Three alumni of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance – Damien Crutcher (MM ’96, conducting), Gabriela Lena Frank (DMA ’01, composition), and Erik Rönmark (DMA’04, saxophone) – have been named to Musical America’s 2018 “30 Professionals of the Year: Innovators, Independent Thinkers, and Entrepreneurs.” According to Musical America, the list comprises…

by Nicholas Gallo The University of Michigan captured the No. 1 spot on the undergraduate entrepreneurship programs rankings published by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. The university’s graduate-level program was also ranked in the top 10. “This No. 1 ranking reflects the collaborative, broad and diverse nature of entrepreneurship across the University of Michigan,”…

David A. Gier, professor and director of the University of Iowa School of Music, has been appointed dean of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. His appointment, approved Thursday by the Board of Regents, is effective Oct. 1 and runs through Sept. 30, 2023. Gier, who also was named the Paul…

SMTD’s new Wellness Initiative is addressing the unique physical and psychological challenges faced by performing arts students. With the exception of intercollegiate athletics, there is no program at the University of Michigan that is more physically taxing than the study of the performing arts. Instrumentalists, singers, dancers, and actors constantly use their bodies in service to…

Professors Peter Sparling and Jerry Blackstone reflect on three decades at SMTD as they prepare for retirement. “I think that in the 30 years I’ve been here, Peter and I have maybe interacted no more than a few minutes,” said Professor Jerry Blackstone, director of choral activities and chair of conducting, as he settled himself…