Kutztown University Department of Music

Kutztown University Department of Music Turn your passion into a profession.

The Kutztown University Department of Music empowers the next generation of performers, educators, composers, and industry leaders.

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT📣👏Happy Monday all! Today we will be highlighting one of our amazing Commercial Music faculty members f...
09/21/2026

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT📣👏

Happy Monday all! Today we will be highlighting one of our amazing Commercial Music faculty members from the KU Music Department: Dr. Todd Walker!
Since 2020, Dr. Walker has been teaching trumpet and the rock and jazz ensembles at KU, and he has recently just converted to the tenure-track position for faculty! We are very excited for him to be here and continue sharing his musical wisdom and instrumental mastery in the commercial music program. 🎺

As a trumpet player and educator, Dr. Walker’s performance career has taken him from Broadway and jazz to rock, television, and classical music. He started his career as a freelance trumpet player in NYC in 2001, and has since accrued many performance credits such as Broadway productions of Curtains, Grey Gardens, A Christmas Carol, and Miss Saigon (Germany), as well as performances and recordings with artists and ensembles including DeVotchKa, Quartet Raven-A-Ning featuring Ray Anderson, and the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra. He was also featured as a soloist on ABC’s Black Box in 2014.🎼

Before moving to New York City, Todd worked as a freelance performer and educator in Chicago and southwest Germany. He has also taught at the esteemed Juilliard School of Music, and The Hartt School of Music. Since joining the Kutztown University music faculty in 2020, he has taught a variety of courses in the Commercial Music field, including Jazz Improvisation, Jazz & Commercial Arranging, Commercial Music Theory, Songwriting, and Fundamentals of Music Business. Currently, he is also the director of several large jazz and rock ensembles, as well as jazz combos.🎶

Dr. Walker lives in Kutztown with his wife Bess, his 2 young daughters Betty and Birdie, and their little dog Wally. 🐾

Why does he love KU? Dr. Walker's favorite part of his position is working with KU’s wonderfully talented students, and helping them develop as musicians and prepare for careers in the music industry. Let’s give it up for Dr. Walker!🙌

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT📣🙌Happy Tuesday Golden Bears! This week we will be highlighting another one of our stupendous music fac...
09/15/2026

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT📣🙌

Happy Tuesday Golden Bears! This week we will be highlighting another one of our stupendous music faculty here at KU, Dr. Deborah Andrus; she is an astounding clarinetist, educator, and even an entrepreneur!🎶

After a national search , Dr. Andrus was selected to be KU’s Professor of Clarinet. KU is blessed to have such an amazing performer and instructor! Dr. Andrus has performed across three different continents and given multiple masterclasses in Canada, Germany, Spain and China. This past summer, she returned for her second year as a faculty member and served as a clarinet competition jurist at the Galicia Clarinet Fest in Lalin, Spain. Dr. A is also a tenured member of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra and the Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra, and a chamber musician with the SATORI Chamber Ensemble and the DeMarina Trio.

Her educational studies attest to her performance profile; she studied Clarinet Performance all the way through to receiving her doctorate degree from The Ohio State University as a Presidential Fellowship winner. She was in fact the first music performance student to win this prestigious fellowship at the university!🎼

As part of her music philosophy, Dr. Andrus believes that through goal-setting and a positive, encouraging mentorship, she can help her students overcome any musical challenge. She helps every student find their own unique and expressive voice. She has been lauded for her “inspirational teaching” by her students, and she even won the T. Edgar Shields Prize for Outstanding Teaching in 2009. Outside of Kutztown, Dr. A teaches students in her global clarinet studio, Clarinet Guide LLC, and has authored multiple books such as Do-It-Yourself Clarinet and Teaching Woodwinds.📚

You might find it interesting that Dr. Andrus is also a certified yoga teacher! She loves to travel, camp, and hike with her family. ⛺

Why does she love KU? Dr. Andrus answers that the curiosity and enthusiasm of the KU music students is an immense inspiration for her. Dr. A especially loves that the KU Clarinet Studio is full of supportive, hard-working clarinetists, ready to learn and to grow as humans and musicians!🐻

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT📣🙌Meet. Dr. Athanasios Michail Ramadanidis, another one of the KU Music Department's newest faculty mem...
09/11/2026

