Orcenith Smith
Director, Orchestra
GCPA 1117 | (765) 658 - 4388
Named “Outstanding Professor of Music” three times at DePauw, Orcenith Smith also was the inaugural recipient of the Cassel Grubb University Professorship in Music from 1999 to 2003. He has conducted over 800 performances of orchestral, operatic, and choral/orchestral repertoire for which critical acclaim has come both here and abroad. The Chicago Tribune called Smith “a gifted conductor,” able to take an orchestra to “remarkable technical and artistic heights!” In Europe, critics cited his “brilliant achievement,” “perfect temperament,” his “sure technique” and that his “music-making was infectious!”
Craig Paré
Director, Bands
GCPA 1116 | (765) 658 - 4385
Craig Paré, Professor of Music and Director of University Bands, conducts the University and Symphonic Bands and teaches conducting. Appointed to the School of Music faculty in 1993, Dr. Paré also teaches Fundamentals of Music Theory, a popular course on creating music for College of Liberal Arts students.
Steven Snyder
Director, Jazz Ensembles
GCPA 0109 | (765) 658 - 4382
Steven Snyder is a pianist and organist who maintains an active playing schedule locally, nationally and internationally. Snyder was selected as one of 66 pianists from all over the world to compete in the Martial Solal International Jazz Piano Competition, which was held in Paris, France, in October 2002.
Eric Schmidt
Director, Choirs (Pre-tenure Leave)
GCPA 0112 | (765) 658 - 4391
Eric Schmidt is the Director of Choirs at DePauw University. Outside of the school, he has appeared as Chorus Master at the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Utah Symphony, and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.
William Pearson
Advisor, Contemporary Ensemble
GCPA 1108 | (765) 658 - 1059
William Pearson is a composer and organist. His work includes several film scores for Aeon.co, combining live improvisation with digital processing. His acoustic compositions, derived from hand-made graphic scores, have been performed by world-class ensembles. In addition to his teaching at DePauw, he is the advisor for the Student Contemporary Ensemble and the 'Art Walk' interdisciplinary arts festival.
Eric Edberg
Co-Director, Backyard Gold Mine
GCPA 1025
Eric Edberg, Cassel Grubb University Professor of Music Emeritus, is a classical and improvising cellist, organizer, and teacher committed to connecting and enlivening people through music. The founding artistic director of the Greencastle Summer Music Festival, which “brings the community together with friends making music for friends,” he has played in nursing homes, schools, and hospitals.
Leo Sussman
Co-Director, Backyard Gold Mine
GCPA 0113 | (765) 658 - 4383
Leo Sussman grew up playing chamber music in living rooms and gigging with a salsa band in his hometown of San Francisco. He recently completed a fellowship with Ensemble Connect, a chamber music and teaching artistry program based at Carnegie Hall and the Juilliard School, and has performed with groups including Alarm Will Sound, SEM Ensemble, and Metropolis Ensemble.