Peter Landgren Named Dean of Univ of Cincinnati CCM

Santa Jeremy Ono, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Cincinnati, today announced the appointment of Peter Landgren as Dean of the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Landgren's appointment becomes effective September 1, 2011, pending approval of the University's Board of Trustees.

"I am absolutely thrilled that Peter Landgren is coming home to the University of Cincinnati as Dean of the College-Conservatory of Music," said Ono. "He is an outstanding musician and administrator and a proud UC alumnus. I was most impressed with his excellent interpersonal skills, his passion for teaching, learning and scholarship, and his love of students. We have hit a ‘home run' with the appointment of Peter as CCM Dean."

Landgren comes to CCM from Baldwin-Wallace College, where he has served as conservatory director and professor of music for the past four years. Prior to that appointment, he served for 26 years as a member of the artist faculty at the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University, and for 29 years played horn in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. From 2005-2006, Landgren served as interim director of the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University.

"I am ecstatic about returning to CCM as dean," said Landgren. "CCM is a remarkable institution with a long tradition of excellence, a tremendously talented faculty and staff, an innovative and diverse set of program offerings and great promise for the future. I am passionate about the CCM student experience and, as a former CCM student myself, it is an honor to accept this leadership role."

"CCM taught me many things, but first and foremost CCM taught me how to listen. Throughout the search process, I was privileged to meet with a full range of constituents from CCM, UC, dedicated philanthropists and volunteers and members of the Cincinnati artistic community. When I arrive in Cincinnati, I intend to keep listening, to explore partnership opportunities and to absorb and advance the institutional memory of this exceptional school."

Landgren continued, "I found supportive and compatible partners in President Williams and Provost Ono and I look forward to working with them to build on CCM's history and successes and advance our role in the UC2019 initiative and the Proudly Cincinnati campaign."

Landgren's appointment follows an international search begun in winter 2011. The search was led by the Boston-based executive search firm J. RoBert Scott Executive Search and co-chaired by Dean and University Librarian Victoria Montavon and Vice Provost for Faculty Development Wayne Hall.

Ono expressed his gratitude to Frank Weinstock, who has served as CCM's interim dean since January 2010. "I also acknowledge the outstanding service of Dean Weinstock," said Ono. "UC owes Frank a huge debt of gratitude for his leadership of this key college during this past academic year. It has been an honor and privilege to be Frank's colleague."

ABOUT Peter LandGREN
Peter Landgren brings to his new role at CCM extensive experience as an administrator, a teacher and a performer. In July of 2007, Landgren began his tenure as conservatory director at Baldwin-Wallace College. During this time, his strategic vision and collaborative spirit guided a major renovation and expansion project, numerous successful faculty and staff searches, a redesign of music curriculum and the creation of an innovative performing arts health and research center.

Prior to his tenure at Baldwin-Wallace, Landgren spent the previous 26 years as a faculty member at the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University. From 2005-2006, Landgren served the Peabody Institute as its interim director. He also led Peabody in an institute-wide Change Initiative from 2003-2005 that was responsible for examining the institute in a quest to increase Peabody's preeminence amongst its peers. In the spring of 2003, Landgren received the Excellence in Teaching award from The Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association. This was the second time Landgren had been awarded this honor as a Peabody faculty member.

Landgren established a proven record of fund-raising at both Baldwin-Wallace College and the Peabody Institute. During his year as Interim Director of Peabody, Landgren increased annual fundraising by working with historic donors, and was able to attract new philanthropic support to the school. During the past year at Baldwin-Wallace, he partnered with others to raise over $12 million for conservatory capital improvements, student scholarships, programmatic support and an endowed professorship.

Born in 1957 in New Haven, Connecticut, Landgren began to play the horn at the age of eight and went on to study with three of the leading teachers of the instrument: Michael Hatfield, Dale Clevenger and Milan Yancich. While a CCM student, he won the school's concerto competition three times, was principal horn of the Cincinnati Ballet Orchestra, performed and recorded with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and played third horn in the 1978 Cincinnati Opera season. He became a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra when he was 21 years old while in his senior year at CCM. He is currently pursuing an M.B.A. in entrepreneurship at Baldwin-Wallace College.

At 24, Landgren made his professional solo debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Joseph Silverstein. Landgren has performed with Summit Brass, the Melos Ensemble and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has also performed as Principal Horn with the Cincinnati, Houston and Columbus Symphony Orchestras.

In 1995, Landgren released his first solo recording, "A Golden Horn," a collection of works from the Romantic Period for horn and piano with pianist Ann Schein. Landgren can also be heard on "A Celebration of Song," the CD by Naumburg Competition finalist, soprano Hyunah Yu. Landgren's latest release, "Mozart Distilled," is a recording of the four Horn Concerti and Concert Rondo of Mozart in a new arrangement for horn and string quartet. The Atlantic String Quartet - all members of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra - join Landgren on this recording. He can also be heard on some thirty recordings with the Houston, Cincinnati and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras.

Landgren is married to Judith Schonbach, an audio producer working for the School of Public Health at The Johns Hopkins University with a CCM connection of her own. Landgren's mother-in-law is the late musician and teacher Elma Gillespie Schonbach, herself a CCM alumna. Schonbach attended what was then known as the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, studying with the internationally known concert pianist and teacher Marguerite Liszniewska.

ABOUT CCM
Founded in 1867 and recognized as one of the leading conservatories for the performing arts and electronic media, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music 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 available 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. Other nationally ranked programs include music composition and drama. CCM's musical theatre program is widely considered one of the best in the country, and the Mainstage and Studio series of operas have won top honors in major competitions. Earlier this year, CCM was recognized as an Ohio Center of Excellence in Music and Theatre Arts by the Ohio Board of Regents. CCM is also the largest single source of performing arts events in the state of Ohio, presenting nearly 1,000 events annually.

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