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT📣🙌

Meet. Dr. Athanasios Michail Ramadanidis, another one of the KU Music Department's newest faculty members!🎊🎉

Starting this very school year of 2026-2027, Athanasios will be an adjunct professor, teaching aural skills and serving as a collaborative pianist. Let's give him a warm welcome here!👏

Here's a little bit of his background. Hailing from Greece, Athanasios is an outstanding pianist and musician. He completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees of Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Macedonia. He successfully continued to pursue music academic excellence later in his education, completing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at the University of Maryland.🎹

Athanasios has developed a strong commitment to music education. He has taught privately in Vienna and Thessaloniki, previously served as a teaching assistant for Functional Keyboard Skills at the University of Macedonia, and has taught class and applied piano at the University of Maryland.🎼

In his guise as a performer, Athanasios maintains an active international presence as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician, with appearances in Greece, Austria, the Netherlands, France, and the United States. You’ll find it interesting how Athanasios also isn’t foreign to KU! In 2022-2023, he served as a collaborative pianist, and aided in the popular Kutztown University Music Festival for the summers of 2024 and 2026. His artistry is shaped by his love for 20th century and contemporary Greek composers, as well as his passion for authentic historical performances, as he plays the harpsichord and fortepiano.🎶

Not only is Athanasios a stellar musician and performer…but he is also a linguist as well! He is currently studying for his PhD at the University of Crete, where he received a competitive grant to aid in his studies. 🎓

Why does he love to teach at KU? Dr. Ramadanidis greatly appreciates the professional collegiate environment, commitment to high-quality music-making, and is edified by the engagement of the students!📚

We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know our new music faculty here! You’ll be able to meet some of our other music professors in the coming weeks as you learn about their unique roles here at KU.

FACULTY SPOTLIGHTMeet Professor Connor French, our second of the newest music faculty here at KU! In his adjunct role, h...
09/10/2026

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Meet Professor Connor French, our second of the newest music faculty here at KU! In his adjunct role, he will be teaching aural skills and harmony and theory for the undergrad music students. Music theory is his specialty, and he is in fact currently pursuing his PhD in Music Theory at the University of Kentucky. His dissertation will be focusing on the use of Rondo Form in music composition. Let's give it up for Connor! 🎊🎊

Here’s a little bit of his background. Prof. French is originally a saxophonist, and is also a woodwind doubler in clarinet and flute. Much of his performing experience throughout his life comes from pit orchestras, as he admires the dynamic between live stage performances and music. While also a performing musician, Connor’s background is also versed in audio engineering; his first collegiate degree was in Music and Sound Recording from the University of New Haven. And, he completed his master’s degree in Music Theory at the University of Hartford.🎓🎵

In addition to his many musical endeavors, Connor spends much of his free time rooting for the Boston Red Sox and the New York Islanders. And what's more, every year he tries to watch as many Oscar-nominated films as possible!🎬

When asked why he loves KU, Professor French noted that the small-town environment makes it easy to connect with students and enjoy the intimate sense of community here.🏫

You will soon meet our last (but certainly not least!) new professor of music here at KU, so stay tuned shortly!👀

FACULTY SPOTLIGHTLet's give a warm welcome our premier Cello faculty member here at the Kutztown University Department o...
09/03/2026

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Let's give a warm welcome our premier Cello faculty member here at the Kutztown University Department of Music! He has just started his teaching at Kutztown this very school year, 2026-2027!👏🎉🎊

Meet Dr. Julian Langford, a prolific and exemplary cellist who has performed in major concert halls all throughout the United States. His stellar performances have echoed throughout the auditoriums of Carnegie hall, the Lincoln Center, and even crossing international waters to Korea at the Lotte Concert Hall. In 2008, he was graced with the opportunity to collaborate with renown world-class cellist Yo-Yo Ma, to perform the Schubert Two Cello Quintet in New York City.🎻

An avid chamber player as well, Julian founded the New York Trio group, mentored by Grammy Award-winning composer Robert Aldridge; his group even performed with Broadway singer Frank D'Ambrosio. Additionally, Julian has performed as principle cellist in multiple orchestras such as the New York Classical Players and the Tanglewood Young Artist's Orchestra. He has been the recipient of multiple prizewinner awards in multiple musical competitions such as the Pearl and Julius Young Music Competition. In the Young Classical Virtuosos of Tomorrow Competition, he also received first-place.🥇

He received both his Bachelor's and Master's of Music degrees at the esteemed Julliard School of Music and successfully completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University!

