Dear Friends,
Thank you for your interest in the Department of Music at Utah State University! Nestled against the breathtaking Rocky Mountains, the beauty of the University’s campus and the surrounding valley is unparalleled. Logan, once a small agricultural community and home to USU, has grown into one of Utah’s largest cities. Since 1893, music at USU has upheld a long tradition of excellence of which I am proud to be a part, first as a student a few years ago and now as Department Head and a member of the faculty.
The beginning of fall semester is one of the most exciting times on campus with the arrival of new students (over 100 new first-year music majors this fall!), the inauguration of our new Master of Music degree with a specialization in piano performance and pedagogy, and the return of our continuing students. Marching band camp; band, orchestra and choir auditions; our new American Festival Chorus; and the beginning of fall classes of the Youth Conservatory, String Academy and Cache Children’s Choir have the Fine Arts Center buzzing with activity.
In addition to our new and returning students, I am very proud of the success we have had in recruiting new faculty members. It is my pleasure to welcome five new colleagues this fall: Frank Chiou (Assistant Professor, piano), Corey Christiansen (Visiting Assistant Professor, guitar), Jason Gamer (Assistant Professor, trumpet and music theory), Chilali Hugo (Lecturer, harp and honors program), and Christopher Scheer (musicology). The energy, enthusiasm and musicianship that our new colleagues bring to the faculty are, indeed, a credit to our department and to Utah State University.
I hope you will take a moment to get to know my new colleagues through the biographical sketches below and, at your earliest opportunity, with a visit to the campus to see our students and faculty in action. I also hope that these simple web pages serve to provide you with a glimpse of our department and, particularly if you are considering joining our community as a student, with helpful information as you consider opportunities to continue your education. If there is any information that you cannot find, simply email music@usu.edu, and one of my staff will assist you.
I hope you will decide to visit us very soon!
Sincerely,
Craig Jessop, DMA
Department Head
Frank Chiou, Assistant Professor (piano)
Frank Chiou, born of Taiwanese parents and raised in Southern Illinois, started playing the piano at the age of five. He graduated from the Phillips Exeter Academy, after which his serious musical studies began at the Oberlin Conservatory. Further studies in performance and music theory followed at the University of Michigan, culminating with a doctorate in piano performance and pedagogy. Past teachers include Monique Duphil, Haewon Song, Anton Nel, and Logan Skelton. Prior to joining the USU faculty, he taught at the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, while maintaining a schedule of private teaching, collaborative work, and individual research and projects in Ann Arbor,
Michigan. His other interests include film and film music, literary fiction, as well as an ever-growing interest in American and Taiwanese history and politics.
Corey Christiansen, Visiting Assistant Professor (guitar)
After growing up in a musically driven family with excellent instruction from his father, Mel Bay author and Utah State University professor Mike Christiansen, Corey Christiansen continued his passion for playing the guitar at Utah State University were he received his Bachelor's Degree and many honors and awards including the Outstanding Music Student Award and Outstanding Guitarist Award. For his Master's Degree in Jazz Performance, Corey sought out renowned jazz guitar educator Jack Petersen and began his studies as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of South Florida. After receiving his Master's Degree in 1999, Corey took the place of retired Jack Petersen and became the adjunct guitar instructor at USF. From 2000 to 2007 Corey was the Senior Editor at Mel Bay Publications, and from 2007-2008 he was the Director of Curriculum and Artistic Director of the guitar department at The Music School in American Fork, UT. His recording MB3: Jazz Hits Vol. 1 spent three weeks as the No.1 Jazz recording on North American jazz radio. Corey now records for Origin Records and his newest CD, “Roll With It” will be available September 2008.
Jason Gamer, Assistant Professor (trumpet and music theory)
Jason Gamer enjoys a rich and diverse life in music. A native of Los Angeles, Jason earned degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music (B.Mus) and the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music (M.Mus, DMA). He plays trumpet in several orchestras including the New West Symphony, Pacific Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Embracing a variety of musical idioms, Jason performs with Hollywood Klezmer, Orchestre Surreal, and on several studio recordings including a new jazz EP with the Jason Lee Bruns Trio. From 1995-2006, he served as music director and conductor of the Wild Ginger Philharmonic, which he co-founded. In 2004, Jason received the prestigious Founder's Award for Humanity in the Arts from ICAP, the International Committee of Artists for Peace.
Chilali Hugo, Lecturer (harp and honors program)
Awarded the highly coveted Diploma from the Royal Academy of Music, London (Dip RAM), harpist Chilali Hugo moves freely between classical and popular music, constantly seeking out new and invigorating performance experiences. She is the harp instructor in the Caine School of the Arts at Utah State University, and teaches privately as well as maintaining a productive freelance career as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician. While earning her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the University of Michigan, Chilali recorded as a soloist with the University of Michigan Symphony Band under the direction of Michael Haithcock. She has worked with such popular performers as Dave Brubeck, Josh Groban, and the Celtic singing group Anuna, with whom she recorded the television special Christmas Memories. She has contributed to recordings of Detroit bands Nomo, His Name is Alive, and Saturday Looks Good to Me. In addition to these activities, Chilali is also certified as a Music Practitioner (CMP), providing therapeutic bedside music. Her principal teachers include Lynne Aspnes and Skaila Kanga.
Christopher Scheer, Assistant Professor (musicology)
Christopher Scheer holds a PhD from the University of Michigan in historical musicology. Before coming to Utah State University, he taught at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and the HarpArts Summer Retreat. A scholar of late nineteenth and early twentieth century British music, Scheer's dissertation considered the influence of British Imperial and Wagnerian cultures on the compositional development of Gustav Holst. He is currently working on a critical edition of Holst's Wagnerian music drama, Sita. His work has been published through Ashgate press and he has presented papers at regional, national, and international conferences. Always seeking performance opportunities to enliven his scholarly pursuits, Scheer continues to play English horn in orchestral and chamber settings, served as the founding director of the University of Michigan-Dearborn Arts Chorale, and oversaw productions of The Grand Duke, Ruddigore, and Princess Ida as music director of the prestigious University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society.