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 have cited his “sure technique,” “perfect temperament,” and “infectious” music-making!
Craig Paré
Director, Bands
GCPA 1116 | (765) 658 - 4385
Craig Paré, Professor of Music and Director of University Bands, conducts both the University Band and the Symphonic Band, and he teaches conducting. Appointed to the School of Music faculty in 1993, Dr. Paré also teaches “Fundamentals of Music Theory,” a popular course for College of Liberal Arts students on creating music. Under his direction, the DePauw University Band has produced 10 critically acclaimed compact discs through its CD Recording Project, issued commercially on the Mark Masters label.
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 in Paris. He holds a D.M.A. degree in Piano Performance (Jazz Emphasis) from The University of Texas at Austin, with a M.M. and B.M. in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas, where he was a member of the 1:00 Lab Band. His recently released album Prime Vintage debuts eight of his original jazz compositions and arrangements.