OBERLIN, OHIO -- Music critic and historian James M. Keller, a 1975 graduate of Oberlin College, has been named the College's new Henry R. Luce Professor of the Emerging Arts, effective July 1, 2004. This is a faculty position in both Oberlin's Conservatory of Music and the College of Arts and Sciences.
"Besides being engaging and stimulating, James Keller brings to this important professorship an enormous breadth of interests andknowledge," says Dean of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music Robert Dodson in announcing the appointment. "The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences [Clayton Koppes] and I believe that Mr. Keller's broader academic interests beyond music will help build interdisciplinary bridges between the Conservatory and the College."
"I'm interested in the design and construction of theaters, concert halls, museums, and arts centers. I think it would be interesting, for example, to look at New York's Lincoln Center as a case study. How well has it held up over the years? Is it still fulfilling its purpose as well as it should? Has it adapted its mission to changing cultural realities or the evolving nature of new artworks? Should it? How have ensuing arts centers followed or departed from its model?"
Keller looks forward to developing an undergraduate curriculum and teaching courses that are "heavily concentrated on what's happening now," he says. His emphasis will be on learning how to approach, evaluate, and communicate about new works in a meaningful way and from a critical perspective, rather than on actually creating and performing works incorporating new forms and technologies. His curriculum will not therefore duplicate such courses as are offered as part of the music composition major, the studio art major, and TIMARA (Technology in Music and Related Arts).
Keller also hopes to harness the interest of fellow faculty members in both the Conservatory and the College in developing symposia and collaborative projects.
Keller earned bachelor degrees in 1975 from both the Oberlin Conservatory and Oberlin College, majoring in music history in the former and French and music in the latter. He was also awarded a certificate in French language and literature from the Sorbonne, Paris; a Master of Philosophy in music history from Yale University; and a certificate from the Careers in Business Institute at New York University's Graduate School of Business Administration.
He has worked as an oboist, specializing in early music and historical performance; as a theatrical music director for productions of the American Shakespeare Festival, Yale Drama School, and East Lynne Company for Historical American Theatre; as a university teacher; and as a business consultant.
