New Dean Named for CCM Date: May 26, 2000 By: Carrie Throm (513) 556-9485 Archive: Campus News Anthony J. Perzigian, Senior Vice President and Provost for Baccalaureate and Graduate Education of the University of Cincinnati, today announced the appointment of Douglas Lowry as dean and professor of music for the College-Conservatory of Music. Lowry will begin his appointment during the summer months, in time for the start of the fall quarter in September. "I am delighted that Douglas Lowry will be assuming the deanship of the College-Conservatory of Music," stated Perzigian. "It is a truly perfect match. He is an excellent musician, an experienced conductor and a talented composer who brings to CCM a superb record of administrative accomplishments. He will be a bold leader and outstanding ambassador for CCM and the university. CCM students and faculty deserve the best, and we have found the best in Douglas Lowry." Douglas Lowry comes to CCM from the University of Southern California, where he serves as associate dean of the Flora L. Thornton School of Music. At USC he also holds the positions of associate professor of conducting and winds and percussion, chairman of the conducting studies department and director of the Thornton Wind Symphony. Lowry began his tenure at USC in 1983, and his duties as administrator and faculty member there have grown ever since. Larry Livingston, dean of the Flora L. Thornton School of Music at USC, commented: "The Thornton School of Music notes the opportunity for Doug Lowry to take on this wonderful, new assignment with joy and absolute confidence he will succeed. We also have deep regret for what his loss will mean to our school, as I consider him irreplaceable. Doug Lowry is not only an exceptional administrator and a first class musician, but he is one of the best human beings I have ever met. I know his destiny is to take this position, and I support his move and wish him the very best of luck. He is the right person for the job at CCM." Lowry served as the school's acting dean during Livingston's sabbatical in 1996-97. In addition to his teaching and administrative responsibilities, he frequently gives pre-concert lectures for the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, co-hosts "The Xerox Corporation's Music from USC" on KUSC Radio, and acts as music director for the International Music Day in Chiba, Japan. Lowry, 49, will succeed Robert J. Werner, who steps down after a 15-year tenure as CCM dean on June 30. The most visible evidence of Werner's legacy at CCM is the seven-year, $93.2 million renovation and construction of the CCM Village, which celebrated its opening in December 1999. The new facilities position the college for tremendous growth and opportunity in its academic programs. "CCM is ready for the leadership that Doug Lowry can provide," said Werner. "I believe that the opportunity for the college to continue to enrich its international reputation in the performing and media arts is in good hands." Douglas Lowry received his bachelor of music degree in theory and composition from the University of Arizona. He also holds two master of music degrees, in orchestral conducting and trombone performance, from USC. His primary teachers have been Robert Marsteller, Lewis Van Haney and Thomas Ervin (trombone); Robert Muczynski and Robert McBride (theory and composition); and Daniel Lewis (conducting). Lowry has conducted orchestras at Mount St. Mary's College and Pomona College, and he has served as a guest conductor and clinician of both orchestras and wind ensembles throughout the United States, most recently at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He was founding music director and conductor of the Peninsula Chamber Orchestra in Palos Verdes. As a composer, Lowry's recent premieres include Fanfare for Flora (written to commemorate the naming of the USC Flora L. Thornton School of Music in September 1999); Rock, the Boat and Ripple Effect for orchestra (both works commissioned and premiered by the Chattanooga Symphony); and a collaborative project with guitarist Richard Smith titled After Having Faced the Elements. His song cycle, The Blue Mazda, will receive its premiere in the coming months in Germany. Doug Lowry and his wife, Marcia, have three children: Jennifer, 19; Melanie, 16; and Timothy, 13. The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music is recognized both nationally and internationally as one of the leading conservatories of the performing arts and electronic media. CCM offers the benefit of a professional training conservatory within the setting of a comprehensive public university. The school's roster of eminent faculty regularly receives distinguished honors, and its alumni go on to notable success in the performing and media arts. In the most recent rankings by U.S. News and World Report, CCM was honored as the sixth top university program in the country for pursuing a graduate degree in music. Within the specialty areas of voice and conducting, CCM's programs placed third and fifth, respectively. CCM ensembles have performed internationally, recorded for major labels and won ASCAP awards for excellence and programming.