An interesting fact about Julian is that he is comes from a passionate family of musicians; his mother is a concert pianist and his father is a musicologist. Before discovering his passion for music through the cello at the age of 6, Julian had also experimented with many different instruments.

Why Kutztown? Julian enjoys teaching at KU because of the shared passion among his colleagues, and the eagerness of the students who want to learn, making him a perfect fit for the music faculty here.

Welcome aboard Dr. Langford!🎶🎵

🎵 Clarinet Masterclass with Antonello DiMatteo 🎵Join us on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 for an evening of world-class musiciansh...
04/30/2026

🎵 Clarinet Masterclass with Antonello DiMatteo 🎵

Join us on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 for an evening of world-class musicianship and learning. Renowned clarinetist Antonello DiMatteo will lead a masterclass open to all KU students.

📅 Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2026
⏰ Time: 7–9 PM
📍 Location: Schaeffer Room 14G

Whether you're a music major or just love the clarinet, don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a master. See you there!

🎻 KU Orchestra – KU Choir - Reading Choral Society: Two Concerts! 🎶Join us for a spectacular collaboration featuring the...
04/24/2026

🎻 KU Orchestra – KU Choir - Reading Choral Society: Two Concerts! 🎶

Join us for a spectacular collaboration featuring the KU Orchestra, KU Choir, and the Reading Choral Society!

📅 Sunday, May 3rd
🕒 4:00PM
📍 Muhlenberg High School

📅 Friday, May 8
🕢 7:30PM
📍 Schaeffer Auditorium (KU Campus)
🎟️ FREE for KU faculty, students & staff with ID
💰 General admission: $20 | Reduced: $15 | Students: $10

Don't miss this powerful partnership of orchestra and voices!

🎻 KU Orchestra – KU Choir - Reading Choral Society: Two Concerts! 🎶Join us for a spectacular collaboration featuring the...
04/24/2026

🎻 KU Orchestra – KU Choir - Reading Choral Society: Two Concerts! 🎶

Join us for a spectacular collaboration featuring the KU Orchestra, KU Choir, and the Reading Choral Society!

📅 Friday, May 8
🕢 7:30PM
📍 Schaeffer Auditorium (KU Campus)
🎟️ FREE for KU faculty, students & staff with ID
💰 General admission: $20 | Reduced: $15 | Students: $10

📅 Sunday, May 10
🕒 3:00PM
📍 Muhlenberg High School
🎟️ Admission details available at the door

Don't miss this powerful partnership of orchestra and voices!

🎹 Piano Palooza is almost here! 🎶Join us on May 4 at 7:30PM in Schaeffer Auditorium for a night of incredible piano musi...
04/24/2026

🎹 Piano Palooza is almost here! 🎶

Join us on May 4 at 7:30PM in Schaeffer Auditorium for a night of incredible piano music featuring current students, alumni, and faculty!!!!

We’ve got a little bit of everything on the program:
👑 Queen
🎼 Rachmaninoff
🔥 Hatzis
💃 Márquez
…and more!

Come hear your favorite piano stars past, present, and future share the stage for one unforgettable evening.

🎟️ Free & open to the public – bring your friends!
📍 Schaeffer Auditorium
📅 May 4 | 7:30PM

🎷 Saxophone Ensemble Recital 🎶Join us for an evening of rich, vibrant music featuring works by Françaix, Vivaldi, Laurid...
04/19/2026

🎷 Saxophone Ensemble Recital 🎶

Join us for an evening of rich, vibrant music featuring works by Françaix, Vivaldi, Lauridsen, and more!

📅 April 23 at 7:30 p.m.
📍 Schaeffer, Room 114

Free & open to everyone!!

All are welcome. See you there!

Address

114 S Main Street
Kutztown, PA
19530

Telephone

+16106834550

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Kutztown University Department of Music posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to Kutztown University Department of Music:

Shortcuts

Share

Category