DePaul Music Alumni

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Professor Emeritus Donald DeRoche, a cherished member of the School of Music community for almost 30 years. He remained a close friend to our community, long after his retirement, as his wife, Julie DeRoche, served on the faculty until her retirement in 2024. He died on June 9 at the age of 82.

Throughout his career at the School of Music, Don served in various roles, including Chair of the Performance Department and Chair of Music Education, and participated in numerous committees for both the school and the university. He was an integral part of the faculty that worked tirelessly together to elevate the performance program and the school's national profile. He was a powerful advocate for training music education students to be musicians at the same level as performance students as he had a deep desire for the School of Music to be known as a top school for both performance and music education degrees.

All will remember Don as a passionate educator and performer, committed to excellence and inspiring all to reach their full potential. He was a kind, welcoming, and supportive colleague who moved through the world with grace. His imprint on our programs is incalculable, as he helped generations of young people become some of the most outstanding performers, educators, and artists in the world today. He will forever be a beloved and respected member of our community.

Our prayers are with Don’s family as they mourn this significant loss.

Read more about his extraordinary life and legacy here: https://bit.ly/DonDeRocheTribute

It's here - Electric DePaul 2025: The Final Frontier. Friday, April 11, 7PM in Gannon Concert Hall.

IYKYK - Electric DePaul is a student event unlike any other and this year we really mean it.

SRT Alumni - THIS is the event to come back to this year as The Final Frontier is Tom Miller's FINAL Electric DePaul event as he retires as Director of Sound Recording Technology (SRT) at the end of the academic year. Join us for one last showcase with Tom and his students in the SRT program.

Due to the success of the SRT program, this year we are separating the program into two parts with an intermission so if friends and family don’t want to stay for the whole extravaganza, they can come for either part. Your ticket is good for both segments.

⭐ 7PM- Part 1 The Intermedia Encounter

⭐ 8:30PM - Part 2 The Capstone Experience

This is the Electric DePaul event you don't want to miss. Tickets and details are in here: https://bit.ly/ElectricDePaul2025 plus a 20-year video retrospective from Tom Miller.

Congratulations Sadie Cheslak (Cert. Performance '24) on this amazing win! We are SO proud of you!!

HUGE Congratulations to DePaul University School of Music Alumni Sadie Cheslak on winning the The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition!!!

Cello alumni - mark your calendars!

In one week, faculty member Stephen Balderston, cello, will present a recital featuring School of Music Dean John Milbauer, piano, in his first performance since being appointed dean on Monday, February 24, at 7 PM in Allen Recital Hall.

In a program titled In the Spirit of Collaboration, they will be joined by faculty members Brant Taylor and Paula Kosower, cello and Walter Gray, cello in works by Bach, Menotti, Saint-Saëns, and more.

Tickets are on sale now - to reserve yours visit: https://bit.ly/FacultyArtistSeries

and is what we are today! Yesterday’s Blue Demon Challenge saw 5,278 Blue Demons worldwide collectively donate $5,198,861 within 24 hours for our students at DePaul University!

For the School of Music, we raised $208,188 from 95 donors – all in one day.

Special thanks to the many donors who inspired us all with their gifts that were featured as challenge matches. We can’t thank everyone enough in the School of Music community for coming together to make a difference in the lives of our students. We could not have done this without you.

is what we are today and always!

The Blue Demon Challenge is underway and our School of Music community is doing a wonderful job in supporting our students and programs.

But we are not finished yet! We still need your support to help us unlock additional funds for us, please.

You can make a BIG difference by making a gift of any size to one of the alumni specific program challenges listed below:

Sound Recording Technology Alumni Challenge
Young Alumni Challenge
Jazz Studies Alumni Challenge
Music Education Alumni Challenge

And so many more ways to help! To learn about all of the ways you can help support our students, visit: https://bit.ly/SOMBDC2025

Will you be at this week in Chicago? Our admissions team and members of our faculty will be on-site starting on Wednesday (12/18) as an exhibitor in Booth 1308 and are eager to see you!

Alumni, please stop by our booth and let us know what you are doing these days! We have lots of great news to share about the school, including our newly announced full-tuition Gannon Fellowships for a limited number of graduate students pursuing their Master of Music or Certificate programs.

We invite you and your students to join us at College Night on Thursday 12/19 from 4:30-6:30PM in Ballroom 375D or attend the session “Mindful Rehearsals to Maximize Learning,” led by faculty member Erica Neidlinger, conductor of the DePaul Wind Symphony and featuring our current students on Thursday 12/19 from 5-6PM in Room W183.

Our application deadline for Fall 2025 has been extended until January 6, so there is still plenty of time to apply.

We look forward to seeing you in Chicago this week!

Alumni: Do you want to come back to the place where it all started for you? A school with tremendous faculty (including 15 members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra), wonderful staff, terrific students, spectacular facilities opened in 2018, a new strategic plan, a year of record philanthropy ($20M raised for the DePaul University School of Music in 12 months), an engaged Dean who loves his job, and a Provost, a President, an Advisory Board, and Trustees who understand and support the arts?

We have six full-time faculty searches this fall at the DePaul University School of Music:

Music Director and Conductor, DePaul Symphony Orchestra - https://academics.depaul.edu/faculty-jobs/Pages/position-detail.aspx?dpusearchbystr=149266

Ass’t/Assoc. Professor and Director of B.S. in Sound Recording Technology* https://academics.depaul.edu/faculty-jobs/Pages/position-detail.aspx?dpusearchbystr=141249

Ass’t/Assoc. Professor of Piano* https://academics.depaul.edu/faculty-jobs/Pages/position-detail.aspx?dpusearchbystr=141254

Ass’t/Assoc. Professor of Clarinet* https://academics.depaul.edu/faculty-jobs/Pages/position-detail.aspx?dpusearchbystr=147133

Term Faculty - Voice (soprano/mezzo/contralto) https://academics.depaul.edu/faculty-jobs/Pages/position-detail.aspx?dpusearchbystr=141223

Term Faculty- Cello (FT one-year appointment)
https://academics.depaul.edu/faculty-jobs/Pages/position-detail.aspx?dpusearchbystr=150043

*tenure-line positions, others full-time with possible multiyear appointments

Review the postings and apply today!

Nominations are now open for the School of Music Distinguished Alumni Award!

This award recognizes School of Music alumni who have significantly advanced the institution's reputation and who exemplify our core Vincentian values. Recipients are honored for their remarkable musical achievements and integration of cultural, social, and ethical principles in service to others.

We need your help! If you know of an alum who embodies these qualities and has made a significant impact in their field or community, we encourage you to nominate them for this prestigious accolade. Your recommendations are essential in helping us recognize the extraordinary contributions of our alumni.

For details and to nominate someone, visit: https://bit.ly/SOMAlumniAward