Faculty and staff are invited to a special reception to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Edward Kocher, who will step down after 14 years of service as dean of the Mary Pappert School of Music. Guests are asked to RSVP to the May 13 reception, which will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Power Center Ballroom.
Dr. Edward Kocher
“For me, it has been a magical deanship, and I cherish the teamwork, cooperation and espirit de corps that we have achieved,” said Kocher. “My strong commitment to the mission of Duquesne University will continue in future years.”
Kocher was named dean and professor of music in 2000 after serving as associate dean and professor at the DePaul University School of Music in Chicago. During his tenure as dean, the music school has expanded its academic programs, increased faculty diversity and fostered outreach in the cultural community.
Among the programs established under Kocher’s leadership are the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music technology as well as the new bachelor of music with elective studies in business. The school’s Music on the Bluff concert series, which has focused on composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven and Antonin Dvořák, has drawn scores of loyal followers to campus, while the annual O Come All Ye Faithful, In Memoriam and Music on the Mount concerts engage large audiences throughout the city.
In addition to extensive renovations to the PNC Recital Hall and lobby, Kocher oversaw completion of The Dr. Thomas D. Pappert Center for Performance and Innovation, a new, state-of-the-art rehearsal and performance space. Kocher’s fundraising efforts helped to establish the Mary Jane Schultz Music Center, a music and music-related research resource in the Gumberg Library; the Anthony F. Triano Woodwind Suite in the music school; and the addition of 68 new Steinway pianos. In 2006, the School of Music named David Allen Wehr as the Jack W. Geltz Distinguished Piano Chair, the school’s first endowed chair.
In the classroom, Kocher has taught trombone lessons to music school students. “It’s a way to feed my habit,” joked Kocher, an accomplished trombonist who has performed with some music school ensembles, including the recent Tribute to the Beatles concert featuring the Jazz Ensemble. In the past, he has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ballet Chicago, the Bolshoi Ballet, Mannheim Steamroller, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, among others.
Professionally, Kocher has worked as a visiting accreditation evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM); is an elected member of the NASM’s Commission on Accreditation; and is a past president of the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society Board of Directors.
Kocher has a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois-Chicago, a master of arts in trombone performance from the University of Iowa and a bachelor of music education from Northwestern University.
After taking a yearlong sabbatical, Kocher will return in the fall of 2015 as a professor in the School of Music.