 2006, Composition/Theory
Founder and Director of Alia Musica

J.S. Kofi Gbolonyo, PhD 2009, Ethnomusicology
Visiting Assistant Professor 2009-10, University of British Columbia

Jason B. Grant, PhD 2005, Musicology
Staff Editor, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: The Complete Works
Packard Humanities Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Robert Grimes, PhD 1992, Ethnomusicology
University Professor of Music and Dean emeritus, Fordham University

Daniel J. Grimminger, PhD 2009, Musicology
Visiting Assistant Professor in Musicology, 2010–11
Hugh A. Glauser School of Music, Kent State University

Nancy Guy, PhD 1996, Ethnomusicology
Associate Professor of Music, University of California-San Diego

Matthew Heap, PhD 2012, Composition/Theory
Associate Professor of Music
West Virginia University

Elizabeth Hoover, PhD 2012, Musicology
Lecturer in Musicology
The Miami University Department of Music, Oxford, Ohio

Ivan Jimenez, PhD 2007, Composition/Theory
Music Theory Researcher, Sibelius Academy, Helsinki

Eun-Young Jung, PhD 2007, Ethnomusicology
Assistant Professor of Music, University of California at San Diego

David Keberle, PhD 1999, Composition/Theory (Deceased)
Assistant Professor of Music, CUNY College Staten Island

Hessun Kim, PhD 2004, Ethomusicology
Assistant Professor, Department of General Education,
Kookmin University, Seoul, Korea

Steve Knopoff, ABD 1992, Ethnomusicology
Lecturer in Musicology, Head of Integrated Studies

Andrew Kohn, PhD 1995, Composition/Theory
Associate Professor of Music, West Virginia University

Ellen Koskoff, PhD 1976, Ethnomusicology
Professor of Ethnomusicology; Director, World Music Certificate and Ethnomusicology Diploma Program
Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester

Ann Labounsky, PhD 1991, Musicology
Professor of Organ, Chair of Organ and Sacred Music, Duquesne University

Kayoung Lee, PhD 2005
Researcher at Yonsei Music Research Institute
Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea

Ping-hui Li, PhD 1991, Ethnomusicology
Associate Professor of Music, University of Puerto Rico

Kerrith Livengood, PhD 2012, Composition/Theory
Adjunct Instructor at University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign

Shanna Lorenz, PhD 2007, Ethnomusicology
Assistant Professor of Music, Occidental College

Charles Lwanga, PhD 2012, Composition/Theory; PhD 2020, Ethnomusicology
Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology
University of Michigan School of Music

Ahmed Madkour,  PhD 2002, Composition/Theory
Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition,
Cairo Conservatoire in Egypt

John Marcinizyn, PhD 1998, Composition/Theory
Artist-Lecturer, Carnegie Mellon University
Adjunct Instructor, Seton Hill University

Lawrence E. McCullough, PhD 1978, Ethnomusicology
Executive Director, Arts Guild New Jersey
Burlington, New Jersey

Robert Metil, PhD 2000, Ethnomusicology
Instructor, University of Pittsburgh,
Adjunct Professor of Music, Chatham College

James H. Moore, PhD 2012, Jazz Studies
Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Ensembles
Chair of the Department of Music, West Virginia Wesleyan College

Sylvia Nanyonga-Tamusuza, PhD 2001, Ethnomusicology
Associate Professor of Music, Makerere University, Uganda

Jerica Oblak, PhD 1999, Composition/Theory
Composition faculty, Department of Music and Performing Arts
Professor, Steinhardt School of Culture, Educations and Human Development,
New York University

James Ogburn, PhD 2009, Composition/Theory
Assistant Professor of Composition and Theory/ Coordinator of Music Theory
The Schwob School of Music, Columbus State University

Chinyerem Ohia, PhD 1989, Composition/Theory
Associate Professor, Howard University

Ayo Oluranti, PhD 2012, Compostion/Theory
Post-Doctoral Fellow at Tshwane University in Pretoria, South Africa

Patricia Opondo, PhD 1996, Ethnomusicology
Lecturer, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Sister Marie Agatha Ozah, PhD 2008, Ethnomusicology
Assistant Professor, The Mary Pappert School of Music, Duquesne University

Ben Pachter PhD 2013
Executive Director of the Japan-America Society of Central Ohio
Dublin, Ohio

Christopher Pak, ABD 1996, Ethnomusicology
Lecturer, Head of Academic Studies in Music,
Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts

Jeff Pannebaker, PhD 1998, Musicology
Director of Music Ministry, Saint Luke Lutheran Church, Silver Spring, MD

Carlos Peña, MA 2007
Assistant Music Librarian, University of Pittsburgh

Mark Peters, PhD 2003, Musicology
Associate Professor of Music and Music Department Chair,
Trinity Christian College

John Petrucelli, PhD 2018, Jazz Studies
Director of Jazz, Assistant Professor of Music
Northeastern State University

Emmett Price, PhD 2000, Ethnomusicology/ Jazz
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of African American Studies,
Northeastern University

Kenneth Prouty, PhD 2002, Ethnomusicology/ Jazz
Assistant Professor of Music, Michigan State University

Damien Pwono, PhD 1992, Ethnomusicology
Executive Director Global Intitiative on Art, Culture & Society
The Aspen Institute, Washington, D.C.

S. Alexander Reed, PhD 2005, Composition/ Theory
Assistant Professor of Music at Ithaca College

Helen Rees, PhD 1994, Ethnomusicology
Professor of Ethnomusicology, UCLA

Burkhart Reiter, PhD 2005, Composition and Theory
Occasional teaching for Music Dept. at University of Pittsburgh as a part-time instructor

Gillian Rodger, PhD 1998, Ethnomusicology
Associate Professor of Music, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Christopher Ruth, PhD 2013, Musicology
Assistant Professor, Shenandoah University

Leonora Saavedra, PhD 2001, Musicology
Associate Professor of Music, University of California-Riverside

Laurie Sampsel, PhD 2009, Musicology
Associate Professor of Music and Faculty Director, Walz Library
University of Colorado at Boulder

Blase Scarnatti, PhD 1998, Musicology
Associate Professor of Music, Northern Arizona University

Frank Sciannameo, MA 1996, Musicology
College Distinguished Scholar in Multidisciplinary Studies,
School of Music, Carnegie Mellon University

Steven Saunders, PhD 1990, Musicology
Professor of Music, Colby College

Greg Scheer, MA 1993, Composition/Theory
Minister of Worship at Church of the Servant, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Tong Soon Lee, PhD 1998, Ethnomusicology
Associate Professor of Music, Emory University

Jason Squinobal, PhD 2009, Ethnomusicology
Teacher - Newton South High School, directs the Newton South Jazz Combo, teaches Jazz Improvisation, and Music Technology

Michael Stephens, PhD 2007, Composition/Theory
Associate Professor of Music and Music Department Chair, Chadron State College

Elizabeth Jean Stowe, MA 1997, Musicology
Librarian, Live Oaks Library, Savanna, GA

Mark Sunkett (1949–2014), PhD 1993, Ethnomusicology/ Jazz
Associate Professor of Music, Arizona State University

Eli Tamar, PhD 2000, Composition/Theory
Assistant Professor, Duquesne University

Marilyn Taft Thomas, PhD 1982, Composition/ Theory
Professor of Theory and Composition,
Carnegie Mellon School of Music

Reza Vali, PhD 1985, Composition/ Theory
Associate Professor, Theory/Composition
Carnegie Mellon School of Music

J. Lawrence Witzleben, PhD 1987, Ethnomusicology
Professor of Music, University of Maryland-College Park

Doretta Whalen, PhD 1999 Ethnomusicology and Jazz
Part-time Instructor, University of Pittsburgh

Barbara White, PhD 1997, Composition/ Theory
Associate Professor of Music, Princeton University

Yong Yang, MA 1990, Composition/Theory
Professor, Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing